LightBox Collaborative is proud to have supported the team at the 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic in their effort to generate some media attention. We worked with them to generate lists and press materials, prepare spokespeople, and coached them on their media outreach. Together, we found a cost effective way to help them develop the skills and relationships they need to engage local media and get covered.

This terrific piece from the San Francisco Chronicle not only tells the 3rd Street Youth Center and Clinic story beautifully, it also gives them a powerful way to share that story with patients, parents, and potential funders as they embark on an effort to expand their site and their services. In addition to this story, 3rd Street’s media pitch around their 5th anniversary will generate two more upcoming local pieces.

Congratulations to Clinic staff and volunteers for five years of incredible work and for knowing how and when to get the help they needed to take their communication work to the next level. We are thrilled to have played even a small part in the growth of this essential and exciting organization.

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Amanda Cooper is a LightBox collaborator with a talent for crafting meaningful messages. And nothing makes her happier than seeing those messages in print!

When Susan G. Komen for the Cure partnered with Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) on a “Buckets for a Cure” campaign, people were quickly, overwhelmingly appalled that a health cause would associate itself with unhealthy fast food.

It didn’t help that, in the same week that Buckets for a Cure began, KFC released its already infamous “Double Down,” an artery-clogging beast of bacon and cheese sandwiched between two fried chicken breasts instead of bread. Once again, the country was given easy reason to roll its collective eyes at Komen for associating itself and its cause with a company responsible for such unhealthy products.

It’s easy to deride Komen for blatantly ignoring their mission. However, Komen has argued that this could become one of the largest donations they’ve has ever received, money that could radically advance their mission. Komen also hopes that the campaign will educate a “different demographic” about the battle with breast cancer. But, at what price? Was the hit to their reputation worth the donation?

“Choosing a corporate sponsor for your nonprofit has tremendous potential to either help or harm your organization and its mission,” writes Nancy E. Schwartz. (Read her blog about smart marketing for nonprofits—and her outrage over the Komen-KFC partnership—at gettingattention.org.) “As I see it,” Nancy says, “Komen has undermined its own brand by partnering with KFC to market one of the unhealthiest foods there is—fried chicken in a pink bucket.”

Komen’s best bet is to embrace this PR crisis as a catalyst. This is the perfect time to create new criteria for choosing marketing partners—criteria that reflect Komen’s values—and publicly commit to those heightened standards. Donors, volunteers, and supporters want to hear from Komen that they learned from this experience and will align their corporate engagement practices with the values that drive their work. Right now their actions and their mission are at odds.

It’s easy to spot this turkey, but what about your cause? Are your values and practices in harmony? How might misalignment between your aspirations and your actions be exposing your good work to reputational risk?

(image courtesy Flickr user zoomar, Creative Commons)