Joanne Fritz at about.com quietly continues to consistently churn out the best blog content in nonprofitdom week after week. Do make sure to read her daily–especially her review of The Dragonfly Effect, where she highlights a piece from the book that no other reviewer catches, namely, a great example of PR staff existing to promote the work of donors and volunteers, not the organizations that pay them:

The Dragonfly authors cite how Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation provides a “lemonade stand in a box” to anyone who fills out a simple form at its website. The “box” includes cups, banners, and balloons. Within fifteen minutes of signing up, parents get an email from the foundation’s public relations staff offering to help establish media contacts to promote the lemonade stand locally. Parents receive a press release template which they can personalize.

Did you catch that last part–an offer from the nonprofit’s PR staff to promote your child’s lemonade stand locally? That is so profoundly cool that I almost regret that our youngest child is now 16 and working at McDonald’s, leaving little time for lemonade. Well, that and the onrushing Colorado winter (there’s snow on Pikes Peak today) puts demand for cold drinks in the deep freeze.

But when you think about it, what really would PR be for in this day and age if it wasn’t for promoting the work of your champions? You’re certainly not still using your newsletter to promote your own organization…are you?