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April is APR Month
Did you know that CAPIO is one of the nine public relations organizations to offer its members the internationally recognized Accreditation in Public Relations (APR)? The APR recognizes timeless communications principles with contemporary strategies and tactics.
If you’re curious about what obtaining your APR could mean for your career, listen to our latest podcast follow these steps in April to learn more.
CAPIO marks February 24 as Government Communications Day
Let’s celebrate!
Our role as government communications professionals is to inform, educate, and engage our communities.
Because, in the end, robust communication in government creates trust and inspires customers to take action and be involved.
We are in the fortunate role of being able to craft a narrative that showcases different perspectives on various topics – from community development and health and safety to education, infrastructure, and general government operations.
- We create relationships and calls to action.
- We build awareness and understanding through storytelling.
- We engage and foster engagement on civic issues.
- We use all channels and include everyone in critical decisions.
It’s essential to have strong communications in government because it is a foundational element of living in a democracy where citizens have the freedom to make their voices heard.
Because of the role of the government communicator, every February 24, starting with February 24, 2022, we honor the incredible men and women who’ve dedicated their careers to ensure local, state, and federal government agencies have effective, impactful, and successful communication strategies that resonate and are relevant.
We want to flood our social media by highlighting fantastic government communicators. So, use #GovernmentCommunicationsDay in your posts or send us an email of you or your team so we can add it to our channels!
2022-2024 Board of Directors nominations
Would you like to be more involved with CAPIO? Be a Board Member! Volunteers are needed to serve on CAPIO’s 2022-2024 Board of Directors. Your expertise and experience is needed to help guide CAPIO into another great year!
CAPIO Special Award Winners honored during 2021 Awards Dinner & 50th Birthday Bash
November 4, 2021
During the November 4 Awards Dinner and 50th Birthday Bash, CAPIO congratulated three communicators who exemplify the gold standard in government communications. Read on to learn more about the winners of CAPIO’s prestigious Paul B. Clark, Communicator of the Year and Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader of the Year Awards.
2021 Communicator of the Year Award Recipient
Thomas Christensen
Honored for his commitment and excellence in communications, the County of San Diego’s Communication Specialist, Tom Christensen, has made it his top priority to build social media campaigns that educate, inspire, and create change throughout the County of San Diego. Tom oversees more than 100 individual County department social media accounts as an administrator or content creator. His leadership has resulted in the County obtaining some of the highest follower counts for counties in the nation as well as some of the highest engagement numbers.
Poster contest winners announced!
Congratulations!
TOP WINNER
design by: VITO LABELLARTE | WESTAMERICA COMMUNICATIONS
Congratulations to Vito Labellarte and Westamerica Communications on their entry which garnered top honors in our poster contest! Conference participants will be able to pick up a copy of this award-winning poster at the 2021 CAPIO Annual Conference!
Crowdsource videos, images and memories requested!
50 years: Honoring the past, celebrating our future
It was 1971 when CAPIO was formed, since then things have changed on how we send information and get our message to the right audiences. And, along those years, you have seen what you do change, too. Remember sitting at the fax machine to send out press releases? Purchasing Bacons Books so you had the latest reporter listings? Or, clipping the newspapers of stories about your agency to place in a three ring binder? And what about driving around dropping off VHS tapes filled with b-roll.
Call for Nominations for CAPIO’s Individual Awards
Deadline: September 24
Nominations are now open for CAPIO’s annual special awards including our Communicator of the Year Award, Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader of the Year Award and the prestigious Paul B. Clark Award.
CAPIO interviews Pat West, retired Long Beach City Manager and former PIO
Insights from a City Manager on the value of communications and the PIO
This year marks CAPIO’s 50th year since being established. In that time, a lot has changed with the way in which we communicate. However, in many ways, the baseline of what we do remains – and that is informing, educating, and engaging our communities to encourage them to participate in the democratic process, share their perspective and create an emotional response that leads to action.
