One obvious goal of any public relations campaign is to stand out from

One obvious goal of any public relations campaign is to stand out from the crowd. And when it comes to nonprofits, there is always a crowd. People in the nonprofit world often don’t like to think of themselves as being in competition in the way that businesses are. But the competition is there just the same, and it can be ferocious.

No matter what your organization’s field of activity — health care, community service, education, the arts, environmental protection, promotion of cultural activities, historical preservation, or any other worthwhile cause — you are, in effect, in competition with all the other organizations that specialize in the same area. And not only are you competing with your sister organizations, but you are also in de facto competition with organizations that operate in other areas. Despite the focus of your efforts, the odds are that you and your competitors are reaching out to many of the same people.

The reality is that people usually don’t support just one organization. More typically, they support concerns ranging from the local to the global. It is not unusual for one person to support his local library, homeless shelter, and symphony orchestra while being involved with organizations that protect whales in the Pacific or support medical research in the Amazon or care for orphans in Africa. And then there is your organization, trying desperately to be heard above the clamor. That one individual may receive letters, appeals, and newsletters from literally dozens of organizations, all asking for attention and support. Therefore, one obvious job that your public relations efforts should accomplish is to help your organization stand out from the background noise by making a personal connection. In more hard-nosed terms, public relations can be a tool to help you beat the competition.

1. Which of the following statements best describes the main idea of the passage?

(A) Nonprofit organizations don’t compete directly with each other for donor dollars.
(B) Individuals who donate to nonprofits often help a number of different organizations, from the local to the international level.
(C) The nonprofit world is crowded with organizations that are all appealing to same set of generous donors.
(D) Making your nonprofit organization stand out from the crowd through effective public relations is vital to its success.
(E) Sending letters soliciting support is no longer an effective way to raise funds for nonprofit organizations.

2. What does the article imply when, in the first sentence of the second paragraph, it says, “People in the nonprofit world often don’t like to think of themselves as being in competition in the way that businesses are”?

(A) Those who work in nonprofits think of competition for donor dollars as more cutthroat than normal business competition.
(B) People who work for nonprofits think that the pot of donor dollars from which they draw is endless.
(C) Nonprofits’ public relations managers don’t have the business skills necessary to compete for a limited supply of donations.
(D) Workers at local nonprofits recognize that they are competing against other local nonprofits but don’t see that they are also competing against sister organizations.
(E) Many who work for nonprofits think that because they are doing something good, they don’t also have to compete.

3. Which of the following is NOT listed in the passage as a type of nonprofit that people support?

(A) Medical research in the Amazon
(B) Food banks
(C) Symphony orchestra
(D) Protecting whales in the Pacific
(E) Local library

4. According to the passage, what is the “obvious” way that public relations efforts can help an organization stand out from the crowd?

(A) By making a personal connection with the donor who receives dozens of other requests for support.
(B) By encouraging donors to support more than one type of nonprofit organization.
(C) By undermining the credibility of sister organizations that are competing for the same donor dollars.
(D) By helping the organization to beat the competition.
(E) By focusing the organization’s efforts on donors who have a natural affinity for the group through location, personal history, or interests.