Interested in joining our team?

Our Social Impact team is growing – and we’d love to hear from you if you share a passion for working with corporations, foundations and nonprofits on social issues.

You’d be based at Powell Tate, one of Washington’s leading strategic communications and public affairs firms, and a division of Weber Shandwick.

Successful candidates will have experience developing and implementing programs to communicate how companies are creating business and social value, and/or working with nonprofits on brand-building, stakeholder outreach and public education campaigns.

Core required skills include strategic counsel of client teams, project management, writing communications plans, conducting media relations, building partnerships and leading social media engagement. Experience working on environmental sustainability issues is a plus. 

A sense of humor is a must, as is an ability to navigate a fast-paced environment. 

Qualified candidates will have a minimum of 5-10 years of CSR and nonprofit communications experience, preferably in an agency environment. 

To apply, please send cover letter, resume and compensation history to jobs@powelltate.com, referencing CSR/Nonprofit in the subject line. 

Powell Tate is an equal opportunity employer. EEO/AA.M/F/D/V.

Greening 2012

One of my favorite parts of the New Year is reading through the abundance of “year in review” and “predictions for the new year” articles. It’s always interesting to see where the experts think we’ve moved the needle in 2011, and where emphasis will be placed in 2012. One of my favorites this year came from GreenBiz.com’s Tilde Herrera, who asked executives from a range of companies and organizations what they thought would be the biggest driver for sustainability in 2012.

A couple of drivers came up time and again in the responses- the first of which was building trust with their stakeholders. In 2012, companies such as Hasbro and Molson Coors are focusing their efforts on building trust with their employees, customers, and shareholders by making decisions around sustainability that are not only good for the environment, but that have economic value for the company’s bottom line. This is a driver for many companies as they realize the value in responding to stakeholder demands and desires for sustainability.

This driver points to the next recurring theme- that in 2012, companies will increasingly seek to invest in sustainability efforts because they’ll recognize the economic benefits that result from resource efficiency. Organizations such as the USGBC, Sprint, Dow Chemical, and Intuit echoed this sentiment. This driver illustrates the recent shift in the way companies consider their CSR efforts, which has been brought on in part by the current economic climate. What was once a “nice to have,” or an obligation that was seen as a financial burden, is now more often seen as an opportunity to innovate and find efficiencies that serve the bottom line.

To see the responses given by the executives GreenBiz interviewed, visit Green Biz.

Here’s to a happy (and green) 2012!

I won!

My colleagues are probably already tired of my gloating, but I have to share that I won a contest.  A new restaurant recently opened up near our office called Roti.  (Not a client, by the way.)  In addition to the big sign announcing their opening and giving just enough information about their take on the classic lunch offering, they also handed out flyers with a contest to win free Roti for a year.

Who doesn’t like the idea of free lunch for a year?  Certainly not me because I went back to my office and pulled up the contest website.  

Now this is where I can actually make the gloating relevant to our Social Impact blog.  This wasn’t the online equivalent of tossing your business card in a jar contest.  You actually had to write something about why you thought you should win.  

I got to the essay part – and, of course, it was a required field – and stopped and thought, “Do I really want to do this?  Do I have time?  Do I have something interesting to say?”  But when I thought of all the contests I have organized as part of education and awareness campaigns, I knew that the higher you set the bar for entering, the less likely people are to participate.  

The upside of that particular hard truth is that the people who do enter and take your action – be it an essay, a photo, a haiku or a video – are probably pretty motivated and make the best advocates or potential donors.  And, yes, I fall in that bucket apparently.  Exhibit A: I’ve started following Roti on Twitter and have tweeted twice about what I am eating there. And, exhibit B: I’m writing a blog post about it for Social Impact.

I don’t know how many people entered. It could have been my clearly superior content that resulted in a win (albeit a runner up category) of free food for a month.  I am a communications professional after all.  We’re all writers and editors here. But, it is something to think about when designing a contest.  Is your goal to get the most active and motivated participants?  Then, set your bar high.  If you want broad participation, make it easier for people to join, get to know you and hopefully take progressively more ambitious actions.

Get pissed off and do something!

This week's National Women’s Law Center Annual Awards Dinner boasted some important special guests, but it was the message that shone through at the end of the evening. The event honored several female Freedom Riders by hosting a panel discussion, which was followed by a keynote speech from President Obama. Although President Obama was just a baby during the Freedom Rides of 1961, he joked that he “knew something important was going on.”

As a refresher, the Freedom Riders were a group of male and female activists who led nonviolent protests of the segregationist Jim Crow laws by traveling together on buses and trains that crossed state lines- an act that drew harsh punishment from law enforcement, society, and even the White House. As the women shared their stories, it became clear that they acted because they felt they had a responsibility to better society for future generations. President Obama echoed this sentiment when he said, “My wish for my daughters and yours is for them to go out into a world where no dream is out of reach.”

The evening’s host, NPR’s Michel Martin, closed the panel by asking the women what injustices or causes today need the same passion that they devoted to racial segregation back in the 60s. Some of the issues raised included religious intolerance, gender inequality, and the public education system. But my favorite response came from Ms. Helen Singleton, who said that everyone has a cause that stirs passion or frustration in them, and that’s what they should focus their energies on. She closed with a challenge that is well worth sharing. “Figure out what it is about our society today that pisses you off, and then do something about it,” she said.

The Big Red Donate Button

One thing I really love about our Social Impact work is that every non-profit we work with is unique – unique causes, priorities, expertise, people and perspectives. But working with non-profits as much as we do, I also see commonalities – most non-profits share a lot of the same challenges. Often the primary challenge is how to effectively inspire would-be advocates to take action – be it to sign a petition, join a mailing list or donate money.  In the latter case (though I think this applies to most calls to action) we regularly encounter a practice that I joking characterize as “the big red donate button.” The reaction of many organizations facing fundraising challenges is that the problem must be the donate button. Make it bigger! Redder! Use exclamation points!

But is this likely to truly inspire someone?  I recently came across a blog post by Joshua Porter that manages to encapsulate the conversation that we often have with organizations on this subject. He writes: "We’re not fighting an attention war…we’re fighting an emotional war. We need to convince people of the value of what we’re offering enough so they actually care.”

While Porter is specifically referring to ‘Sign Up’ buttons on start-ups’ websites, I believe his observations and lessons are hugely relevant to non-profits with challenges in inspiring action.  Simply replace his references to ‘Sign Up’ with your own call to action.  Then think about what it is that makes your audience care and put your emphasis there.