The Cyrano Project Launches Online Salon to help Nonprofits with Communications

NEW YORK, NEW YORK June 05, 2007 Non Profit News

(PRLEAP.COM) The Cyrano Project, a nonprofit organization based in New York City, has launched The Cyrano Project Salon:

http://groups.google.com/group/the-cyrano-project-salon

an online group where communications professionals exchange ideas with nonprofit professionals about how nonprofits can communicate more effectively to achieve their goals.

“Things that advertising and marketing people think and breathe are not necessarily obvious to most nonprofit people. They are good at curing diseases or saving kids, but communications is too often not their bag. Nonetheless they need all the help they can get in getting their stories told: the right story in the right way to the right people,” said Michael Pollock, an advertising veteran and President of The Cyrano Project. "With more effective communications, they can raise more money, recruit more volunteers and increase their impact."

“The Cyrano Project Salon is a place for nonprofit leaders and communicators to talk with communications professionals,” continues Pollock. They can ask questions. Get ideas. Share experiences. They can talk about strategy and materials, messaging and audiences: everything that goes into getting a nonprofit’s message out effectively.”

Cyrano Salons held in-person, before the launch of the online version, included communications professionals from ad agencies including Ogilvy & Mather and Y&R, marketers like Virgin Mobile and Time Warner and nonprofit professionals from MOMA, the UN, Common Ground and The New School.

Topics explored at these earlier offline salons included communications planning, defining audiences, printing costs, how to shoot videos and how to communicate effectively with ones own staffers.

“For a great many non-profits, the kind of sophisticated communications techniques used by FORTUNE 1000 companies are often out of reach. What The Cyrano Project is setting out to do is perhaps the greatest gift to any non-profit,” says Simon Sinek of Sinek Partners.

Howard Handler, Chief Marketing Officer of Virgin Mobile says, “Without the support and inspiration of business-minded strategies available to help streamline marketing and communications, amazing organizations will continue to struggle to get their messages out. We wholeheartedly believe in Cyrano’s mission.”

There is no charge for participating in the salon and as Pollock states, “It is an easy and fast way for communications professionals to share their expertise, putting it to work for good causes. And what could be better for a nonprofit than getting free insights and tips from practicing communications and marketing professionals.”

The Cyrano Project Online Salon can be found at:
http://groups.google.com/group/the-cyrano-project-salon

About The Cyrano Project
http://www.cyranoproject.org

The Cyrano Project is a 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization, founded by communications professionals, to help nonprofits tell their stories eloquently and effectively.