Aug

18

Vick signs with Eagles & the PR aftermath

Filed Under Community Relations, Crisis Communications, Sports PR | 2 Comments

The Philadelphia Eagles announced the signing of Michael Vick to a two-year deal last Thursday night, sending shock waves around the sports world. While it would take me way too long to try to roundup all the Vick coverage, I do want to address some PR-related articles and comment on the signing. Please feel free to chip in your two cents in the comment section, I’d love to hear what you are thinking on this situation.

PR for Vick

SPRB had previously linked to a blog post at Shutdown Corner that talked about what Vick needed to do upon leaving prison to get his career back in order. Gable PR also offered up some suggestions for Vick to help rehab his image.

The process began when Tony Dungy spoke with Vick while he was still in prison. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell learned of that conversation and asked Dungy to formally take Vick under his wing and help guide him as he returned to the NFL and life after prison. He has also been speaking with Boys & Girls Clubs about dog fighting and the importance of loving your pets. Vick agreed to do an interview with James Brown for 60 Minutes, which many deemed a success for both the athlete and the program.

The next step was to sign with an NFL team, which he did late last week. A press conference was held to address the signing with Vick, Dungy, and head coach Andy Reid speaking with reporters. The Phanatic Magazine has a transcript up of the remarks that were said.

Read more

Jul

2

SportsCenter’s “My Wish” returns

Filed Under Community Relations | Leave a Comment

“My Wish” returns on SportsCenter for a fourth straight year, kicking off on July 5. Over a span of five days, SportsCenter will feature a segment on a wish granted by a famous athlete. To see what I’m talking about, you can view the feature segments from last year at ESPN.com.

Similar to previous years, the SportsCenter segment will feature the story behind the wish, interviews with the youngsters and their families and a behind-the-scenes look at the wish fulfilled, including the interaction between each child and his or her favorite athlete.

So why am I reminding you about this segment? If you think you might be interested in a career in community relations, these segments are for you. The CR coordinator and/or manager handle these types of requests for teams, hosting meet and greets after practices and games typically with sick individuals and military personnel. The most rewarding part is seeing the kid’s face light up when they meet their idol for the first time. Community relations departments do more than just deal with requests, but “My Wish” can offer some insight into a portion of their responsibilities for any of you who may be interested.

May

13

Job Posting: Washington Redskins Community Relations/Charitable Foundation Intern

Filed Under Career, Community Relations, Job Openings | Leave a Comment

The Washington Redskins are looking for a Community Relations/Charitable Foundation intern for the upcoming season. For more information or to apply for the position, please visit this website. Please do not ask me how to get this position — I don’t know anyone at the team and have no say in the decision-making process. I’m simply passing this along to help you guys out. Good luck!

The Washington Redskins are seeking qualified individuals to join the Community Relations/Charitable Foundation Department as an Intern. The right individual will be able to work as part of a team or individually.

Qualifications

– Excellent communication skills required, both written and verbal.

– Superior telephone manner and etiquette are necessary.

– Above average computer skills are required.

– Proven experience to appropriately work with and around confidential information is necessary.

– Ability to work independently or as part of a team and ability to take direction is a must.

All internship candidates must be eligible to receive college credits. A proof of credit letter from your College or University is required. If you wish to become a part of this dynamic, fast-paced organization and you meet the requirements listed above, please apply online. (Note: Fall interns must be available to work on Tuesdays.)

May

8

Job Posting: Sacramento Kings Community Service Assistant

Filed Under Career, Community Relations, Job Openings | Leave a Comment

The Sacramento King and Sacramento Monarchs are looking for a Community Service Assistant to act as a liasion between the community service department and the group ticket sales department. For more information about the job or to apply, please check out this website. Please note that I do not have any contacts with the organization nor can I even get you an interview. I simply am posting this opening for the good of those interested in this field. Good luck!

This position is responsible for providing a wide range of support to the community service department in all areas including, but not limited to, community service ticket sales leads, community programs, donation requests, ticket donations, Jr. Kings program, Jr. Monarchs program, community service events and game nights. The incumbent in this position is expected to model the following practices on a daily basis:

  • Demonstrated alignment with the company’s vision, mission and core values.
  • Collaboration with key internal/external resources, and;
  • Selling the brands, products, and services of the organization, and;
  • Ongoing self-development.

Read more

May

5

Diamondbacks offer scholarships to fans

Filed Under Community Relations | Leave a Comment

The Arizona Diamondbacks run a scholarship program in which they pick a certain number of individuals to receive season ticket packages — for free. According to a recent Rick Reilly column for ESPN the Magazine, the D-backs gave out scholarships to 18 families, which equals 41 season tickets valued at about $100,000. How did they come up with this idea?

