UGA's PRSSA chapter has a lot of cool ideas, but I thought this one was especially worth sharing. Debbie Ebalobo chaired the committee that created PR Workout 2009, but I interviewed committee members Lauren Rohde and Katie Williamson because they're in my class this semester (you might remember Debbie from her guest post here last fall).
Lauren: We divided all the types of organizations (academic, religious, Greek, etc.) for each person in our planning committee, then collected e-mail addresses of all the presidents, and e-mailed them a survey to see if they would be interested in this event, when they would want to do it, and what they would want to learn. I also created a flier for it, and it spread by word of mouth.
What activities did you have, and how long did it take?
Katie: The workshop offered three sessions thirty minute sessions: Fundraising/Budgeting/Event Planning, Media Relations/Writing, and Member Relations. Registration began at 9:45; the event began at 10 a.m. and ended at noon.
Lauren: There were three sessions going on at the same time, and we rotated the participants in groups to each room. Since they were small groups we were able to offer suggestions for specific issues some organizations were facing.
What would you recommend for anyone else who wants to try this?
Lauren: I would say to go ahead and start planning! We had a lot of details to decide on (for example: how much it would cost, how much we should charge, if we would have food and what kind of food, if the food would be donated, if we were going to find a sponsor, what we would teach, who would teach it and how, etc.). To have the most success, listen to what your attendees want to learn, and try to find the people who would be best suited to present that information to them.
Katie: I highly recommend holding the workshop at the beginning of the semester when organizations are trying to recruit new members, raise money and gain awareness for their cause.
