Public relations plan for Girl Scouts (Essay Sample)

Public relations plan for Girl Scouts
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Public relations plan for Girl Scouts
Background
Since its inception, the Girl Scout has empowered millions of girls globally, fostering their character, self-sufficiency, and individual growth. The Girl Scouts has also been at the forefront in advocating for gender equality, environment conservation, safety issues, and racial discrimination. Its membership includes at least 1.5 million girls and over 700,000 adults who believe that the unique power in every girl should be harnessed to help them change the world. The not-for-profit organization believes that every girl is a go-getter who can be nurtured to be an innovator and risk-taker and that girls have an innate ability to lead (Girl Scouts, 2021). The Girl Scout history dates back to 1912 when Juliette Gordon Low, who was the first scout, organized the first troop.
The not-for-profit organization is funded by organizations that are also committed to similar initiatives. Examples of such corporations and foundations include AT&T, Dell, The David and Laura Lovell Foundation, Johnson & Johnson, and Arconic Foundation. Others include General Motors, The Coca-Cola Foundation, Microsoft, and Ford Foundation, among others. In October 2020, the Girls Scouts attracted an angry backlash on social media after posting a congratulatory message to Amy Coney Barrett after she was controversially appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States (Crary, 2020). According to Robinson (2020), Barrett’s rulings reveal a pattern of a person who cares less about the interests of vulnerable people such as minority communities, immigrants, and workers. Barrett is also known to oppose abortion and LGBT rights.
The Girl Scouts later deleted the post and clarified that it was not about partisan politics. Understandably, it was in good faith for the Girl Scout to celebrate the appointment of a woman to the Supreme Court. However, the post intended to congratulate a woman who has overcome all barriers to become a leader was taken out of context. The backlash in social media threatens to damage the Girl Scouts’ reputation as a non-political and nonpartisan organization. Due to the backlash, the organization may be perceived as one that supports the discrimination of LGBT communities which is far from the truth. The Girl Scouts is committed to enhancing the development of girls whether or not they are members of LGBT. The negative publicity resulting from the post risks antagonizing a huge portion of Girl Scouts’ donors and sponsors, which could significantly impact its funding. As a result, its ability to undertake its initiatives could be impacted.
Audience analysis
That the Girl Scouts draws its funding from donors is not in doubt. The donors comprise corporations and foundations whose commitment is to end poverty, promote environmental conservation, facilitate access to clean water, eliminate all forms of discrimination, promote universal education, and promote maternal health. Many of these organizations consider the Girl Scouts as a partner in these initiatives. The organization also attracts thousands of volunteers and individuals who fund its activities. On its website, the Girl Scouts has a link for volunteers wishing to be on boarded and donors who want to donate to support its initiatives. In this light, it is accurate to say that the public is the organization’s audience. For this reason, the Girl Scouts must always be apolitical and measured to avoid antagonizing the public, which is its main audience. This plan highlights the various strategies that the Girl Scouts should use to reverse the bad publicity due to the incident and how it can promote its initiatives in the future.
Goals and objectives
The Girl Scouts’ mission statement indicates that its two main objectives include improving girls’ lives and exceeding the public’s expectations as it does so. The organization’s goal is to nurture courageous girls who bear the confidence and character necessary to make the world a better place. Five core values that include courage, entrepreneurship, confidence, character, and leadership guide the Girl Scouts’ activities in its quest to achieve its objectives.
Messages
The Girl Scouts aims to nurture courageous and confident girls in preparation for leadership in the future. Towards this end, its messages to key stakeholders will seek to notify the key stakeholders about the goals and objectives of the organization. The Girl Scouts will also use messages to reiterate that it is non-political and does not support partisan politics. In particular, it will specify that it does not take any stand on political happenings and will work with all political players as long as they help further its agenda. The Girl Scout will communicate its commitment to conserving the environment through its many programs and in collaboration with its partners. As an organization committed to girls’ empowerment, the Girl Scouts will also communicate its commitment to its vision and its willingness to partner with corporates and other organizations to achieve its key objectives. It will also communicate its recognition of the key role that employees play in helping it achieve its goals and its commitment to train them and develop their careers.
Strategies and tactics
The Girl Scouts recognizes the importance of public relations in amplifying its messages to key stakeholders. According to Milde and Yawson (2017), an effective public relations plan helps a not-for-profit organization reach new audiences. It also helps the organization mitigate the damage after a public relations crisis. Considering the recent social media backlash owing to the post the Girl Scouts made on Twitter, the Girl Scouts will adopt the following strategies to redeem its image and communicate to its audience.
1. Internal communication
* Internal key announcements will be made monthly through an email to managers of various departments and supervisors. The managers and supervisors will cascade the messages within three days of receiving them.
* During interdepartmental meetings, key communicators will represent departments. Their key responsibility shall include identifying communication needs and collecting information for sharing with the public relations department. They will also highlight what needs to be communicated.
* The organization will establish a noticeboard within the organization where regular announcements will be posted. All posts will be written in simple English to avoid ambiguity and help all staff members understand their content.
* A Public Relations policy and standard operating manual will be developed. The policy and manual will provide guidelines for the PR and communications department. It will also describe the type of social media posts that are approved by the management. Employees working in the department will be taken through the policy and standard operating manual during induction.
2. External communication
* The Girl Scouts will produce a quarterly calendar identi