Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications

View from the Summit: Observations and Inspiration from the Massachusetts Attorney General 2013 Energy Summit

2013-05-23T13:53:54Z

Perspective from Pat Bench: In Massachusetts, rarely does a week go by that does not include a conference centered on technology and networking. The number of events and quality of the panels, collateral and attendance is a tribute to the strength of the Commonwealth as a ...

In Massachusetts, rarely does a week go by that does not include a conference centered on technology and networking. The number of events and quality of the panels, collateral and attendance is a tribute to the strength of the Commonwealth as a knowledge economy.

On Monday in Norwood, I had the opportunity to spend the day at the Attorney General's Energy Summit. The Summit's goal was to discuss ideas and practical plans on how to create greater energy efficiency and lower costs for Massachusetts residents, companies, and government entities. The size of the energy industry in Massachusetts is substantial, ranging from utility and natural gas companies to clean energy businesses. The size of this employment footprint is pivotal to the future of Massachusetts economy.

The Summit was led by Attorney General Martha Coakley, whose particular style of managing the event I would recommend to those planning similar conferences in the future. She kicked it off and closed out the day. But the Attorney General also played an integral part in each panel by leading the Question and Answer sessions, leading to active discussions between state officials, non-profits, companies, and trade associations. Panel participants included MIT, Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, ISO-New England, as well as Massachusetts employers and Rasky Baerlein clients; Raytheon and Ameresco.

As someone who attends several conferences and events a week, I can confidently say that the AG's Energy Summit was one of the best events I have attended in the past year. The Attorney General's Office was able to put together a great combination of decision makers from government with key players in the business community. The practical conversations coming out of this summit concerning issues such as energy costs, regulatory navigation, cost saving measures and new, innovative technology are all part of a dialogue that was fascinating to see occur in one place.

At the end of these events, I always ask myself a few key questions - What did I learn? Who did I meet? What information would benefit our clients? This checklist helps me understand the value of time and resources that are invested by spending a day at an event like this. While there were new connections built and knowledge gained, my most significant take-away was the reaffirmation of the importance of dialogue. Dialogue is a term that often gets inserted in place of action to create accomplishments. The dialogue between attendees and leaders at the AG Summit will lead to implementation of a stronger plan of action on how to continue to make Massachusetts a leader in energy policy and governance.

When the Media Descends

2013-05-17T18:16:29Z

Perspective from Kellyanne Dignan: I try not to overthink anything I see on Twitter. I find only 140 characters leave plenty of room for misinterpretation. That said, I was struck by a tweet last week from the Huffington Post. Citing a CNN reporter, @HuffPostMedia tweeted: "media crush around Berry home sounds 'frightening, ...

I try not to overthink anything I see on Twitter. I find only 140 characters leave plenty of room for misinterpretation. That said, I was struck by a tweet last week from the Huffington Post. Citing a CNN reporter, @HuffPostMedia tweeted: "media crush around Berry home sounds 'frightening,' local officials don't 'get' why so much press is in Cleveland."

Since I was not there, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the statement, which referred to the hundreds of reporters outside the home of Amanda Berry, one of the young women rescued last week. But it got me to thinking about major media events. I was shocked that anyone would be surprised by the media attention. When I produced cable news we had a saying about good stories: they needed four elements: mystery, outrage, drama and video. The Cleveland kidnappings have plenty of all four.

In the world of news there are two types of events, the planned (the Olympics, a major trial, presidential elections) and breaking news (extreme weather, unthinkable crime, and yes, unexpected miracles). Both draw a media crowd that can feel a bit like the cicadas that are about to start swarming the south. For the record, this year's cicada invasion is a planned media event as we know they will appear every 17 years. But even with close to two decades to prepare, when the global media descends on any type of community, be it a town, city or organization it can be very overwhelming. I've experienced the international press corps from both sides. And even in the best of circumstances when an event has been planned for months or even years, "controlled chaos" is about all you can hope for. I was recently involved in several large media events here in Boston and have come away with six key takeaways.

