Final thoughts and recommendations for the Fellowship

Hi everyone,
Officially, my placement with the Fellowship of Australian Writers WA came to an end last week. However, I will be staying on to assist in the management of the Mattie Furphy House opening discussed in my last post.

Looking back on my time with FAWWA, I believe I have learnt a lot about the practice of public relations in the real world. I was able to complete a number of tasks which had a direct correlation to what has been taught at university. This included the production of regular media releases, the implementation of more effective clerical systems, event planning concerning the Mattie Furphy House opening and a wide range of other tasks.

I would like to think that the experience has been not only beneficial to me, but also to FAWWA now and into the future. As outlined in my report,I have listed a number of public relations recommendations aimed at helping the organisation meet its short and long-term goals. These included suggestions to broaden FAWWA's membership base my targeting young writers. A high school literary prize and workshops for teenagers were some of the recommendations.

I also thought FAWWA could contribute to local newspapers through the production of a weekly book review column - something which would help gain exposure within the community. In turn, this would help attract new members and increase FAWWA's current revenue stream.

My final recommendation centres around the creation of a public relations handbook FAWWA would use to guide its future strategies and programs. This document would include an understanding of the organisation's communication objectives, key message and a breakdown of each individual's role with FAWWA.

Thanks for reading,

Dean Stacey.