Students in my COM341 Publicity Methods class at Rider University have selected their clients. This semester we’re very excited to be working with “real” non-profit organizations from all over the country (we’re based in Lawrenceville, NJ). Our clients are:

• 4 Paws for Ability in Xenia, OH – an organization enriching the lives of children and adults with disabilities by placing highly trained service dogs to provide companionship and promote independent living.
  
• Chesapeake Service Systems in Chesapeake, VA – an organization providing meaningful work opportunities to people with mental retardation and other severe disabilities.
• Family Answers in Allentown, PA – an organization committed to providing quality programs that promote healthy families living in Lehigh Valley.
  
• Feeding Pets of the Homeless in Carson City, NV – an organization dedicated to reducing hunger in pets belonging to the homeless and less fortunate.
  
• Moorestown School of Music in Moorestown, NJ – an organization fostering the development of musical ability by teaching music the way we learn language.
  
• Not Alone in Nashville, TN – an online community helping soldiers and families “struggling with the invisible wounds of war.”
  
• The WilLiv Center in Lakewood, CO – an organization dedicated to assisting middle-class women and children going through the process of divorce.
  

These seven organizations were among 75 non-profits responding to my request for potential clients for our class. It all started with a tweet on Twitter. The tweet caught the eye of Joan Stewart (@publicityhound), who also happens to be one of the co-authors of our e-book textbook: How to Be a Kick-Butt Publicity Hound. In her newsletter, The Publicity Hound, Joan mentioned that we were looking for clients — everything snowballed from there.

We’re going to be busy this semester! Right now, my students and I are getting to know our clients better and starting to set goals and objectives for our efforts. I promise to keep you posted on our progress throughout the semester. Thanks for following!

Until next time,

Kathy Magrino