Who's watching the door? A critical examination of the practice of utilizing youth/clients in non-profit marketing materials
Date
2012
Authors
McFarlane, Zachary, author
Plaisance, Patrick, advisor
Champ, Joseph, committee member
Miles, Brenda, committee member
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Abstract
Youth-serving non-profit organizations will often utilize youth/clients in their marketing materials, in the form of testimonials and case studies. This usage has the potential to increase both donations and volunteerism, two critical areas of need for organizational success. But, particularly with the advent of new marketing opportunities through new media, where access to those stories has increased, the rules are potentially changing and organizations must deliberate between two competing interests: the need for money and volunteers, and the need to protect their clients from harm outright. This qualitative research examined how organizations handle those competing interests by interviewing both social workers and public relations practitioners regarding their use of youth/clients in their organizational marketing materials. While examining their unique experiences, it was found that many organizations have policies in place that unnecessarily subject their youth to harm.