[caption id="attachment_300" align="alignnone" width="171" caption="Image source: http://beyondwar.ning.com/profile/honk4peace"][/caption] It's no great secret that nonprofit firms have seen a drop in donations and government grants during these tough economic times. Individuals concerned with cash flow have scaled back, while state legislators like here in California have drastically cut programs and contributions, even to entities that fostered job creation and economic development. As a result, many nonprofits are now operating in survival mode - slashing staff to its barest bones and, worse yet, cutting back services. But that only goes so far. More revenue is the answer and I submit that it's still out there. The trick for many organizations is to increase awareness with more people at greater speed. Enter the value of PR, if done correctly. Here are some tried and true tactics that I believe can help: Offer relevant, credible stories for targeted news media. Develop, pitch and secure stories to appear on key print, online and broadcast outlets on the following topics: 1. The impact of cost cutting – highlight the potential impact in cutting costs in terms of reduced services and negative impact to the community and businesses. 2. Show a correlation to the amount of return generated by the nonprofit versus the amount of state funds and/or donations it receives. Hit the speaking circuit. Be aggressive in presenting your organization, its benefits and needs to as many key business, government and community organizations as possible to increase awareness for potential corporate partnerships, government grants and individual contributions. Blog, Tweet and Post - NOW. Do not underestimate the power of a good social media strategy that involves Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook and other sites to get the word out for little to no cost. Devise a solid content strategy that will continually reinforce the organization's value propositions with calls to action that drive people to the nonprofit's site to learn more, donate and tell friends. If you need help, go with a Pay-on-Performance PR firm. NEVER - and I mean EVER - hire a Public Relations agency that will charge a retainer with no guarantee for results. This is a dying business model to begin with, but for nonprofits, it should be a deal killer. Agencies that aren't willing to put their money where their mouth is in generating good press, great speaking events and loyal online followers are putting the risk of success entirely at the hands of the nonprofit, which can't afford it.