Public relations

An association’s chronicle documents the history of the association. It can be compiled from archived documents and, if available, with statements from contemporary witnesses. Particularly high-quality editions are published in book form. Nowadays, one can find a concise association’s chronicle on the websites of many associations. Association anniversaries provide a suitable occasion to create or commission a chronicle.

Storytelling describes the activity of sharing stories. Stories help to capture interest and hold people’s attention – if they are short and easy to understand. Storytelling has long been used in marketing, journalism and education. Associations can use success stories, stories of overcoming challenges or just funny experiences to illustrate their core messages and values, to appeal to new members and to promote loyalty among existing members. Stories can be told with words and images on a website, in social media and flyers, at the general meeting, during excursions or other meetings.

A distinction is made between internal and external communication. Internal communication refers to the exchange between committee, employees and members, while external communication represents the association to an outside public. Communication is an important management task. Decisions taken by the committee must be communicated diligently, clearly and in a timely manner to the members of the association. Both internal and external communication should be clear and accurate.

In the context of associations, digital cooperation refers to the cooperation within the executive committee as well as to interactions with members or between them. Digital media facilitate the exchange of media content and offer the possibility to digitally create media content individually or together with other users. Digital collaboration includes joint data storage and processing (e.g. Dropbox, Google docs, etc.), communication channels such as WhatsApp, Slack, social media platforms and planning tools such as Trello and Doodle. With a survey tool such as Findmind or Surveymonkey, member’s needs and ideas can be surveyed at any time; the interactive Mentimeter presentation software is suitable for live surveys at the general meeting.

The term “internal communication” refers to the communication between the committee, members, working groups and commissions. Its purpose is the optimisation of organisational processes (efficiency), the dissemination of information (transparency), the exchange of opinions (dialogue). Good internal communication increases the motivation of the participants and promotes integration within the association.

It is important to stay in contact with the association’s members regularly. Invitations to special events, an attractive fringe programme accompanying the general meeting and regular information about the association’s activities keep members interested in the association.

Many associations issue their own journal, or nowadays regular electronic newsletters, to keep their members up to date and to reach other persons who might be interested in the association’s activities. A well-made journal or an interesting newsletter can also be used for fundraising purposes.

To ensure that the association’s members and committee members remain motivated is an ongoing task for associations. For people to get involved, good internal communication and a culture of appreciation are important.

What used to be called connections (or in Switzerland “vitamin B”: “B” stands for “Beziehungen”, the German word for connections) is called networking today. Maintaining relationships with different people and making useful contacts is an important part of belonging to an association. Personal relationships help to make the association known to more people and to recruit new members, and they also serve fundraising purposes. vitamin B provides opportunities for networking among committee members from different associations.

Public opinion is very important for associations. Through public relations activities, they build contacts and cultivate relationships with their environment and their members. The annual report, a regular column in the local newspaper and events are suitable means of public relations. It is important to consider which information and which details about the everyday life of the association shall be provided to which target group and what impact on these target persons shall be created. Any contact to the outside world, both personally and through the media, shapes the image of the organisation. Many associations have a separate function within the committee that is responsible for public relations.

PR is a term used in business administration. It describes the relationships that an organisation maintains with its stakeholders. The term stakeholder refers to the beneficiaries of the organisation’s services as well as the donors, the members and the subsidising authorities and institutions. The aim is to achieve a high profile, especially among sponsors, and a positive image.

If an association wants to grow, it has to attract new members and inform them about its services. Depending on the type of association, different means are suitable for the recruitment of members: Campaigns and events, newspaper articles, brochures, newsletters or mailing printed matters. It is important to address potential members directly and specifically.

Setting up and managing an association does not require authorisation. For certain actions and events, however, the association has to obtain permits from the municipality or the canton. Where public land is used for actions or festivities, where public funding events are organised or where lottery tickets are sold, a permit is required and local regulations must be observed.

Question

Our basketball club would like to raise awareness about our association with a street campaign in a pedestrian zone. We will set up a basketball hoop and allow people to take shots. We will also be giving away drinks, but not selling anything. Do we require authorisation for this campaign?

Answer

Yes, all events and campaigns held on public land require authorisation, irrespective of whether anything is sold or not. Responsibility here lies with the municipality or city administration. Enquire here in good time(!) how you can obtain authorisation and what requirements the association has to meet (disposal of waste, space requirements, etc.).

Most municipalities have a usage concept for the use of public land. This may also be available online. Demand is often great at well-frequented locations, meaning that the administration also assumes a coordinating function.

Organising committees are formed for specific occasions or events. Depending on the occasion, they are composed of members of the executive committee, active members of the association, employees and other interested persons. Often, representatives of the local government, the parish or other organisations have a seat on this committee as well. The organising committee has its own budget and receives instructions on what to achieve with the event.

Associations need premises for their regular meetings, activities or events. They can either use a room in a restaurant or a community centre, or they rent or own a place that they set up and use at their own discretion.

There are many possibilities to make an association known to the public: participating in an trade exhibition, organising a try out day or participating in cleaning a local creek. For such actions to be successful, they must fit in with the objectives of the association, comply with the budget and take into account the personal and professional possibilities of the association.

