What I have come to realize over the past few years is that there is no longer any generalization in public relations and communications. Technology, market forces and demographics have transformed my profession. This signals that the tide has turned within the marketplace and all of its sectors.

What this means to organizations is that the old rules no longer apply. The trusted bag of communications tricks is no longer effective. One industry person commented at a seminar I attended recently that media releases (you may still be calling them news releases) are now considered the lowest life form of public relations. But this is the tool most organizations rely upon to get the word out.

If your communications efforts are at the lower end of the food chain, it's time to think about how you can avoid being gobbled up... more to follow. Watch this space.

As a communications professional, the one that has changed the world as we knew it is the internet. The onslaught, or epiphany, depending how you look at it, has turned the public relations and media industry on its proverbial ear. This is why I especially enjoyed this week's Carnival of Nonprofit Consultants as bloggers covered the topic of social media. Check it out.

Hard to believe that when I started writing, I pecked my articles on a 20 pound cast iron typewriter. In my 20-something year career, I have been through the introduction of the computer, cell phone, fax machine and internet. Now I can work from almost anywhere, and get information in an instant. Even my old favourite Olivetti has gone digital. This is a new era and it will require a new way of thinking and communicating. Get online and get on board!

Endorsing and promoting a code of professional conduct sends a valuable message to your staff, volunteers, donors and clients. To work most effectively, it has to be linked to your vision, and must clearly set out what the organization stands for and how staff and board members uphold it. One of my clients takes theirs a step further and asks each new person using their non-profit services to sign a code of conduct that will guide their consumer-service provider relationship. I think this is a brilliant, yet simple, method of demonstrating commitment and vision in action.

I have had the fortunate experience of working with many organizations who understood the value of corporate social responsibility and were able to connect the dots between employee and professional expectations, regulatory compliance, customer service, governance, transparency and community involvement. While the cynics out there can find fault with motivations, the fact of the matter is that many consumers do consider these factors when making decisions. Like your donors, consumers have power.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals recently updated their Code of Ethical Principles and Standards of Professional Practice to recognize the role of businesses, like mine, that support fundraising and the non-profit sector. As a member and a consultant, I am pleased to be able to say that I follow this internationally accepted standard. I especially like the introduction - and am looking forward to seeing the yet-to-be-released guidelines:

Members of AFP are motivated by an inner drive to improve the quality of life through the causes they serve. They serve the ideal of philanthropy, are committed to the preservation and enhancement of volunteerism; and hold stewardship of these concepts as the overriding direction of their professional life.

Like many painstakingly-created policies, the best communications opportunity lies in the explaining! You can build an entire communications plan around how to introduce your policy and where it could be emphasized and reinforced. After spending so much time on establishing it, take the time to properly introduce and continually bring it to life. Your efforts will pay off.

In the marketing world the saying goes it takes an average of seven contacts before a consumer takes action and is ready to buy, not dissimilar from the cultivation numbers in fundraising (another parallel between the business of selling and the softer selling in the non-profit world). This doesn't necessarily mean you need to do more, you may just need to do better with less. Here are seven suggestions on making the most of what you have.

1. Email works - If you're not using an e-newsletter or other email tool to cultivate donors and communicate with your members, you should be. Read more at Despite newer technologies, email is number one.  There is a place for both online communications and print materials. Use your e-newsletter and email list to communicate time sensitive information, to let supporters know a direct mail appeal is coming, and to reinforce the messages in your other materials, for example, content on your website, testimonial stories in your current print newsletter, etc.
2. Website - The website is the place to highlight current campaigns, post inspiring stories, encourage online donations and give readers the self-serve option to choose the information they want. Use your website to feature current articles in your print newsletter or annual report and to expand upon stories in your direct mail piece. Add a sign up box to collect email addresses for your e-newsletter. Sign up forms should be prominently on your website, reinforced in all of your print materials, and collected anywhere you are recording data, e.g. membership renewals, program enrolment etc.
3. Direct mail works - And studies show it works better if you mention your direct mail appeal in your email communication beforehand.
4. Information materials - Admittedly most budgets don't allow to reprint or update all materials every time a new campaign or initiative is launched. One way around this is to start with a standard format and look that can be carried through all materials. This way, adding a one page or simple folded panel doesn't need to break the bank.
5. Business card and email signature - The business card and your email signature are communications tools. Make sure your website address and one sentence or less appeal is on yours. If you have an e-newsletter, put the link of your sign up form into your email signature.
6. Stationery - Although not the most glamorous, your letterhead, envelopes, receipts and other stationery items may be seen more often than any other material you produce. Make sure yours are current, include your pertinent coordinates and website, and look similar to your other materials. Add your current campaign theme or other tag.
7. Personal stories work - Gather the wonderful testimonials and personal stories collected from staff and board members. Use them on your website, in your print newsletter, in direct mail, in your brochures, in your annual report and speaking presentations, and in your e-newsletters.

And last but not least, promote your promotions internally. Even in the smallest of organizations, staff who aren't directly involved in communications or fundraising may not be aware of the current materials and messages. Post them, circulate them, ask for feedback on them. The more people who can explain and advance the cause of your organization, in a consistent voice, the stronger you will be.

If you've often feel like you aren't making your point when speaking with others, Edith Yeung of Dream Think Act has some clues for checking their reactions and how they may be hearing you.