Building Media Visibility For Your Nonprofit: PR Strategies That Get Results
Wednesday, October 7, 2026
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
SB Foundation Office - South County
1111 Chapala Street, Suite #200, Santa Barbara
Individual Members: $0
Organizational Members: $0
Non-Members: $0
About this event
Through the generous support of the Santa Barbara Foundation, this workshop is being offered free of charge to staff and board members of nonprofits serving communities in Santa Barbara County.
Description
Every nonprofit has a compelling story to tell, but what makes some organizations consistently earn media attention while others struggle to be noticed? Successful public relations is more than luck—it requires a strategic approach to identifying newsworthy stories, crafting compelling messages, and building relationships with the right media outlets. In this interactive, three-part workshop, participants will learn the fundamentals of nonprofit public relations, including how to develop stories that capture a journalist's interest and confidently pitch them to the most appropriate media contacts.
Participants will then put these concepts into practice by developing story ideas, refining their media pitches, and receiving feedback in a collaborative learning environment. The workshop concludes by exploring how to leverage earned media to strengthen donor engagement, increase community awareness, support board recruitment and engagement, and enhance your organization's overall reputation. A panel of local nonprofit leaders who have successfully generated media coverage will share their experiences, practical strategies, and lessons learned, providing participants with real-world insights they can immediately apply within their own organizations.
During this workshop, participants will:
- Learn what makes a story newsworthy
- Develop several topics worthy of press releases
- Identify media targets for your pitches and practice pitching
- Learn how to repurpose the news coverage via other marketing channels to achieve positive business outcomes for your organization
Faculty
Lindsey Carnett
Lindsey Carnett is a marketing and public relations professional who developed The Marketing Maven Method to simplify marketing by empowering leaders to make data-driven marketing decisions. Lindsey is the CEO of Marketing Maven, a research, digital and PR firm headquartered in Ventura County, and author of the recent book, The Marketing Maven Method: Secrets of a Maven.
A two-time honoree of Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Independently Owned Companies in America, as well as an Entrepreneur 360 Most Entrepreneurial Companies in America award recipient, Lindsey has taken her business expertise global to enlighten marketing peers and business leaders about best practices in using PR to drive engagement, improve organic SEO, and grow a positive online reputation.
Having spoken at high profile national marketing and consumer products conferences and guest lectured at universities, Carnett has gained the reputation as an expert in the field of marketing and public relations. Her areas of specialties include: Public Relations, Social Media, Reputation Management, Direct Response Marketing, U.S. product launches, SEO, Event PR, and Spanish Media.
To learn more about Lindsey and Marketing Maven, visit www.marketingmaven.com.