Rich Greif has spent his career telling stories for mission-driven organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, Make-A-Wish, Mass Mentoring Partnership, Read to a Child and Tufts Health Plan. At the time of this recording he was director of communications and development at the Guild for Human Services, which ran a special education school in Concord with about 90 students and an adult program for people 22 and older, serving about 175 youth and adults in all with a staff of more than 500.
Rich also taught a writing for communications class at Boston University. This was his second appearance on The PR Bunker Podcast, and in this episode we focus on using PR to drive a mission, how he decides which stories go where, and the Make-A-Wish story that has stayed with him.
A few takeaways from the conversation:
Rich said the work starts with relationships across the organization, because the stories are happening in classrooms, residences and the community, whether that's students volunteering at a farm or food pantry, taking classes at Middlesex Community College or working at a CVS or Market Basket. To decide where a story belongs, he looks at who's involved, how unique it is, what assets are available and how comfortable people are on camera. Some stories are right for local TV, and others work better as photos and interviews on the Guild's own channels.
At Make-A-Wish, a child with a rare brain tumor gave his wish away by asking for an indoor play structure at his elementary school. Rich gave a local TV station an exclusive on the unveiling and made sure his team shot its own photos, video and interviews. Only about 1 percent of kids donate their wish, and the story went viral, landing on the Today Show and in Prevention Magazine. The child passed away some time later, and Make-A-Wish created a pay-it-forward award in his memory, presented to his family at a gala that broke fundraising records.
With so much news competing for attention, the Guild leaned on thought leadership tied to timely issues. Rich mentioned opinion pieces on emergency department boarding in Massachusetts hospitals, the housing crunch when people with disabilities turn 22 and their required educational services end, and the human services staffing crisis. He also said a great story isn't finished when it's published. You have to share it internally, send reminders and put it on every platform so the people in it see it and feel proud.
To learn more about the Guild for Human Services, visit guildhumanservices.org.
Listen to the full episode above.
Reading is the hello. SBGA is where we get to yes.
How do nonprofits decide which stories to pitch to the media?
Rich weighs who's involved, how unique the story is, what photos or video exist and how comfortable the people are with cameras, then picks the medium that fits.
Why should a nonprofit capture its own footage when the media covers an event?
Rich's team shot its own photos, video and interviews at the Make-A-Wish unveiling, which gave them assets to share on social channels and send to other outlets after the TV story aired.
How can a nonprofit use thought leadership?
Tie your expertise to issues already in the news. The Guild wrote opinion pieces on hospital emergency department boarding, housing for adults with disabilities and the human services staffing crisis.
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