In light of CAPIO’s half a century milestone, we are chatting with folks who work specially in the communications area of government or who are part of the government sector in general.
Join us for this quarter’s regional meeting!
Meet your area Board representative, network with colleagues and hear the latest updates!
CAPIO members – join us for our June regional meetings where you will have a chance to connect face-to-face (virtually) with colleagues in your area. This quarter’s meeting will focus on networking on key topics to provide you with connections to reach out to throughout the year.
CAPIO’s new RFP Board now open
Members invited to submit posts to invite
CAPIO has added a new Community Forum board for members to share their RFPs / RFQs with our affiliate members.
HOW TO ACCESS THE RFP BOARD
Access the forum by first logging in to our CAPIO Website www.capio.org
Then either access via the MEMBERS DISCUSSION FORUM or through the VIEW MY MEMBER PROFILE page. Select the RFP/RFQ Forum under the Community Forum link.
CAPIO 50th Art Challenge
Calling all creatives!
Calling all creatives, we need your astute design expertise to help capture the essence of government communications over the past 50 years! Show us your design skills!
While the heart of public relations, government sector communications, and outreach has gone unchanged, the way we communicate, what we communicate, and how consumers of information obtain messages have dramatically transformed.
CAPIO celebrates 50 years: Honoring the past, celebrating our future
by Maurice Chaney, CAPIO 2020-2021 President
For half a century, the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) has been the linkage between good government, the professionals that help to inform, educate, and engage, and the communities we serve. With communication, we made and continue to make miracles happen.
“If you just communicate, you can get by. But if you communicate skillfully, you can work miracles.”
― Jim Rohn
CAPIO EPIC Awards on pause
by Teresa Collins, CAPIO V.P. Awards
It has been an EPIC year for California’s Public Information Officials. We have been navigating a pandemic while delivering top-notch communications across our state. We had to skip our 2020 conference but will be back this fall in Squaw Valley as we celebrate CAPIO’s 50th Birthday!
CAPIO Communicator of the Year and utility PIO offers how she and her team are getting through a tough year
Perspective from Tiffany Baca, Public Affairs Manager, Municipal Water District of Orange County
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend the world, utility providers are also experiencing increasing uncertainty that will be challenging to navigate. While utilities are resilient, having experienced and weathered crises in the past, the unique and unprecedented nature of this pandemic and its consequences are creating an entirely new experience.
William Nash Mentoring Program
Mentors needed!
CAPIO is committed to providing our members with ongoing learning and development—which is key to our members’ success. Studies have shown that mentoring is one of the most valuable and effective professional development opportunities. Having the guidance and encouragement of a mentor can shape your career for years to come.
CAPIO Launches New Website
Dynamic, User-Friendly Experience Now Available for Members
At our annual conference in April, CAPIO was excited to unveil our new brand. Since then, we’ve been working closely with our project partner, Digital Deployment, to design a new, innovative website that integrates our new brand into a more dynamic, user-friendly website experience for current and prospective members.
New Brand Unveiled at Annual Conference
CAPIO's Taking Members to New Heights
CAPIO was excited to unveil its new brand at our conference in April. As we all know, the world around us is changing. The demand for information is at an all-time high, and attention spans are at an all-time low. We’re in an era where meaningful community engagement has to be carefully balanced with powerful outside pressures. Communication is moving faster than ever, meaning what’s worked for us in the past won’t continue to work in the future.
2019 Paul B. Clark Recipient
Rachel McGuire, APR Honored with Prestigious Award
Rachel McGuire, APR, was awarded the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) 2019 Paul B. Clark Achievement Award on Wednesday, April 10. McGuire was honored for her commitment to leadership and mentorship within the communications field.
Traditional Media Needs Your Content
Feature Article by Brent Ainsworth, County of Marin Public Information Specialist
We’re professional communicators, so we all know the reason why the traditional media have experienced a slow and painful descent: Advertising revenue has gone elsewhere, or purely DIY for business owners. That’s left little funding to pay for good journalism. I don’t see this turning around. Do you?