There are two types of public relations: proactive and reactive. Most companies practice reactive public relations. They take their publics for granted; then when a problem comes up they claim there is a misunderstanding, and that they really have everyone's best interest in mind. Then they act surprised when they find out no one trusts them.

Proactive public relations means staying involved with company publics and looking for opportunities to demonstrate good will. One example that comes to mind is Luck Stone. That company is donating money to replace 70 trees in a Richmond, Va. city park. Nearly 300 trees in that one park were destroyed by the hurricanes that battered Virginia and the southeast part of the country this past year. The company's public relations person said that when they learned of the damage, they called and asked how they could help.

An even more proactive approach is to create opportunities to demonstrate good will. One of the easiest, most cost-effective ways to express good will is by offering grant money. A grant is basically a donation earmarked for a particular kind of project by the donor.

For instance a quarry could contact a local historical society or college and offer a grant to pay for documenting buildings made with locally quarried stone. The historical society would advertise the grant, set up a selection process, and administer the funds. When the project is finished, a reception is held, the local newspaper writes a story and publishes some of the photos, and the community comes to the exhibit. The enduring result is that everyone is reminded of the valuable role the quarry plays in their lives. They also are aware of the company's good will because they know that the quarry funded the project.

Grants are cost effective because they don't have to pay for the actual cost of the project. Most amateur photographers would be thrilled to have an opportunity to display their work. The project suggested above could be implemented for as little as $500. Of course, $5,000 would bring more competition, professional photographers as applicants and more photos. But amateurs need opportunities too, and who's to say the amateur won't be a bigger draw and get more newspaper coverage?

The beauty of the grant is that it doesn't necessarily pay for labor. It sets up a cooperative project. The artist provides the effort, and the grantor provides some or all of the funding for production costs. Both the recipients and the funding institution share the spotlight. Furthermore, there are organizations in every community that would be honored to administer the project. All the funding organization needs to do is set the parameters, write a check, and show up for the photo opportunities when the grant is awarded and when the project is unveiled.

Proactive public relations is often practiced only by large companies with professional public relations staffs. An additional advantage of the grant example is that it only need be initiated by company management; everything past that is run by the public relations staff of the administering organization.

Another easy to manage proactive project is offering scholarship money to be administered by high schools or colleges. This receives the most coverage if the student has to achieve something in order to qualify.

Quarries are probably second on the hit list after Wal-Mart when it comes to Not In My Back Yard groups. They both have something in common. They are usually owned by investors from outside the community, and they hardly ever integrate themselves with their publics. Proactive strategies like offering grants for community projects may prevent NIMBY activity, and if they do not, they will at least make it more likely that the community will give the quarry a fair hearing.

Thomas J. Roach has 25 years in the communication's field, holding corporate and academic positions. He is currently a tenured professor of communication. He can be reached by e-mail at thomasjroach@msn.com