Special Olympics Rhode Island: Public Relations

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Sharon Ketteringham, Special Olympics Athlete

Special Olympics Inspires Greatness in everyone it touches.

There are many children and adults with intellectual disabilities in your community who can benefit from year-round sports training and competition. They need coaches, volunteers and financial support.

Contact Special Olympics Rhode Island today and see how you can help Inspire Greatness.

	Special Olympics Rhode Island is dedicated to providing timely and consistent information to its constituents. We strive to keep athletes, families, volunteers, donors, sponsors, and the media up to date on what is happening because each of these groups is an important and integral part of the SORI family.
	Public Relations Policies
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		The Special Olympics Rhode Island Board of Directors and the Special Olympics Rhode Island Public Relations Committee have implemented the following policy and procedures to strengthen and enhance the message, branding, awareness and education in every aspect of the organization. The Special Olympics logo is at the forefront of the organization’s image and must be used consistently in all local, regional and national events. It is critically important that our public relations efforts represent the mission of Special Olympics: a unified, worldwide, Olympic-quality sports program. The Special Olympics logo and guidelines establish our identity and enable us to reach out more readily to all persons with mental retardation, their families and to the entire population. The Special Olympics Rhode Island Board of Directors and Public Relations Committee mandate strict adherence to this policy.
	POLICY:
		Public Relations will be an integral part of Special Olympics Rhode Island providing guidance and support to Program/Sports Staff and Development/Special Events Staff to ensure that the overall image of the organization is represented to the public. The Special Olympics Rhode Island Board of Directors will implement a fully integrated communications/marketing strategy that ensures the organizations’ integrity. To this end, there will be an internal review process for all materials (i.e. websites, flyers, posters, program books, postcards, invitations, newsletters, artwork for all printed materials, etc.). All materials created by Development Staff, Program/Sports Staff, Event Committees (i.e. Torch Run, Sports Celebrity Carnival, Fashion Show, Benefest, Summer Games, Winter Games, etc.) and Local program/Team events must be reviewed and approved by the Executive Director and/or Director of Public Relations and the Public Relations Committee. Media contacts for events, publicity for programs or any other communication regarding Special Olympics Rhode Island will be initiated by the Director of Public Relations with the approval of Executive Director and/or Public Relations Committee. The above policy is strictly enforced in order to create a cohesive communications/marketing strategy and to ensure that we are abiding by the national/international guidelines set forth by Special Olympics International. Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in the loss of the copyright and logo usage of the Special Olympics symbol. [To top]
	REVIEW PROCESS:
		The Public Relations Committee meets monthly at the Special Olympics Rhode Island Office. All materials/documents and media requests from Specific Event Committees (i.e. Torch Run, Sports Celebrity Carnival, Fashion Show, Benefest, Summer Games, Winter Games, etc.), Development Staff, Program Staff and Local Program/Team Events must be received by the Director of Public Relations at the SORI office, 10 days prior to the meeting for consideration and approval. [To top]
	PLEASE NOTE:
		If there is a special event or more immediate review necessary, please contact Gerri Walter immediately at 823-7411, ext. 16. The Executive Director and Director of Public Relations will be responsible for approving copy and layout of materials developed by Development Staff and Program/Sports Staff in a timely manner (one week for large, multi-page pieces and two days for one-page pieces or in case of tight deadline – one day). [To top]
	CONCLUSION:
		The Public Relations Committee is confident that their combined experience, energy and commitment will provide a service to Special Olympics Rhode Island to successfully meet their communications/marketing goals and objectives. We believe that an organized approach will better state the overall interests of the organization and we look forward to working with the Board of Directors, staff, coaches, athletes, volunteers and committee members in meeting these goals. [To top]