1. The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee And How We Changed Our Communication Strategy

2. Basic Info The BHC - the strongest human rights NGO in Bulgaria Founded in 1992 Monitoring human rights; advocacy and campaigning; legal support Focus on ethnic and religious minorities, refugees and migrants, women’s and children’s rights, people with mental disabilities, prisons; freedom from discrimination, freedom from torture, freedom of speech and access to information.

3. Problems with BHC’s Public Image Not enough media coverage Lack of knowledge about the broad scope of activities of the BHC ‘Fundamentalists’ Too ‘expert’ language Not enough visible campaigns

4. Problems with BHC’s Public Image Very old and unfunctional website No approach to the new media No possibility to ‘join’ the BHC Till recently - no PR strategy, no PR person The ‘press release’ method

5. BHC’s New Communication Strategy New website: - modern design -integration with social networking sites -blog -a strong multimedia section -more visible campaigns; letter-writing campaigns -join

6. BHC’s New Communication Strategy Social Networks: -Facebook account -Twitter account

7. BHC’s New Communication Strategy Working with the media: -more information, more often, in the most effective way possible (from a well-written press-release, to a flash- mob) -working with concrete journalists on concrete topics -working with bloggers

8. BHC’s New Communication Strategy Linking human rights with art: -Short films -Photo stories, exhibitions -Literature