Public Relations

Public Relations loves THON. We want everyone else to love THON as much as we do! That is why we work year round to ensure increasing awareness about Pediatric Cancer, The Four Diamonds Fund, and THON. Whether it’s communicating directly to media outlets, planning marketing events and campaigns, designing publications, or securing THON memories, Public Relations invites everyone to join our fight: to conquer pediatric cancer!

Administrative Assistant (1)

As the administrative assistant, you will be the right hand of Public Relations. Your responsibilities will include mediating and delegating requests from the overall committee, managing committee projects and tasks (both planned and unplanned), and keeping minutes at all meetings. For these reasons you should be extremely organized and motivated. Also, you should be able to work well with many diverse groups and be willing to take charge as situations may require. Finally, you should be very THON/The Four Diamonds Fund oriented, as one of your most unique and important responsibilities is to provide weekly inspiration for the rest of the committee.

Graphic Design (2)

As graphic design captains, you will have the chance to create and plan all graphics, logos, and promotional materials for THON. Your responsibilities will include receiving and processing all graphics requests from overalls and captains. You will also be working with the publication management and event management captains to create The Diamond Guide. Because of this, you should be very creative, able to work quickly and efficiently, and, if necessary, multitask on several projects, while keeping THON’s principles in mind. Finally, you must be more than proficient in several graphic design programs (Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator are a must – CS3 is preferred).

Media Relations (6)

As a media relations captain, you are the primary point of contact between THON and the press. Your responsibilities will include communicating with different media outlets, and collaborating to create and send press releases and pitches. If you are someone with excellent interpersonal skills, can create and maintain great professional relations, and are generally outgoing, this position is perfect for you. Also, any experience with writing news articles or press releases would be a great benefit in this position.

Alternative Media (2)

Alternative Media captains are the newest addition to the Public Relations Committee. This position is all about finding new and innovative ways to spread awareness about pediatric cancer. For the most part, you will be utilizing the fast growing world of online marketing. This will give you access to large numbers of people in many diverse audiences. You will be responsible for finding and contacting all alternative media resources, so a high level of creativity and self-motivation are crucial. Also, experience with press release writing and business letter writing would be an asset in this position.

Event Management (2)

An events management captain does exactly as their name describes: event planning. The primary event for which you will be planning is the 100 Days ‘til THON celebration; but you will also be responsible for planning press releases and several other committee events. Also, you will have a ten-member committee, which will help plan and run your events. Finally, you will be responsible for working with the publication management captain, as you and your committee will be helping with the creation of The Diamond Guide. You must be very organized, willing to delegate responsibilities, and able to create detailed plans for future events. Creativity will also be important, as it will be expected that you include your own flair in each event.

Publication Management (1)

In this position, you will design and layout all publications produced by Public Relations, including The Diamond Guide: THON weekend Program. You must be very self-motivated and logical for this position, as you will need to take charge of all publications and delegate many responsibilities. Because you will be working heavily with the event management captains (and their committee members) and the graphic design captains, you will also need to be able to think collaboratively. A thorough knowledge of graphic design and layout programs is necessary (Adobe InDesign and Photoshop), as is a creative mind. Finally, experience in publication planning or layout would be extremely helpful in this position.

Photography (2)

As a photography captain, you will capture the moments and memories of THON 2009. You will be responsible for the photography of all THON events (leading up to and including THON weekend), keeping track of shot lists and concepts from overalls and captains, and managing THON’s PhotoBase. You will need to work closely with your five-member committee to make sure that we have a wealth of photographs for the coming years. A strong background with photography is a must. As is experience working with digital photography. In addition, great organizational and leadership skills are important.

Street Teams (2)

As a street teams captain, the world is your oyster. Literally. This position is only suited for the most creative and innovative of individuals, as you will be required to develop, plan, and execute several unique marketing campaigns in and around State College. You will have twenty-five committee members with which to work and a very short period of time to plan for each campaign. For this reason, efficiency and organization will be very important. My advice, if you want this position: come with many ideas, be ready to work, and have fun with it.