Track Inquiries and Coverage: Keep a spreadsheet of every request you get with the reporter's inquiry and contact information and take the extra time to monitor the coverage. By keeping track of what reporters are asking and reporting you will be able to determine what information they need to tell the story accurately.

Anticipate Media Needs: The media is very predictable during breaking news. Reporters will want to get close to the action, they will speculate often with "experts" or anyone close to the action who is willing to talk, and in a 24 hour news cycle they will be focus on any new information they can get. The best thing you can do when big news hits: start thinking like a reporter. Gather the background materials they will need, make sure there is enough space to park media vehicles before calling a press conference, and know their deadlines so you can try to work around them. By being a source rather than a roadblock you will build relationships and credibility.

Don't Play Favorites: You may have friends in the media or you might be tempted to "stick it" to a reporter who has written negative articles in the past, but a major media event is not the time to play favorites. Make sure everyone has access to the same information at the same time. When you're responding to hundreds of inquiries it's a time saver to send out one media advisory.

Be Available 24/7: Sorry 9 to 5ers, you can't stay on top of a story just during business hours. Make sure the media has access to a credible spokesperson and media facilitator at all times.

Release Your Own Media: By releasing your own pictures and video as well as participating in the social media conversations you ensure that your part of the story gets told. This is also a great may to build trust with reporters. If the media knows that you will provide them with compelling content they are going to anticipate it and run it.

Identify Spokespeople Ahead of Time and Use Them: Every organization needs to have people ready to speak with the media. Take time to train them and make sure they are looped in as situations unfold. Remember that during breaking news, anyone willing to talk can end up being an unofficial spokesperson, so don't hold back and start participating in the conversation.

Getting back to the Huffington Post tweet, I did a little investigating and found the source in a CNN transcript from May 8. Reporter Martin Savidge is quoted "And that's part of the story here is that when you talk to local officials, they don't get it as far as how much media is here or why. The reason we know why is it is so rare... in these circumstances of missing people, not one, three of them, walk out of this horrible circumstance alive. And that is remarkable, and I think news that the world wants. It's no wonder {the community is} being overwhelmed." Remarkable indeed but not unpredictable, I'm sure that newsrooms already have their recipes for cicada pesto ready to go.

When the Media Descends By Kellyanne Dignan

2013-05-16T18:07:38Z

From O'Dwyer's PR News, "When the Media Descends" May 16, 2013

From O'Dwyer's PR News, "When the Media Descends" May 16, 2013
By Kellyanne Dignan

Be Available 24/7: Sorry 9 to 5ers, you can't stay on top of a story just during business hours. Make sure the media has access to a credible spokesperson and media facilitator at all times.

To read this piece on odwyerpr.com, please click here.

One month after the Marathon

2013-05-16T17:57:16Z

Perspective from Ann Carter: I visited my mother this morning. She asked me whether I had heard the roar of thunder overnight as storms passed through the area. She told me she thought a bomb had gone off and assumed it would be followed by the sounds of screaming people. She never thought to associate this experience ...

I visited my mother this morning. She asked me whether I had heard the roar of thunder overnight as storms passed through the area. She told me she thought a bomb had gone off and assumed it would be followed by the sounds of screaming people. She never thought to associate this experience with the Boston Marathon bombings of one month ago.

My mother is neither a drama queen nor an alarmist. She, like the others of her generation, has experienced difficult times in life including the Depression, World War II and the work-a-day challenges of raising a good-sized family with an industrious husband but without the resources she would have liked to have had to clothe, feed, educate and house us. Nonetheless, she takes enormous pride in the strength of carrying on and appreciating her many blessings - and reminds us frequently and unceremoniously to do the same.

Yet now she hears a clap of thunder and waits for people to start screaming because recently a bomb did go off and many people did scream. At 83 years old, she is having her own episode of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Even before witnessing my strong-willed mother succumb to the residual force of violence, I had been thinking a lot about the impact of it on us all - those of us for whom Boston is home. We're now in the "club" with too many members - those who have experienced unexpected violence in the streets of their home. From Dorchester to Baghdad: Abidjan to Tbilisi and back to New York City - gun fire sounds, bombs explode, innocent people scream in pain and many more than those directly impacted by the marathon bombings are injured and lose loved ones.

