Much of the Girls Scouts’ work is managed by non-profit public relations professionals such as Christina Martin, marketing and public relations director for the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, Inc.
“Girl Scouts do much more than cookies and camping,” Martin said. “My organization runs many outreach programs to underserved, at-risk communities.”
A 2008 graduate of the University of Miami School of Communication with a master’s in public relations, Martin will be sharing her professional experience at the school’s 10th annual Communication Week as part of a panel on “Non-Profit PR: If the Cause Fits, It’s A Great Niche.”
The panel will be at 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, in Studio A on the ground floor of the School of Communication.
Martin will be joined by Nicolle Ugarriza, public relations manager of the Miami City Ballet, and Justin Moss, public relations director of the Florida Grand Opera. Panel moderator will be Dr. Shannon Campbell, assistant professor of public relations at UM.
“The non-profit public relations panelists will talk about what characteristics make someone a good ‘fit’ for this career focus, how to break in, and what they enjoy most and least about the work,” said Linda Hamburger, a lecturer in public relations at UM and panel organizer.
As the panel illustrates, non-profit public relations is practiced in a variety of areas, including education, entertainment, and government. Practitioners are often responsible for everything from media relations to volunteer recruitment.
“In non-profit [public relations], your team of people is a lot smaller and therefore you are responsible for more than traditional public relations,” Martin said. “I like the fact that in my role I get to handle internal and external communications, event planning, the production of marketing materials and networking.”
While the daily tasks may look different depending on the organization, non-profit public relations practitioners have one thing in common: a devotion to community service.
“I strongly believe in social responsibility, and my organization instills this value among the 16,000 girls we serve,” said Martin. “I also like the feeling that the fruits of my labor make a positive impact in our local community.”

About the University of Miami School of Communication: The University of Miami School of Communication seeks to prepare analytical and responsible communication professionals for success in a global society.  The School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in journalism, broadcasting, electronic media, media management, advertising, public relations, visual journalism, communication studies and motion pictures, with a total current enrollment of approximately 1500 students and 60 full-time faculty members. 

Jessica Jurick
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