Tina McCorkindale, Ph.D., APR, President and CEO, Institute for Public Relations
In 1956, the Institute for Public Relations was founded as an add-on organization to PRSA on the basis that research needed to be more prominent in our field. But the basic research this organization was founded on would be unrecognizable compared to the rigorous research studies conducted today.

This month, IPR celebrates our 65 years—our sapphire anniversary—of offering free research that matters to the profession. I don’t think we should undersell the free part. To provide resources and research to an entire field without a fee or a paywall is a noteworthy accomplishment. We wouldn’t be able to do that without the generosity and support of our Trustees and their organizations, the IPR team, industry partners, and our financial supporters.

Naturally, I researched “sapphire anniversary” to learn the symbolism of this anniversary. The blue sapphire symbolizes trust, loyalty, and integrity. I think IPR has embodied its purpose throughout these 65 years with these three qualities in mind by building trust in our work, sustaining loyalty to our industry, and leading with integrity every step of the way.

This blog is provided by the IPR Organizational Research Communication Center.

Over the past few years, large and mid-sized nonprofits have rapidly adopted social media to communicate with internal and external constituents. Social media proves to be a cost-effective resource for nonprofits, playing a pivotal role in accumulating social capital, enhancing nonprofit visibility, and strengthening stakeholder engagement.

In scholarly literature, the focus has always been on how nonprofits as a whole can leverage social media channels to communicate, engage, and build relationships with their stakeholders. In comparison, how executive leaders of nonprofits (often referred to as Executive Director, Chief Executive Officer, or President) directly engage with their online audiences is rarely mentioned. Given the critical communication function of executive leaders in liaising between nonprofits and stakeholders, it is natural to ask what communication strategies nonprofit executives adopt on social media and whether these strategies can effectively enhance online engagement.

My recent co-authored paper with researchers from the University of Florida and the University of Pennsylvania taps into this question. Based on the renowned Nonprofit Times 100 list, we identified 35 executive leaders from the U.S. and analyzed 700 Twitter posts published between February 1, 2018, and February 1, 2020. We analyzed the data and found some important key findings and implications for our field.

The Harris Poll examined Americans' opinions regarding workplace COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

A survey of 2,055 U.S. adults was conducted from Sept. 17–19, 2021.

Key findings include:
  • 55% of employed U.S. adults supported vaccine mandates for employers with 100+ employees.
  • 68% of vaccinated Americans supported the mandate compared to just 23% of those unvaccinated.
  • 76% of Democrats supported the vaccine mandate while only 39% of Republicans did.
  • 45% of respondents said it is "very" or "somewhat likely" they would change jobs if vaccines were required by their employers.
Korn Ferry examined board governance and how boards need to evolve to support the delivery of ESG strategy.

Korn Ferry has compiled strategies to help organizations embed their commitment to ESG and sustainability into all aspects of how they do business. 

Key strategies include:
  • ESG and sustainability are so integrated into strategy development, risk management, and financial statements that boards will need to invest time to understand and evaluate these issues in the context of their organizations. 
  • To avoid ESG being seen as “greenwashing,” it needs to be integrated into strategy and risk management, so it transforms the way the organization operates.
  • Linking executive compensation and ESG metrics can send a strong signal that ESG is a priority for the enterprise.

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