A Client Q & A with Jennifer Kelley, Executive Director of Greater Lakes Children’s Auction
I connected with Jennifer Kelley three years ago and began writing blogs for the organization she leads, the Greater Lakes Region Children’s Auction. It’s an organization near and dear to my brother Allan’s heart, and I had heard much about it and wanted to help. (Jennifer and I also worked together on several books—one about the Auction’s 40th year in 2021 and one about her mother’s life.) Recently, my colleague Jillian Tully interviewed Jennifer about what it’s like to work with me on PR.
In brief, what is the work or mission of your organization?
The Greater Lakes Children’s Auction’s mission is to raise money for kids in need in the Greater Lakes Region community of New Hampshire. We engage with the community and financially support children in need with a vision to ensure that every child is empowered to succeed and positively impact the region.
When did you begin working with Janice, and what specific services did she provide for you?
I’ve been working with Janice for three years. She was interviewing what we call the Children’s Auction champions—volunteers who go above and beyond to help the organization. She wrote blogs about our champions, and I posted them on our website. Then I would put the stories in our monthly news blast, and Janice would write a press release on the champion and send it to the press. Today, she continues to write the auction champion articles and additional releases for the auction on broader topics.
What was the quality of Janice’s work?
It was excellent. She really got to know the champions and added some color in sharing why people do what they do to help the Children’s Auction. So, it was very helpful. Additionally, I think the people Janice interviewed felt valued by the organization, which is always good.
Did press releases Janice wrote for you attract attention from the media?
Definitely. She helped us do press releases all around the Children’s Auction champions, but then she wrote some additional press releases. That really helped people know more about the auction and realize that the auction is not just something that happens in December; we are an organization that works year-round to help fulfill our mission.
What value did her other content creation efforts bring to your organization?
After writing over 40 articles, Janice took it upon herself to turn them into a book capturing some of the history of the past 40 years of the auction. She took on the mission single-handedly, also interviewing about 15 nonprofits we support to also tell their story. The book was a really nice way to commemorate our 40 years. Janice sold them to raise money for the organization, and the book is still for sale.
Who in your various audiences benefited from the work and in what ways?
The people that benefit the most are the kids who are served by over 80 local nonprofits providing services for low-income families and children in need. Our mantra is, “It’s all for the kids.” We want to enhance their lives.
Do you consider Janice a partner in your marketing and public relations efforts?
Without a question. She started with just doing the auction champion articles which was huge, and we launched a whole campaign about highlighting a champion every single month in our news blast. Then she offered to do the book that she created. Now she is starting to do just a lot of press releases for us, so without question, she is a partner.
