Press releases are not just for the press anymore. They can be posted on your website^[1] for all to read and to help optimize your site for the search engines^[2].

Nonprofit^[3] Press releases will vary, but the standard format is usually similar to the example below.

Basic Elements of a Nonprofit Press Release

1. When the release can be distributed. Usually, the release will carry the words, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE.
   (This can be put above or below the headline and can be on either side of page)
2. Headline:
   (Centered across top of organization’s letterhead or special news release stationary)
3. Organizational info:
   (Can go above the headline or below. Usually appears on the left side)
4. Name of Organization
5. Address
6. Phone Number
7. Website URL
8. Contact information:
   (Can go above or below headline; and on the right or left side of the page. Check out various samples to see the variety of formats)
9. Name (can be a person’s name or a generic^[4] place such as “the Public Affairs Department”)
10. Email address of person or department
11. Phone Number (include office phone and cell phone numbers)
12. Place, day, date
    (Start the first line of release.)
13. Body of release
14. Boilerplate information about the nonprofit organization
15. Repeat contact information
    (And/or offer to provide someone to interview.)
16. ###
    (These marks are centered just below the content of the release and signal the end of the release.)

Sample Nonprofit Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Child Abuse Prevention Is Everyone’s Job
North Brunswick Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse Offers Free Brochure to Help the Public Identify the Signs of Child Abuse

NBPCA
2235 North Broadway
Brunswick, Rhode Island 42500
www.ncpca.org

Contact: Jennifer Hustings, Media Liaison
jhust@nbpca.org
(516) 333-0000 (office)
(516) 658-0000 (cell)

Brunswick, RI, Thursday, August 01, 2009— Child abuse goes up during hard economic times. Job losses, foreclosures, and fear for the future put tremendous stress on families.

Unfortunately, those stresses are taken out on the weakest members of our human family…the children.

The NBPCA believes that it is the responsibility of all Americans to participate in child abuse prevention in their communities. There are things that you can do to help children who are in danger.

NBPCA has published a brochure on child abuse prevention that can be distributed freely in your community. The brochure will help the public identify and report suspected cases of child abuse before irretrievable damage is done to an innocent child.

The most common signs of child abuse are:

1. xxxxxx
2. xxxxxx
3. xxxxx
4. xxxxx
5. xxxxxx

The child abuse prevention tactics everyone should take:

1. xxxx
2. xxxxx
3. xxxxx
4. xxxxx
5. xxxxx

The brochure can be downloaded as a PDF file from: xxxxxxx. Multiple copies of the brochure can be ordered by phone, mail or online (pay only ​the cost of postage) at: xxxxxxxxxxx.

“Child abuse is a serious societal issue and one that all of us need to address. We can do that by supporting agencies that work on behalf of children, and by making sure that we know the signs of abuse and what to do about it,” said Lisa Gordon, executive director of the North Brunswick Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

These are tough times. Help make them easier for a child at risk: report suspected child abuse and support those organizations in your community that put children first. Child abuse prevention is everyone’s job.

About the North Brunswick Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse

The NBPCA, founded in 1975, seeks to protect children in the greater North Brunswick area from abuse and neglect. It does this by……….(mission^[5], programs, etc)

The Executive Director of NBPCA, Lisa Gordon, is available for interviews about how to recognize the warning signs of child abuse.
Contact: Jennifer Hustings, Media Liaison
jhust@nbpca.org
(516) 333-0000 (office)
(516) 658-0000 (cell)

###

**NOTE: This is a fictitious release and organization. It is used for illustration only.

For more information about press releases^[6], we recommend the following sources:

• Bill Stoller’s PublicityInsider.com provides a press release template^[7].
• FPRC Free Press Release Center offers a sample release and many tips^[8].
• eReleases offers ​The Advanced Guide to Writing Powerful Press Releases.
• Nonprofits should study the press releases of other nonprofits, especially large ones that have well-oiled media departments. The American Red Cross is a great source.