Ronn Torossian founder and CEO of 5W Public Relations and founder of the Ronn Torossian Foundation, had this to say about the proper PR approach. “This sort of announcement may seem benign, but there is a wealth of nuance in the way this sort of announcement should be made.”
Torossian says there are several factors that a release or presentation such as this should include.
Decorum Commiserates with the Position
It’s one thing if you are the top spot in an entertainment charity, but for the commissioner position in the Salvation Army USA there’s a certain mixture of refined passion and professionalism expected. This can be accomplished in the tone of the copy as well as the choice of professional images chosen.
Address the Butterfly Effect
One of the unspoken concerns of any change situation is the uncertainty that comes with any change. When one executive is promoted from within, that often triggers a string of other changes in other departments or executive levels. If change is scary for donors, change that triggers multiple successive leadership changes can be exponentially off-putting.
Seize the Opportunity
But this potential for unease is not a danger. It is a clear opportunity. Imagine this paragraph – a long list of newly appointed leadership and their stellar accomplishments and qualifications. In a single announcement a savvy nonprofit PR pro can not only alleviate concerns but also have the donors marveling at the stellar leadership driving their organization.
When you stack up all those excellent credentials, the overall impact skips right past “uh oh” and lands squarely on “wow!” Particularly when most – if not all – of those promotions are coming from within. The implication is, “well, if they have that kind of talent in the system, I know they are doing something right.
In a simple, three or four paragraph release, the Salvation Army hit all the right notes. The announcement was, by its nature, compulsory. And it might be a common situation, but as I stated earlier it could have gone very wrong.
But they nailed it.