Situation:
Conducting public relations and issues management for Catholic Charities’ administration of the latest Harris County COVID relief fund, which started with $40 million and was raised to $60 million just weeks before the conclusion.
Challenge:
The fund could only be announced to the media three business days before it opened on November 2. That was an extremely short timeframe for informing the public, and it meant competing against the hotly contested presidential election to get reporters’ attention. Also: potential for a public outcry protest over applicants’ immigration status.
Solution:
Media-training for relevant leaders (Catholic Charities’ CEO, COO, the social workers leading the program, and the bilingual community relations director). Also scripted talking points for every possible negative scenario, coordinated with the County’s P.R. staff to eliminate silos, and got spokespersons on-camera within 30 minutes of a reporter’s request, via zoom or in-person.
Results:
Secured 110+ media placements in just 10 days. Only one media story discussed applicants’ immigration status, and 76,000 applications were received in just 5 days.
