Community Relations & Outreach 

Community Relations & Outreach are crucial efforts by an organization to connect its ideas and practices with specific audiences or the general public to achieve particular goals of the organization.

WHY COMMUNITY RELATIONS? In the past, government agencies and other large organizations often placed other priorities ahead of maintaining good community relations. This often led to misunderstanding and suspicion. The public didn't know what the government was doing, often claiming that nothing was being done. Public servants were suspicious of the public's motives and felt threatened by the public's demands for more involvement and information. Requirements and needs have changed.

Any successful campaign will proactively respond to the public's demands for more involvement in the decision-making process and for more information about what you are doing. As a result, good community relations has become essential to the effective implementation of any business or government's campaign 

WHAT IS A COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM? A community relations program includes those actions designed to improve two-way communication between the organization or government entity and the public. It's not a one-way, promotional program,but is directed at searching out and responding to community issues before they become problems. Every time you deal with the public, from answering your telephone to participating in a public meeting, you are affecting the relationship you have with your community.

A GOOD COMMUNITY RELATIONS PROGRAM will do the following:

• It will help you to know what your community thinks about various issues, often before these issues become high-profile problems.
• It will provide you with an opportunity to advise the community about what you are doing.
• It will encourage your community to contribute ideas for solving environmental problems…
• It will build trust and cooperation as people feel confident that they are being heard….
• It will make your job easier and more enjoyable, and, most importantly, effective ….
• A community relations program will not eliminate conflict or achieve consensus on all issues, but it will provide a climate that allows for increased understanding and cooperation so that acceptable solutions can be found
• Good community relations will always result in a better working relationship with the community.

L. A. & Associates PR has far-reaching experience in working with the local communities which gives us an in-depth insight into what works, what does not and the ability to identify what key concerns need to be addressed. We specialize in working with clients to build a strong partnership and win over any kind of opposition in the initial stages of a project. Using targeted messages and community outreach we are able to assist clients in avoiding or eliminating existing conflicts due to lack of information or inaccurate information in the community.

What will work best for you and your community depends upon the issue, your resources and the needs of the community. A community relations program can include: 

• regular reports to the community on complaints received, explaining how they were handled 
• a hot line or toll-free telephone number
• regularly scheduled open houses
• a newsletter that includes contributions from people in the community
• working directly with your community through a public advisory or liaison committee 
• meetings with local groups to talk about what is going on and to allow them to identify community priorities 
• information sharing or phone-in shows on local radio or cable stations
• workshops on specific problems or topics
• field trips

At L. A. & Associates PR our knowledge of the community dynamics coupled with extensive network of local advocates and organizations make it possible to access communities at a moment's notice and help you meet the objectives of your organization. Let us help you!

Public Involvement

IT MATTERS WHAT PEOPLE THINK!

At L. A. & Associates PR, our public involvement specialists will start your project communications off right — and keep the public engaged!

Effective public involvement helps make your project a success.

L. A. & Associates PR delivers a public engagement process that satisfies regulatory and funding requirements, while providing useful input for projects during planning, decision-making and execution. Creative, strategic communications techniques are integrated to help you avoid budget shortfalls or schedule delays due to organized opposition.

Heighten your success! Enhance public perception and foster community support by celebrating — and publicizing — your project successes.

Our specialists offer a full range of public relations expertise, including creation of a customized communications strategy for each client. These plans address all your communication needs — from public meetings to media relations; from creating promotional materials, Web site content and tools to managing public inquiries and conducting project site tours.

Our Public Involvement Services include:

• Stakeholder relations
• Community outreach
• Event planning and facilitation 
• Public inquiry management
• Public meeting coordination

At L. A. & Associates PR we specialize in managing high-profile projects that require consensus building with the public and with resource agencies. In relation to this specialization, the company performs Public Outreach and Public Meeting facilitation.

L. A. & Associates PR can help your business coordinate Public Meetings and Public Hearings. This includes securing venue and setup, the development of a newsletter announcing the Public Meeting, development of a project web site, preparation of displays for the Public Meeting, arrangement for the official transcript of the hearing, collection of public comments and all other tasks involved with this public coordination.