We’re Thankful and We Show it…

In charity, Featured News by getpushing

Remember the childhood song, “if you’re happy and you know it”? A simple song, it goes about telling the listener that if they are happy and if they know it, then they should do something to show it – clap their hands, stomp their feet, yell “hurray”, or do all three!

Maybe we should take this advice as adults and extend it to our gratitude. Let me explain.

If we’re happy (or sad, mad, etc.) it’s obvious to others around us. We emote how we feel and that expression can impact others. This can be positive or negative… just think about the times your coworker brings a chip on their shoulder to the office. That attitude can spread. The same thing can happen when we express happiness, gratitude, etc. Do we emote when we’re grateful, though? Actually, let me take a step back…

First, do we take time to recognize what we have to be grateful for? Do we actually pause long enough to be grateful, to take in that moment or experience, to recognize an experience or person? I find that I’m often guilty of not doing this enough. However, I am working on it and I’d like to help you and your business too.

So, where am I going with this? This isn’t meant to be a self-help blog or personal advice column. There is a business tie-in. At PTE, we have blessed immensely and I’d like to think that we are paying that forward in the work we do for our clients, but also our community engagement. And, in taking my own advice about pausing to be grateful and then showing it, I’d like to recap some of the awesome experiences from 2017 and how we’re showing our gratitude.

We’re grateful for…

  • Honored with 6 Local Image Awards by the Florida Public Relations Association SWFL chapter and 1 Golden Image Judges’ Award from the Florida Public Relations Association (state-level)
  • Named Best PR Firm in Southwest Florida by Gulfshore Business Magazine
  • Recipient of the APEX Award by the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce
  • Finalist for the Lee County Horizon Council Industry Appreciation Awards, Business Citizenship category
  • Many new clients we’ve started working with this year – Action Craft, Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge, Estero Bay Chevrolet, Opera Naples, Rotary Club of Fort Myers South’s Law & Order Ball, Stock Development, Zoomers and more!

And we show it by…

  • Telling others! We do our best to tell our story of gratitude through strategic public relations, email marketing, social media, and other efforts.
  • Then, we show and pay it forward by:
    • Producing a fund/book/ball collection – Books, Balls and Board Games for the Lee County Boys & Girls Clubs and PickUp the Ball
    • Hosting our signature food drive, the CAN IT! Campaign – in its seventh year (and currently running!) benefitting needy families in Southwest Florida through Community Cooperative, Inc.
    • Producing “Power Hours” quarterly, an educational series for our colleagues, clients, and local non-profits
    • Providing in-kind service to many local non-profits including Gulf Coast Humane Society, PACE Center for Girls Lee County, March of Dimes and more
    • Hosting interns every semester, giving them a taste of what their careers could look like and help them apply what they’re learning in college
    • Offering an annual grant for donated service to a local organization to help them learn how to market themselves and grow

To date, we’ve been able to show our gratitude via more than 1,000 hours of donated time, nearly $100,000 in donated service, and helping raise more than $160,000 for area non-profits. I share this because I want you to know that even if you have a small team you CAN ABSOLUTELY MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

So, what have you or your team/company accomplished this year? What opportunities have you enjoyed that you should be grateful for? Are there any individuals who have positively impacted you that are worthy of your appreciation? Perhaps it’s time to recognize those and tell others. Public relations tactics such as news releases, social media posts, and internal communication efforts are a great way to “show it” as the song says. Let others know what you’re doing, inspire them, appreciate what you’ve been given, and see where it can take you.

Or, perhaps it’s time for you to pay it forward. You can make a difference. Our team is made up of only 6 people, but what we do matters. What you do matters too. Your efforts to help someone else, whether that be through volunteerism or using your skills to help an organization (as we do with in-kind PR service, etc.) can create change. I encourage you today to consider what you give to show your gratitude – time, talent, treasure, or as the song says – all three!

We’re grateful that you took the time to read our blog and hope this inspires you. If you’d like help putting a plan together to tell your gratitude through public relations, social media, etc. or, if you’d like to talk about how to show your gratitude through community relations, please feel free to contact us. We’d be happy to help.

Author: Samantha Scott, APR