Now many of us who regularly imagined what it must feel like by witnessing graphic news coverage or unedited film on the Internet no longer have to imagine. We can no longer be numb to the frequent reports of violence and loss. We have felt the fear, the outrage, the paralysis, the coming together, the overwhelming sadness. We still feel it. Perhaps we will always feel it as it has become an impression on our brains and hearts.

From knowing firsthand our own version of what so much of the world has and is experiencing, we have the chance to become better by accessing heartfelt compassion for others. We have become better by participating in and witnessing the support of others - expected and unexpected. As we experienced the darkest reality of human existence, we were comforted by the brightest in the love extended to us by others.

As the days ahead pass and we face challenges great and small, let us become brighter from the inside out. Let us expand our view from that of our town to include the rest of the world. Let us extend our compassion and support to others even more sincerely than we have in the past because we now know how it feels from the bottom of our hearts to be afraid, to ache, to be comforted and to go on.

Carter: One month after the Marathon

2013-05-15T18:14:22Z

From The MetroWest Daily News, "Carter: One month after the Marathon." May 15, 2013

From The MetroWest Daily News, "Carter: One month after the Marathon." May 15, 2013
By Ann Carter

Ann Carter is CEO of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications in Boston.

To read this opinion piece on MetroWestDailyNews.com, please click here.

RBSC helps forge partnership between client St. Mary's Center for Women and Children and Emerson College

2013-05-14T21:26:01Z

From Boston Globe Magazine, "Air waves.They learn radio production, communication, and interviewing skills while on-air." May 12, 2013

From Boston Globe Magazine, "Air waves.They learn radio production, communication, and interviewing skills while on-air." May 12, 2013
By Scott Helman

A group of Boston teenagers, a baker's dozen, crowds into the basement studios of WERS, the Emerson College radio station housed in the Ansin Building on Boston Common. They're all girls, because, well, that's the whole point. These are the future voices of GRLZ Radio, a radio station and after-school program run by St. Mary's Center for Women and Children, in Dorchester's Uphams Corner. Over 10 years, the girls of GRLZ (streaming at grlzradio.org) have interviewed Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Tom Menino, and many others, all the while learning radio-production and communication skills. More important, they have gained an outlet for self-expression -- an outlet lacking in the poorer neighborhoods where many of the young women live. Now GRLZ Radio is partnering with WERS, providing regular programming for its sister talk-and-information station, ETIN, which streams at etinradio.org. Which is why the aspiring broadcasters are here on a recent weekday receiving training and a pep talk from Howard "D" Simpson, the WERS operations manager. "Nothing is impossible," he tells them, sharing the story of his own difficult childhood in Boston. Soon the teens will be anchoring newscasts, assembling radio pieces, and handling production duties. It's their turn at the microphone. They want to be ready.

To read the piece in Boston Globe Magazine, please click here.

2013 Business of Baseball Luncheon Highlights

2013-05-10T22:02:47Z

On April 22nd, Rasky Baerlein was proud to sponsor Foundation To Be Named Later's Business of Baseball luncheon and help promote its mission.

On April 22nd, Rasky Baerlein was proud to sponsor Foundation To Be Named Later's Business of Baseball luncheon and help promote its mission. The Foundation To Be Named Later was launched Spring 2005 by Paul Epstein, a social worker and his twin brother, former Red Sox EVP and General Manager and current Chicago Cubs President, Theo Epstein. This signature event helps raise the much needed funds for the extraordinary and innovative nonprofits that make life a little better for Boston youth and families.

The discussion was moderated by Hall of Fame sports journalist and humanitarian, Peter Gammons. Among the panelists were: Billy Beane (Vice President & General Manager, Oakland A's), Andrew Zimbalist (Robert A. Woods Professor Economics, Smith College), Theo Epstein (President, Chicago Clubs), David Forst (Assistant General Manager & VP, Oakland A's) and Joe Petrowski (CEO, Cumberland/Gulf Companies).

