Clemson PRSSA Meeting with Leslie Thorton

[cross post from Madison Fisher's blog]

Monday night, we held our second PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) meeting of the year!  We invited Leslie Thorton, the Public Information Director for development within the Advancement Division at Clemson University as well as a public relations teacher in the Communications Department.  Because of her long title (Public Information Director for development within the Advancement Division) I think some people were confused as to what Leslie’s specific duties were (or at least I was!).  Leslie spoke about her duties and clarified her day-to-day tasks that keep her job interesting. 

At her occupation, Leslie focuses on writing proposals to perspective donors, keeping current donors happy, and engaging future donors (students).  I thought that the most interesting part of Leslie’s job was how she keeps current donors happy.  Along with holding annual banquets for large donors, she explained that after a large donation is given, a committee formulates the best way to thank the donor.  Sometimes, the donor is thanked during the halftime show of the Clemson football games and other times, buildings or statues are named in honor of the donor.  One time, the committee found out that a specific donor enjoyed opera music.  In order to thank the donor, Clemson University set up a luncheon and had a Clemson student sing opera for entertainment!      

 Leslie also reminded PRSSA members that even though a job/volunteer/internship may not have a title that includes the words “public relations”, the job may still include public relations duties.  For example, even if you’re not constantly writing press releases or tracking media clips, you may still be helping an organization relate and connect to its publics. 

The last two tips of advice that Leslie left with us were: strengthen your writing skills and be organized. 

Our secretary, Cara Mitchell, took notes on CoverItLive.com.  You can find the live notes here.  Please also visit our Clemson University PRSSA blog and follow us on Twitter @clemsonprssa!

The Next PRSSA Meeting

Want to get hands on experience working on a case study with 2 PR Pros
that work for an innovative company? Interested in coming to a PRSSA
meeting that is unlike any of the other meetings before?

Geno Church and Spike Jones will be coming from Brains on Fire to lead a workshop using a real example with one of their clients, Fiskars. They
will also be presenting and helping us work through a case study to give
us practical knowledge that you can use in future PR endeavors. We got a
big room, so let’s fill it up!

When: February 24 at 7:00 pm

Where: McAdams 119

Attire: Business Casual

Cost: Free for members, $2 for non-PRSSA members

Here are the entertaining bios from the Brains on Fire website of the two
speakers:

Spike Jones was born in Dallas, Texas. Not that you should care, since
Spike will never ask you where you’re from, either. After graduating from the “I can’t dance” cult of Baylor University with degrees in
Environmental Studies and Journalism (read: tree-hugging hippie writer), he explored these United States and finally settled at a place they call the Brains on Fire back in the Year of the Golden Dragon (2000).

Spike (Spike to his friends) began here as a storyteller and now handles
new business rock-kicking-over initiatives and contributes strategic input for companies including BMW, Rawlings Sporting Goods, Dagger Kayaks, Fiskars Brands, Yakima, Perception Kayaks, Best Buy and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth-led anti-tobacco
movement). Spike sits on the Board of Directors for the Word
of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) and preaches what Brains on Fire practices at speaking gigs, including various private events (Michelin, Biltmore Estates, Susan G. Komen Foundation), the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Public Relations Society of America and the Association of National Advertisers’ Senior Think Tank
Committee. Labeled “one to watch” from an anonymous answerer to our Net Promoter Survey, Spike is smart, good looking, athletic, persuasive and a rock star inside his own head. He also never passes up a chance to write his own bio.

Geno Church is a quoted, sought-after and stalked thought leader in
uncovering the DNA of sustainable word of mouth movements and building them from the ground, up. Seriously. Addys. Wommies. Forrester Groundswell Awards. A gold EFFIE, even.

Companies and organizations Geno’s loved on include Fiskars Brands, the American Booksellers Association, Rawlings Sporting Goods, National Family Partnership, Charleston Parks Conservancy, the US Office of National Drug Control Policy, Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities and Rage Against the Haze (South Carolina’s youth led anti-tobacco movement).  He contributes to the top-ish-ranked Brains on Fire blog Brains on Fire Blog, speaks at events nationally and abroad (we almost lost him in South Africa last year – three times) including gigs with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, the Public Relations Society of America, American Marketing Association, the New Comm Research Communications Forum, and the What Teens Want 2008 Conference. He is widely quoted in blogs and traditional print on a regular basis. Geno’s Southern, approachable and probably one
of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. No kidding.

Novemeber 19th Meeting

Are you looking to apply for PR internships and wondering what they are looking for and expecting from you? Do you have questions about your resume and cover letter? Are you unsure what to include in your PR portfolio?

Come to PRSSA’s November meeting! Brett Turner from Jackson-Dawson will be coming to discuss how to create PR portfolios:

When: November 19 at 7:00

Where: Brackett 213

Attire: Business Casual

Cost: Free for members, $2 for non-members

Please RSVP here!

Remember to bring your resume, cover letter, and anything you may want to have him critique.

Here is a brief bio of our speaker Brett Turner:

Brett Turner is Public Relations Director for Jackson-Dawson Marketing Solutions. His responsibilities include strategic planning and daily oversight of all of JD’s PR clients, including BMW, Michelin, Milliken, Greenville Hospital System, Bloom and Food Lion grocery stores and Piaggio aircraft.

Turner earned his APR (Accredited in Public Relations) designation in 2006, which is the hallmark of the public relations profession and signifies mastery of the public relations profession.

Turner has extensive experience in sports journalism, sports marketing and public relations, having covered the North Carolina men’s basketball team and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers from 1994-1997. He then managed public relations accounts for NASCAR Winston Cup and Busch Series teams from 1997 through the end of the 2000 season, before being named Director of Public Relations for SailNet.com in Charleston, S.C. Turner joined JD in 2001.

Turner is a 1993 graduate of Clemson University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with a minor in Communications/Journalism. He is married to the former Suzanne Spaulding of Charleston, a 1997 graduate of Clemson who holds a B.S. degree in psychology. The Turners reside in Anderson with their two sons, William and Wyatt, and Truxton, the family Chesapeake Bay Retriever.

How to Make the Best of PRSSA

Minutes of the second Clemson PRSSA meeting taken live during the meeting are available here.

You may participate remotely and ask questions using the chat feature in the live blogging tool, which opens in a new window once you click the above link.

Also, check out pictures from the second PRSSA meeting!