Words by Smiley Team
Creating a need out of tragedy is what happened when Natalie Wilson co-founded the Black and Missing Foundation (BAM FI) alongside her sister-in-law, Derrica Wilson.
This foundation was started when a young lady went missing in Derrica's home town and there was no coverage for her. So, she and her sister decided to put their resources together to get the coverage that Derrica’s story needed.
Soon after, BAM FI was established as a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring awareness to missing persons of color, provide vital resources and tools to missing person's families and friends, and educate the minority community on personal safety.
However, after starting her nonprofit, Natalie began to face challenges when it came to trying to get exposure for her foundation. Was this a struggle for all nonprofits in America, she wondered?
[Also read: Join these 5 organizations to transform the world in 2022]
She realised that if she – a woman with expertise in the world of communications – was having a difficult time with exposure, then other nonprofits had to be struggling far worse with getting their messages out.
This is when NWR Communications Group was formed. NWR is a public relations agency helping nonprofits and foundations committed to social justice issues gain visibility for their cause,
Speaking to Smiley News, Natalie says: "With the current circumstances involving the pandemic and the social justice movements, I've noticed an increase of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC), especially women, who are leading the way in creating nonprofits to address these concerns, but many of them do not take into account the need for public relations."
With NWR, Natalie works with nonprofits to help them get exposure by identifying media outlets that are likely to promote their cause.
"For example, if someone has a cause that focuses on hunger, I help them know the reporters who cover their niche," she says.
Along with finding the right media outlet, NWR helps with brand visibility and event production to help them reach even more supporters for their foundations.
To learn more about Wilson and the services she provides helping raise awareness of nonprofits across the US, visit her website at NWR Communications Group.
You can find out more, or donate, to her own nonprofit – Black and Missing – at blackandmissinginc.com.