Raffles as well as lottery events are popular means to raise funds for an association. However, a permit from the municipality or the canton is required for holding a raffle. Collecting raffle prizes provides an opportunity to do some PR work for the association.

If an association wants to grow, it has to attract new members and inform them about its services. Depending on the type of association, different means are suitable for the recruitment of members: Campaigns and events, newspaper articles, brochures, newsletters or mailing printed matters. It is important to address potential members directly and specifically.

Lobbying is the representation of interests in politics and society. Through lobbying, interest groups (lobbies) try to influence politicians by cultivating personal relationships. In addition, they influence public opinion through public relations work. Nowadays, lobbying can be an effective tool for associations, too.

The term refers to the attempt by interest groups (lobbies) to influence decision-makers by cultivating personal connections. An association can and should engage in lobbying.

The goal of successful marketing in the non-profit sector is to maintain a good image both internally and externally. Marketing helps to attract members, to promote the association and to maintain a good reputation (the image). This in turn is the basis for raising funds to achieve the association’s objectives. Networking and lobbying are important elements of marketing.

A distinction is made between internal and external communication. Internal communication refers to the exchange between committee, employees and members, while external communication represents the association to an outside public. Communication is an important management task. Decisions taken by the committee must be communicated diligently, clearly and in a timely manner to the members of the association. Both internal and external communication should be clear and accurate.

Question

We would like to generate interest among potential new members for our association. We have now come up with the idea of making our next general meeting accessible to the public and inviting interested parties and media professionals to the occasion. Are we allowed to open up the general meeting to non-members?

Answer

There are no legal provisions in this respect unless something is governed under your articles of association or regulations.
Otherwise, the association is free to also invite non-members. This can be quite useful. Potential members, relatives, representatives of authorities or financial backers, specialists, media professionals - they can all be invited as guests. It is advisable to provide guests with allocated seating so that it is clear who is and who isn't permitted to vote.

For invitations of this kind, the event should be sufficiently attractive for the guests and be significant in terms of its content. Nobody wants to simply listen to items of business relating to the association's articles of association. An invitation with an interesting and varied programme is helpful. And, of course, be sure to extend a special welcome to the guests at the meeting.

What used to be called connections (or in Switzerland “vitamin B”: “B” stands for “Beziehungen”, the German word for connections) is called networking today. Maintaining relationships with different people and making useful contacts is an important part of belonging to an association. Personal relationships help to make the association known to more people and to recruit new members, and they also serve fundraising purposes. vitamin B provides opportunities for networking among committee members from different associations.

A patronage committee is put together to work on attaining more prestige and publicity for a project or an association. The members of the patronage committee do not have to be members of the association; they back the purpose of the event or organisation with their name. They fulfil above all representational duties and are not active themselves. It is important to keep them informed and to be in contact with them regularly.

Public opinion is very important for associations. Through public relations activities, they build contacts and cultivate relationships with their environment and their members. The annual report, a regular column in the local newspaper and events are suitable means of public relations. It is important to consider which information and which details about the everyday life of the association shall be provided to which target group and what impact on these target persons shall be created. Any contact to the outside world, both personally and through the media, shapes the image of the organisation. Many associations have a separate function within the committee that is responsible for public relations.

PR is a term used in business administration. It describes the relationships that an organisation maintains with its stakeholders. The term stakeholder refers to the beneficiaries of the organisation’s services as well as the donors, the members and the subsidising authorities and institutions. The aim is to achieve a high profile, especially among sponsors, and a positive image.

There are many possibilities to make an association known to the public: participating in an trade exhibition, organising a try out day or participating in cleaning a local creek. For such actions to be successful, they must fit in with the objectives of the association, comply with the budget and take into account the personal and professional possibilities of the association.

Having its own website is a great way for an association to present itself to the public and to provide information for members. The website should be kept up to date to provide a good image of the association. When dealing with personal data, the rules of data protection must be observed; photos are also part of someone’s personal information.

Question

As an association, are we subject to value-added tax? While we do not generate any actual turnover and member fees are not subject to value-added tax, we do receive sponsorship funds.

Answer

It is important that the committee enquires about value-added tax, as a self-declaration requirement applies here. Generally speaking, sponsorship revenues are subject to value-added tax, provided this is genuine sponsorship. Simply naming donors in an annual report, for example, does not belong to this. Sponsors are organisations or individuals that usually support the association with larger amounts and receive something in return: space for logos, advertisements, appearance opportunities, advertising space, etc.

The good news: value-added tax is only payable for non-profit, volunteer-run associations from an amount of CHF 250,000 rather than CHF 100,000 as is the case for all others.

Sponsors are persons or organisations that support certain projects or events with larger contributions and receive a reward in return: brand mentions, space for logos, performance opportunities, advertising space, etc. Sponsoring is a marketing measure and therefore constitutes a kind of business (as opposed to patronage). The details of the mutual commitment are recorded in a contract. The promotion of sponsor relations is important for the association.

Storytelling describes the activity of sharing stories. Stories help to capture interest and hold people’s attention – if they are short and easy to understand. Storytelling has long been used in marketing, journalism and education. Associations can use success stories, stories of overcoming challenges or just funny experiences to illustrate their core messages and values, to appeal to new members and to promote loyalty among existing members. Stories can be told with words and images on a website, in social media and flyers, at the general meeting, during excursions or other meetings.