MLB and NESN analyst Peter Gammons remarked after the event, "I was impressed and inspired by the show of support from our partners and friends in the Boston community. It was my privilege to host this lunch with our special guest Billy Beane, who engaged our audience in a little baseball and business talk and helped both the Foundation and the One Fund."

It was a very successful event, with donations totaling $55,000 for FTBNL and $25,000 for the One Fund Boston. We thank everyone for their generosity in our community's time of need.

There were many highlights from the Business of Baseball luncheon and the gathering of great people. Visit www.ftbnl.org to check out some of the fun photos. In case you missed it or would like to watch it again, the conversation with some of the greatest minds in baseball can be seen on Xfinity OnDemand - Get Local - Sport - Business of Baseball.

Into the (Data) Breach: Learning from the Past to Help Better Manage the Future

2013-05-10T13:47:52Z

Perspective from Harry-Jacques Pierre: In the world of crisis PR, you manage to see just about any type of fiasco that can take place in business. But what has surprised me recently is how often one particular type of "trouble" continues to arise ...

In the world of crisis PR, you manage to see just about any type of fiasco that can take place in business. But what has surprised me recently is how often one particular type of "trouble" continues to arise: data breaches. It's not hard to understand why a data breach can be so devastating for organizations. There are different types of data breach, depending on whether the information breached is financial information, personal details or health and medical information - but there are very clear steps that are required by federal and state law of the company or institution responsible for the breach. Below are three of the best pieces of advice on how to handle a breach situation that could make or break an organization's reputation:

Understand that the breach will inevitably be bigger than what your IT staff is telling you right now - When companies first learn of a breach they are required to conduct an investigation to determine exactly what the size and scope of data is at risk of breach. One investigative expert we work with tells clients to multiply their original assessment by ten. If your IT department says they think that at first review the breach likely affects up to 2,500 people, in your head you should prepare to hear that the breach put the data of 25,000 people at risk.

Hire a qualified team IMMEDIATELY to help with the situation - Sometimes a breach can impact only a small number of people and this can lead a business or institution to think that the matter can be handled internally with existing staff. If handled by those inexperienced in managing data breach, you almost guarantee further blunders that can further damage the company's reputation not only with customers but with the public as well, once news of the mishaps make their way through the news cycle. Government regulators are also watching, making sure that requirements are met, and are only too willing to make an example out of a company who didn't comply. To say nothing of the fact that it is these same regulators who typically decide what the ultimate fine will be.

"Expect that a breach is coming and practice for it." - We often tell clients it is important not just to have a crisis plan in the drawer. It needs to be practiced, and continually updated. This is particularly true for data breach. Keep your crisis protocols and communication plan up to date to keep up with the flow of today's technology. We worked with a health care institution recently who reported a potential medical data breach. The organization had all the right encryption systems. Subsequent review by regulators pointed to the fact that while their computers were encrypted, doctors were using iPhones and iPads to access patient data, and these were not encrypted. Technology had moved faster than the latest hospital protocols. And the regulators were not sympathetic. The best way to avoid being made an example of is to be vigilant.

Data breach can be managed and its impact on reputation contained. Decisive action and an experienced team can get you through a difficult situation.

2011 Bulldog Award for Excellence in Media and Public Relations Campaigns

2013-05-08T19:48:33Z

Rasky Baerlein won an Honorable Mention at the 2011 Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media and Public Relations Campaigns in the Best New Product Launch

2011 Bulldog Award for Excellence in Media and Public Relations Campaigns: Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications

Rasky Baerlein won an Honorable Mention at the 2011 Bulldog Awards for Excellence in Media and Public Relations Campaigns in the Best New Product Launch - Business category for our work with consumer client, MooBella.

