Background

1. Community relations programmes have many definitions, cover varying objectives and are usually based on either a focused or scatter-gun approach. However, all professionally developed programmes have one thing in common – they are all designed to have a measurable impact on the overall perception of the company, by both its external and internal audiences – in other words, a measurable direct bottom line benefit.

2. This is achieved by utilizing the professional skills of a public relations expert who is capable of demonstrating the achievable benefits of the community relations discipline and can highlight the added value of such a programme to a company’s overall business objectives.

3. The need to link a company’s community programme to its overall business objectives is a fundamental assumption. However, this is not always the case. In the past, patronage (defined as a donation where the company gets no direct benefit) and the ‘Chairman’s wife syndrome’ greatly influenced a community relations programme. But, following the recent recessionary period, when company budgets were squeezed, most companies now aim to maximize community programmes by adding value to – in many cases – a reduced budget by examining all community expenditure and devising strategies focused on maximizing the benefits.

4. One consequence of this is that corporate philanthropic donations have decreased as marketing spend is concentrated on more proactive sponsorship activities.

5. A further trend is that companies are now realizing the advantages of involving their employees in deciding how the community should be supported and which activities will form the key focus areas. This creates opportunities for involvement personal development, pride in helping the local community and increased morale, as employees feel that their contribution is valued, by both the company and the community.