Die beeld van NG Welsyn onder NG lidmate in die sinodale gebied Wes-Transvaal

Abstract

Every organization has a corporate image (beyond its control) which is mainly formed by its corporate identity (which it can control). This means that organizations have to manage their images. A positive image is particularly important for non-profit organizations, since these organizations depend on the goodwill of their publics for their existence. NG Welsyn is a well known welfare organization, famous for its bond with the Dutch Reformed church. Its two main sources of income, namely the state and members of the church have different opinions about the spending of funds. The state expects NG Welsyn to play a role in transformation, while members of the church want their needs to be catered for first. This, along with the decrease in funds from church members forced NG Welsyn to research its image among Dutch Reformed church members. In order to determine the image of NG Welsyn, an external public relations audit was formed through the use of questionnaires, focus groups and semi-structured interviews. Theoretical knowledge with regard to corporate image and identity as well as attitude formation was used as theoretical framework within the context of strategic communication management by non-profit organizations. The attitudes of church members on the elements of corporate identity were researched to determine the organization's image. The results show that the church members don't have a positive or negative image of NG Welsyn, since they don't have enough information about the organization. There is currently no relationship between the two parties. The main conclusion is that NG Welsyn can improve its image by the strategic management of communication with important publics.