WINNERS

• Gold awarded to Edelman and Adobe for Adobe CS5 Launch

• Silver awarded to inmedia Public Relations Inc. for ProDigits

• Bronze awarded to Lane PR for Roundarch’s Wizard

• Honorable Mention awarded to Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications for The Relaunch of MooBella, the ATM of Ice Cream

• Honorable Mention awarded to Coyne PR for Going to New Heights: Coyne PR Launches Record-breaking Thrill Ride for Stratosphere Hotel & Casino Las Vegas

RBSC wins a 2013 PR News' Nonprofit PR Honorable Mention

2013-05-07T20:49:26Z

RBSC is excited to have won an Honorable Mention at the 2013 PR News' Nonprofit Awards honoring the top nonprofit PR campaigns of the year, the smartest communications initiatives and the people behind them.

PR On a Shoestring Budget

Winner:

Henson Consulting Inc. - Paris at the Harris: Building Buzz for the Best in Ballet

Honorable Mentions:

• 4GreenPs - Tuning in to Childhood Hunger Share Our Strength's Dine Out for No Kid Hungry Lunch Drop Program

• #GivingTuesday Communication Team - Let's Get Out the Give this Holiday Season with #Giving Tuesday

• Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications: A Place at the Table Campaign for The Greater Boston Food Bank

• Weber Shandwick - Shedding Light on Child Sexual Abuse

Boston Marathon: The Good and the Bad of social media news coverage

2013-05-03T18:26:06Z

Perspective from Joe Baerlein: Much has been written in the last week about the tragedy at the Boston Marathon, even critiques of the roles social media played in news coverage. A Wall Street Journal op-ed last week highlighted how the Boston Police Department effectively used Twitter. The op-ed stated that ...

Much has been written in the last week about the tragedy at the Boston Marathon, even critiques of the roles social media played in news coverage. A Wall Street Journal op-ed last week highlighted how the Boston Police Department effectively used Twitter. The op-ed stated that the Boston PD's Twitter handle was the one reliable news source reporters and the public could rely on during the week of wall to wall coverage of the Marathon bombing and eventual capture of the suspects.

Let's offer kudos to Twitter, the "21st Century Associated Press" for those people who rely no longer on a 24/7 news cycle, but rather the 1,440 minutes in a day to get their news by the moment.

But while Twitter had a good week, it was not so good for reddit, which has been described in the New York Times as an "updated version of an electronic bulletin board" on trendy and topical stories and issues. Their mistake last week was allowing its site to be the instrument of false information as to the identities of the possible bombing suspects.

That faux pas was noted by none other than one Barack Obama, who scolded reddit and its users for their irresponsible actions---which according to the Times has now prompted a yet another conversation about the responsibilities of digital media.

No matter what your feelings are about social media and the increasing role it plays in our daily lives, the truth is there is no going back. The black and white TV, the two hundred pound color TV, and the landline phone are relics of another era.

But with change also comes responsibility. Like it or not, mainline journalism, also called "old media", has editors and news directors at the top of the house, who have actually been trained in the field of journalism and whose news outlets have standards about what constitutes news. Those standards include what constitutes news, how it is verified, and how sourced information is treated.

And when mistakes are made in these "old media" outlets, there is accountability, a review of the facts, a correction of the record if necessary, and even a reprimand or suspension of a reporter depending on the nature of the mistake. Some would argue this is not true of old media anymore either in light of CNN'S numerous false alarms and mistakes in their reporting of the Marathon bombing. But at least there is someone to point the finger at.

Not so with reddit and their General Manager (note; not news editor or news director) concerning their response to the mistake of reddit and its users, not an inconsequential mistake either. This wasn't a discussion of pop culture or the latest meme---the reddit platform was the instrument for wrongly identifying people as likely suspects in the Marathon bombing.

While GM Erik Martin did send out an apology, he gave no indication that neither he nor the site he runs has any plans to operate differently going forward. Here is Martin's response to the Times----"We could have reminded people about our rules on the disclosure of personal information; we could have shut down the subReddit earlier than moderators shut it down".