It’s an idea D-backs CEO Derrick Hall came up with at one game when a season-ticket holder who’d lost everything, even her car, introduced herself. She told him a fan in her section had bought her two season tickets for the rest of the year, even picked her up every game and took her home. And Hall thought, “Why don’t we do this for our fans?” So he asked fans to send in applications for scholarships. Soon, his e-mail in-box was swamped.

The amount of applicants simply reflects the poor economy and how many people would love to support their team, but simply don’t have the funds to do so. Not only does this program help some well-deserving fans, it also makes the brand appear more positive and generate goodwill in the community.

As the D-backs, you would also hope that these fans on scholarship would support the team through ticket and merchandise purchases should their situation improve down the road. If not they will have certainly told their close family and friends about what the team did for them, which will generate positive word-of-mouth.

I realize $100,000 may be a lot of money in today’s economy, but I’d certainly love to see every team develop a program like this and really help brighten the lives of some people going through a rough patch.

Apr

8

Job Posting: Edmonton Oilers Community & Fan Development Coordinator

Filed Under Community Relations, Job Openings | 2 Comments

Here’s some information about a recent job opening with the Edmonton Oilers. They are looking for a Community & Fan Development Coordinator, which looks like a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking into community relations. For more info and to apply, please visit this website.

Summary:
• Reports directly to the Manager, Community and Fan Development
• Community & Fan Development Coordinator is a full-time, benefited position
• The Community & Fan Development Coordinator is accountable for executing and administering various Community & Fan Development initiatives, along with Retail & Licensing initiatives, maintains excellent working relationships with internal and external constituents, including hockey operations, and serves as project manager for assigned departmental events. Works closely with the Manager and other staff to deliver departmental programs and initiatives.

Read more

Mar

28

Job Posting: Milwaukee Brewers Community Relations Internship

Filed Under Career, Community Relations, Job Openings | 4 Comments

The Milwaukee Brewers recently posted an internship opening in the Community Relations department for this summer. For more information about the opening, please check out this website.

Summary
This position is responsible for providing clerical and administrative support to the Community Relations Department. The spring internship program begins in May with its conclusion correlating with the end of the semester and beginning of classes (August/September).

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
• Assist with the preparation and execution of Community Relations projects and programs.
• Compile materials to be typed, following written or verbal instructions.
• Fulfill, package and ship donation requests
• Open, read and distribute incoming mail
• Screen incoming calls and respond as necessary
• Make phone calls to various organizations
• Maintain and input donations in the department’s internal database. (Access)
• Keep inventory of donation items
• Provide other administrative support to Community Relations staff as needed

Read more

Mar

26

Job Posting: Washington Nationals Community Relations Coordinator and Director

Filed Under Career, Community Relations, Job Openings | 1 Comment

The Washington Nationals just posted two job openings yesterday. The baseball team needs a Community Relations Coordinator (entry-level) and Community Relations Director. For more information about the postings, you can check out the respective websites here and here.

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COORDINATOR SUMMARY
Assists in various communications/media functions and performs the following duties.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

1. To assist in coordination of player appearances

2. To manage tracking of donated and/or autographed memorabilia

3. To create and maintain Community Relations database

4. To support activities and projects of Community Relations Director and serve as liaison

5. To serve as liaison between Community Relations Department and Ticket Department

6. To assist in general administrative tasks for Community Relations Department

7. To assist with and provide support for Washington Nationals Foundation activities

COMMUNITY RELATIONS DIRECTOR SUMMARY
The Director of Community Relations will direct all efforts related to the organization’s community relations mission. The Director will work with all internal departments and key external stakeholders to position the organization as a “valued corporate citizen”. The Director will ensure that the WNBC is proactive in addressing critical local issues while maintaining a visible and positive community presence by performing the following duties.

Read more

Mar

10

Job Posting: Pittsburgh Penguins Community Relations Internship

Filed Under Career, Community Relations, Job Openings | 2 Comments

The Pittsburgh Penguins recently posted some intership openings, including an internship in community relations. For more information and/or to apply, please visit this website. Some readers have left comments to these “Job Posting” blog posts thinking that I can help them get this position. I am in no way affiliated with the Penguins so I cannot assist you in trying to obtain this internship. I merely am blogging about this to make people interested in this field aware of the opening.

Job Purpose: Assist with public and community relations projects and appearances

Read more

Feb

11

Job Posting: Kansas City Royals Community Affairs & Publicity Assistant

Filed Under Career, Community Relations, Job Openings | 2 Comments

The Kansas City Royales recently posted a job opening for the Community Affairs and Publicity Assistant position. For more information or to apply, please visit this website.

JOB SUMMARY:
Position is responsible for administrative and clerical support functions of the Community Affairs and Publicity Department. Assists with the planning and execution of programs including donation requests, special events and fund-raising activities.

Read more

Next Page →