The Delta Media P.R. Clinic

Breakfast of Champions:
How to connect with the most important people of your PR campaign

By Bernard Gauthier, MA

Every organization has champions – a small circle of people who are more in touch, engaged and committed than the norm. They are the early adopters who are among the first to embrace the kinds of changes in behaviour your association is trying to foster. They are influencers who talk with others about your association and your issues. They are also often your most honest and vocal critics; they care enough to pay attention, think and speak out when they feel the association is doing it right or headed in the wrong direction. Here's how you can make the most of the power of champions.

• Find them: The first step is to find them. Your existing lists of donors, volunteers and customers are a good place to start. The top 5% of these lists can safely be considered champions. A check of your email folders and appointment calendars can also help uncover champions. They are the members who keep in touch the most, the government officials who consult with you regularly, the news reporters who turn to you first, and the leaders of other associations who are constantly looking for partnership opportunities. What truly sets champions apart is not their attitudes or the number of years they've been around; it's the action they take.
  
• Acknowledge them: Let your champions know how important they are to the association and offer them small privileges that demonstrate your appreciation. A special breakfast at your next annual conference, an exclusive 1-800 number to call, or a personalized Christmas card can all send an important message to your champions.
  
• Empower them: Champions are influential advocates who share what they know and feel with others. Tap into this source by making sure your champions have the information and the tools to advocate effectively. They are the ones who will use your PowerPoint templates, who will wear the association golf shirts, who will post the banner to their websites and send the e-postcard to their MP. They'll only do all this, of course, if you ask and provide them with what they need.
  
• Learn from them: Your association's champions can be a valuable source of insight into other members, donors, government officials, reporters and ordinary Canadians. They live and work among these people and hear what others have to say. Champions reflect more on the association and where it is headed. Turn to your champions as a sounding board. Go beyond multiple choice surveys and instead look for more qualitative ways to sound them out (i.e. focus groups, depth interviews or simply an email with a provocative question or two).
  
• Start with them: Champions will be more predisposed to join, donate, legislate or otherwise act in a way that helps your association succeed. Include them in the first phase of your outreach efforts to build early momentum, gather success stories and generate the return on investment you need to continue and expand your campaign.

Simply put, champions are the foundation on which to build your associations' PR program.

Bernard Gauthier, MA (Bernard@deltamedia.ca) is Managing Partner of Delta Media. To consult past editions of the PR Clinic or to suggest topics for future columns, please visit the tools section of www.deltamedia.ca.

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