Integration of Corporate PR Strategies into the Promotion of Social and Charitable Projects: Models, Risks, and Impact Assessment

Abstract

In the context of intensifying competition for financial, informational, and human resources, the nonprofit sector faces the need to move from fragmented tactical fundraising actions toward integrated communication architectures comparable, in strategic sophistication, to corporate PR practices. The present study aims to analyze and systematize strategic PR models formed in the business environment in order to identify possibilities for their application to increasing effectiveness and long-term sustainability of social projects. The empirical and analytical basis of the work is built on a qualitative analysis methodology and combines a systematic review of scholarly literature within Scopus/WoS corpora, a comparative content analysis of strategic documents of NGOs (WWF) and corporations (AT&T), as well as case studies that include partnership initiatives in the sports sphere and environmental communication campaigns. This methodological composition ensures comparability of approaches across different organizational types and makes it possible to identify not only declarative elements of strategies, but also the logics of their practical implementation. The findings indicate that strengthening PR effectiveness in NGOs is associated primarily with adopting the “organizational listening” paradigm, which presupposes institutionalization of feedback and systematic work with stakeholder expectations, as well as with applying the “single narrative” framework in configurations of cooperation with business, where semantic consistency of messages sustains trust and reduces the risk of fragmentation of reputational capital. In addition, “co-governance” models are examined, manifesting in sports projects through distribution of responsibility and coordination of decisions among partners, along with a four-phase stakeholder engagement model in environmental campaigns, where a sequential participation dynamic functions as a mechanism for enhancing communication legitimacy and durability of effects. In conclusion, the argument is substantiated that mechanical transfer of corporate PR models—without deep strategic adaptation to the mission-driven nature of NGOs and without an expanded risk-management system—may lead to mission erosion and the undermining of trust among key audiences. The presented provisions retain applied significance for the research agenda in media and communication studies, as well as for PR practitioners and nonprofit managers oriented toward increasing strategic returns and public value of social initiatives.