A Guest Post by Claire Meyerhoff, a Guest Expert in the “Writing for Nonprofits” Coaching Program

Not long ago, I was talking with my college pal Julie Malkin. Like me, she’s a recovering broadcast journalist who went over to the dark side of professional communications known as “public relations.” For the record, Julie is Public Information Officer for Lucas County (Ohio) Children Services, so her work with at-risk families places her on the nobler edge of the PR dark side. That said, she still qualifies for an unflattering nickname used by journalists for bazillions of years. The nickname?

Flack.

Flack. He/She is the keeper of the information gate who alternates between promoting and holding back. Flacks don’t just say whatever they want; they think about every word they say, then think about how those words will play, then deliver those words to the reporters who call them Flacks. As in . . . . “That Flack knew I had a deadline and didn’t call me back until it was too late. How $%#@ convenient.” Or, “That Flack is a pain in the a$#, I wish he’d stop sending me press releases.” Or . . . “I’m a journalist, I could never be someone’s Flack.”

Until now.

And that’s what Julie and I were talking about, how our friends in the news business are finding themselves downsized, laid off, salary-reduced or just plain kicked to the curb. Left and right, reporters, editors, producers and anchors are losing their jobs or being asked to take insulting pay-cuts, like the network news producer who spent 25-plus years with the same outlet. Management told him he could “reapply” for his job. Only now “his” job comes with someone else’s salary. Someone management figures will do the job for a fraction of his salary.

Who cares that this new person will not have been through eight presidential elections or was even born when one of those presidents clung to life after being shot by a mad man. And this new producer will not even be able to name the mad man or the actress the mad man was mad about or know where the mad man is “incarcerated” today and especially won’t know why the word “incarcerated” is in quotes. (BTW, the producer reportedly declined management’s kind invitation to reapply for his job).

But I digress. Because this blog post isn’t supposed to be about “what happened to the news business” or “old geezers are better news people because we had to hunt down pay phones to file stories.” This blog post is about the conversation Julie and I had about public relations. Specifically, working for nonprofits.

We were talking about how many of our friends are now taking a good hard look at Flackery.

They need new jobs and are attracted to nonprofits, foundations, government agencies and other mission-based organizations because that seems more dignified than pimping for an ugly conglomerate. They figure if they can’t work in news, they might fit in with an organization that promotes the health, safety and well-being of our good citizens and their pets.

Since Julie and I have now been doing the nonprofit thing for a while, many of our friends are asking our advice. They’re hopeful they can slide into a PR job, and for some that’s true. If the stars are aligned, that can happen, but securing a good job in a new field usually comes with a learning curve. Making the transition from journalist to public relations professional takes more than getting a LinkedIn account and putting “Public Relations Consultant” as your job (what job?) title. There are a whole host of reasons why you’re a great candidate for a nonprofit job, and one of the best ways to get your foot in the door is by freelancing.

That’s where the “Writing for Nonprofits” Coaching Program comes in.  It’s not for journalists specifically, but for anyone who feels that the nonprofit world would be a good place for their communications skills.  I’m working with Kivi on the first webinar in the coaching program and I’ll be talking about some of the key insights I’ve learned since I started working for nonprofits, like

• That business thing. There aren’t the same measures of success like profit, output, circulation, ratings that journalists are used to. How does this affect the work culture?
• The reliance on volunteers. How this can help you get a foot in the door (just call it “pro bono”!) — or hurt you when people don’t think they need to pay for all your good stuff.
• The board. What’s that all about?
• How to speak nonprofit-eze.
• And the all important — how to figure out if a nonprofit has any work for you, or the money to pay you.

We’ll even talk a little bit about what you might expect to earn, how to bill and a few other nuts and bolts.

So many people are interested in freelancing for nonprofits that the March program sold out a week after Kivi opened registration in January. But there’s a waiting list, so if you are interested, add your name to it and we’ll see you for the next session later this year.