But, Mr. Martin, the general manager, said "except for higher vigilance and a moderation of discussion 'tone', the site was not ready to institute new rules of behavior". Martin's comments leave open what happens the next time reddit wanders into hard news. No solutions proposed were proposed by GM Martin who rationalized that "reddit is a sort of attention aggregator. It can tell you what to pay attention to, but it is certainly not a replacement for news reporting."

There is no doubt reddit, Twitter, Facebook, and other online platforms are here to stay and play important roles on how we communicate to and with each other, especially on news that matters like the Marathon bombing.

In a rapidly changing world where old media is still around and new media is grabbing market and mind share, what are the rules of the road for new media and who is going to make those decisions?

Housing May Be Opportunity for Democrats

2013-04-30T15:33:43Z

Perspective from Larry Rasky: With Republicans sending signals they are shifting their focus on the deficit from entitlement cuts to tax reform (i.e. lower rates), Democrats need to lean into the debate in a way that captures the attention of the middle class, not just the poor. One area that seems ripe with opportunity is housing policy, beginning with ...

With Republicans sending signals they are shifting their focus on the deficit from entitlement cuts to tax reform (i.e. lower rates), Democrats need to lean into the debate in a way that captures the attention of the middle class, not just the poor. One area that seems ripe with opportunity is housing policy, beginning with the mortgage deduction.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when Republicans talk about lowering overall rates in exchange for closing loopholes that the math will be heavily weighted towards the well-to-do. Democrats love to talk about the tax breaks for big oil and corporate jets, but that tends to rile up the backers of those breaks more than the opponents.

We need to remind ourselves that during the healthcare debate, when the administration finally focused attention on middle-class issues like pre-existing conditions and maintaining coverage for 20-somethings on their parents' policies, the challenge of overcoming the cost of universal coverage faded away, at least temporarily. Keeping the tough issues coupled together with easier ones should have been applied to gun control but that's a subject for another day.

Today's lesson really goes to the swing (i.e. middle class) voters who make or break public opinion. This should be clear in the aftermath of the power demonstrated by angry flyers getting Congress to move on air traffic controllers. The guys in the private jets really don't get affected but the average business traveler or Disney vacationer gets really wound up when they lose a day.

This brings me back to the mortgage deduction. A recent study by Pew made the case that the benefits of the recovery have been heavily skewed towards the investing class (the 7%) and away from the average wage-earner (the 93%). The study goes on to say that the rising stock market has helped those who have 401Ks or those who invest pools of assets, among other pursuits of the well-off, a lot more that it has helped the vast majority of Americans who have most of their wealth tied up in their house. Among related opportunities Democrats need to figure out is how to help all those people leverage that asset to help them through their retirements.

There are certainly problems in the housing market and Democrats who take up the mortgage battle will face many challenges. The left will argue that more needs to be done for reliably voting renters. And it's no secret that any uptick in housing prices thus far into the recovery are as likely to be the result of speculators outbidding real buyers.

But thinking like a suburban voter and putting a marker down on the home mortgage deduction is a great place to start pushing back on GOP strategists who always think that cutting rates across the board is a winning issue. Aside from the fact that there is little evidence tax cuts ever did anything but allow for personal and corporate profit-taking, the defenders of the middle-class need to demonstrate the significant value that could go to the average Joe who doesn't have a whole lot of other deductions to itemize.

Start with a chart that shows how much revenue gets lost with an across-the-board tax cut. Next add up the amount of tax breaks lost by the middle-class from doing away with the mortgage deduction. It won't take long to figure out who's paying for the tax cut Republicans have in mind and who gets the benefits. The White House needs to think about how to reinvigorate the Middle Class Task Force. It seems to me that thinking about home mortgages and housing policy is not a bad place to start.

The sense and sensibility of Joe Biden

2013-04-26T21:13:32Z

Interesting piece by Melinda Henneberger in The Washington Post on Vice President Joe Biden's speech at the MIT memorial service for Sean Collier, an MIT police officer who was killed in the Boston Marathon bombings.

