Research in Focus

Prof. Jeff Morosoff Finds Lack of PR for Long Island's Nonprofits

While acknowledging the value of a good public relations program, most of Long Island's nonprofit organizations are devoting very few resources on getting their messages to their publics, according to a survey recently conducted by Hofstra University Assistant Professor Jeffrey S. Morosoff.

No matter how small or large these organizations are, nonprofits are typically devoting less than 5% percent of their budgets to public relations campaigns and staffing, according to the respondents. Just 29% of the nonprofits surveyed have at least one full-time public relations professional on staff, and only 25% of full- or part-time staff receive any PR training, according to Professor Morosoff, who, with the help of several Hofstra public relations students, conducted the survey of 160 Long Island-based nonprofits from October through December 2011. "The survey proves what we've always anecdotally known,” noted Morosoff. “Nonprofits understand the value of good public relations, but few have the resources for staff or tools to really do it right."