The Writing for Nonprofits Coaching Program is a month of training and coaching to grow your freelance business and nonprofit clientele. Session starts April 26, 2010. Get the details and register.

When I look back at where I’ve made the most money in my freelance writing career, without a doubt it is from clients who came to me via word-of-mouth referrals from my friends or family, colleagues from past jobs, other communications professionals, or other clients. I’ve had multi-year contracts with clients who found me through my husband, through volunteer work, and through other writers I befriended through the blogosphere. I’m pressed to come up with even one really well-paid gig that I might have landed from a job board.

So how do you make word-of-mouth referrals work for you?

Do great work. Give people more than they expect. They’ll be so thrilled they will naturally tell others about you.

Be clear about what you do. Don’t describe yourself as a freelance writer. Instead, say you write websites or newsletters or fundraising materials, or whatever it is you want to be hired to produce.

Let people know you are available. Without appearing desperate, casually mention to friends and other clients that you have a little time in your schedule for new projects if they know anyone who needs some help with (fill in the blank with what you produce).

Network with other writers and creative types. If you give good referrals, you’ll get good referrals. It’s one of those ying-yang things. I have friends in the freelance communications and marketing worlds who don’t know anything about nonprofits and when they are offered those jobs, they send them my way.  I often refer work to other writers and graphic designers when the potential job just isn’t right for me.

Tell some good stories. When you are in social situations, have some good work-related stories to tell about challenges that a client faced and that you helped solve. It’s a great way to educate people about what you do without sounding like a walking brochure.

Week #3 in the “Writing for Nonprofits” Coaching Program is all about finding nonprofit clients who want to hire you. The program starts March 1, but if you sign up before February 1, you can save $100 with this coupon: JAN100.

The Writing for Nonprofits Coaching Program is a month of training and coaching to grow your freelance business and nonprofit clientele. Session starts April 26, 2010. Get the details and register.

Nonprofits don’t need freelance writers.

What they do need are newsletters, direct mail fundraising letters, Facebook pages, annual reports and other content for both print and online distribution.

But not even the content is the real need. The real need is donors, volunteers, advocates, and other supporters who can help them implement their mission.

So why would you market yourself to nonprofits as simply a freelance writer? When you do that, you fall into the trap of talking about features, when you should be talking about benefits.

The benefits of a good freelancer are newsletters that inspire supporters, annual reports that reassure donors, and Facebook pages that get people commenting and sharing about the cause.

When I first started out, I talked to potential clients about how I could provide freelance writing services. I got blank stares. When I started talking about how I could write their newsletters, special reports, and event speeches, I got paid.

Kerry Karvetski (one of the guest experts in our “Writing for Nonprofits” Coaching Program) doesn’t say on her website that she’s a freelance writer. She says

I write kick-butt e-mails and Web site copy, launch super solid e-mail campaigns and know my way around more than a few content management systems, e-mail services and social networks.

Now that’s what nonprofits need!

The Writing for Nonprofits Coaching Program is a month of training and coaching to grow your freelance business and nonprofit clientele. Session starts April 26, 2010. Get the details and register.

Nancy Schwartz at Getting Attention has compiled a list of places where you can find nonprofit communications and marketing jobs. I suspect most of these are staff positions, but I bet some are open to freelancers. Here is Nancy’s list.

I really want to thank Deb Ng for posting my recent job listing on her blog and for managing Freelance Writing Jobs. More than half of the people who contacted me said they saw the posting on Deb’s site and others may have too without mentioning it. She does an AMAZING job and could make lots of money off the list as a paid service if she wanted. She is a real asset to the freelance writing community.

I’ve just donated $20 to her via her “Donate” button, and if you have used her site to find freelancers or to find work, you should consider a donation too. By helping me find some quality people with very specific skills, she saved me a bunch of time and that’s well worth my small donation.

P.S. Thanks for everyone who replied to my ad for freelance writers and editors. I’m working with three new people and trying to get in touch with a fourth. I’m still sorting through projects, so I may be contacting others soon.