RBSC is a finalist for the 2013 SABRE Awards

2013-04-16T14:49:31Z

From HolmesReport.com, "Edelman, Ketchum Top List Of Americas SABRE Finalists" April 8, 2013

NEW YORK--Edelman and Ketchum topped the list of firms whose work is shortlisted for the 2013 Americas region Gold and Platinum SABRE Awards, which will be presented at our annual awards dinner, to be held once again at Cirpriani 42nd Street in New York on May 7.

Clients of Edelman and Ketchum each have 26 campaigns among the finalists, with Burson-Marseller in third place with 17, and Weber Shandwick fourth, with 16 campaigns on the short-list. The finalists were selected from more than 1,800 entries to this year's SABRE Awards competition.

There were multiple nominations for numerous other firms, including Fleishman-Hillard, GolinHarris and Ogilvy Public Relations (eight each); Citizen Relations (six); Cohn & Wolfe and MSLGroup (five each); Carmichael Lynch Spong, Cone Communications, Coyne PR, Exponent, Fast Horse, Jeffrey Group, Padilla Speer Beardsley and RF Binder (four each); and Current, DeVries, Fahlgren Mortine, Finn Partners, Kaplow, M Booth, rbb Public Relations, and Ruder Finn.

2013 GOLD SABRE FINALISTS

PUBLIC AFFAIRS

21st Century Retail Campaign - International Council of Shopping Centers with Finn Partners

Averting Disaster - A Public Affairs Campaign to Prevent High Solar Tariffs on the US Solar Industry - C A S E - Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy with Podesta Group

The Defeat of Physician Assisted Suicide in Progressive Massachusetts - Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications

Making the Case for the People's Stadium - Minneapolis Homefield Advantage with Padilla Speer Beardsley

Reclaim November, Ohio: Citizens United vs. citizens united - Jefferson Action with Fast Horse

To view the entire list of finalists please click here.

Inspiring Average Joes: From Chub Rub to Finish Line

2013-04-11T17:39:18Z

Perspective from Lisa Salerno: This year marks the 117th annual running of the Boston Marathon. Thousands of runners will line up in Hopkinton, each with their own inspiration tucked in their sneakers. What once was an elite sport for only men has become a milestone for so many weekend warriors. Some decry the democratization of marathons has weakened ...

This year marks the 117th annual running of the Boston Marathon. Thousands of runners will line up in Hopkinton, each with their own inspiration tucked in their sneakers. What once was an elite sport for only men has become a milestone for so many weekend warriors. Some decry the democratization of marathons has weakened the overall competitiveness. But the movement is much bigger than that.

Every year marathons challenge Average Joes to push themselves to the edge in the name of charities that at first may have no connection but through slogging weekend distance runs turn participants into their strongest supporter. According to the Boston Athletic Association, the Boston Marathon Official Charity Program raises more than $11 million annually. The program began in 1989 when the American Liver Foundation became the first charity to receive official entries into the Boston Marathon. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute came aboard in 1990, and since then the program has grown to support at least 30 charities each year.

Having suffered through two marathons, I can say there are moments during training where you are looking for any reason to put one foot in front of the other. Although I did not run for a particular charity, inspiration came from many places. On particularly challenging days marked by chub rub and blisters, I remembered my cousin who at the age of 21 discovered a tumor between her heart and her lungs. At a time when her friends were christening bars, she was fighting for her life. It was the way she did so with sarcastic, often caustic, humor that made the deepest impression on the middle school me. Her willingness to stare down cancer gave me the nudge to finish those extra miles.

Healthcare charities are in a unique position to use their mission to inspire runners to give their best. Knowing I didn't have a chance to come in first place or even within the first thousand freed me to run the Boston Marathon for a more ideal reason, my cousin. She got me through tough days and made me want to give back. Charities must harness this power to attract their next volunteer corp. People are looking for reasons to be inspired. Why not give them a reason by telling your charity's story? Who knows, the casual runner may be the next biggest fundraiser?