Importance of Community Relations
Importance of Community Relations
Importance of Community Relations
There are some powerful relationship realities between various community groups and organizations. Constituents are asking more questions; decisions are taking longer. Very small forces, sometimes individuals, can stop very big ideas and projects. People without credentials have enormous credibility. Corporations and institutions must prove their validity, honesty, and trustworthiness every day. Most public debate and discussion, on issues that matter, are focused more on embarrassment, humiliation, and blame shifting than on achieving beneficial progress.
In today's environment of public suspicion, gaining and maintaining public consent to operate has become an on-going, top management concern for most businesses and large organizations. Community relationships are effectively maintained primarily through engagement with various publics and audiences within the community and your organization.
It is often stated that community relations are "public relations at the local level" or that it is "living right and telling about it." It has also been explained as "having and keeping friends in the community." These statements get to the heart of community relations, but they are oversimplified definitions when the vital mission of community relations is analyzed clearly.
Community relations is the function that evaluates public attitudes, identities the mission of an organization with the public interest and executes a program of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.
Like public relations, community relations is something an organization has whether this fact is recognized or not.
Unlike public relations, community relations is usually limited to the local area. Business organizations give attention to their community relations for good reason.
Organizations can exist and make a profit only as long as the public allows them to exist. The concept that American free enterprise exists only to make a profit and is responsible only to its official family has diminished to a great degree.
It has fast given way to the realization that there is also a responsibility to the community in which the organization is located and that it is advisable for the organization to meet this responsibility of its own free will. While there is not universal agreement on the specific benefits gained, organizations conducting planned programs cite many tangible and intangible benefits from their community relations efforts. Benefits from good community relations do not come automatically.
In fact, many organizations that are fine employers and outstanding corporate citizens fail to realize the rewards to which their virtues entitle them. They miss the payoff because they fail to tell about it. Communicating to key publics the benefits derived from sound community relations further enhances an organization's overall program. Attitude surveys reveal that community neighbors traditionally know little about companies in their towns and the important part each plays in the civic programs of their towns.
Like so many specific disciplines within the practice of public relations, the work done by community relations practitioners is extremely complex. And yet, if you leaf through the general public relations texts, you won't find much discussion about "community relations."
It's probably because community relations activities emulate the work done by public relations practitioners on a regular basis (that is, carefully researched, targeted communications to achieve an organizational goal -- community acceptance and support). Consequently, the authors probably didn't think it necessary to break out community relations activities from the work that's done every day.
None-the-less, community relations deserve some serious discussion. Basically, what good, effective community relations does is involve the people, businesses and organizations who live, work and operate in the surrounding community in company activities.
A company does not live in a vacuum. The citizens and groups that populate its geographic operating area are essential to its operation. The employees live in the community; they very likely grew up there. The company banks in the community. Municipal, county and state governments set the parameters by which the company can operate.
As a result, a successful organization must continuously establish understanding and support for its products, services and positions among those publics important to its welfare. And you only get this by applying good public relations principles over time.
Some key components of an effective community relations program:
a. identify all constituents.
b. Listen to community wants and needs.
c. Allay community fears about the company
d. Protect the community's health and safety
e. Manage corporate contributions of time and money
f. Encourage and manage employee volunteerism
g. Implement fair recruitment and employment practices
h. Maintain profitable and ethical operating practice
i. Understand that being a good corporate citizen is not something that can be done sporadically but rather is something that needs to be done consistently and visibly.
A community relations policy puts the commitment in writing and spells out guidelines under which the company will participate in community affairs. Craig Miyamoto, APR created a sample that can be adapted to meet various corporate needs. He wrote:
1. As part of this community, we are committed to being a good neighbor. As such, we pledge to be responsive to the concerns and the welfare of those with whom we share the land.
2. We will work toward building a positive, open relationship and interdependence among all that care about this community's well-being. We will be forthright and open in all of our dealings with the community.
3. We believe in the need for two-way communication with the community at large, and will seek its feedback. This feedback will be a valuable part of our operations and will become an integral part of our decision-making process.
4. Finally, we pledge that any decisions impacting on the community will be communicated to them in a timely and accurate manner.
The value of such a policy statement is that it provides broad guidelines on a company's intentions, on the way it sees its role in the community, and on its commitment to be a good neighbor. And, THAT'S good community relations.
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