BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT:Spreading the nonprofit message

The story begins the same way for many nonprofits. The founders choose a mission, identify a group that needs help, design a logo and scrape together a budget of a few spare dollars. The only step left is to get their message out.

That’s often the toughest task. But Carl Dameron is there to help.

Dameron, the founder of Dameron Communications in Newport Beach, makes a living doing public relations work for nonprofits.

They bring their ideas to his sleek Fashion Island office and he lays down a few questions in his deep, sonorous voice: Who are you? Who benefits from your services? What area does your operation cover?

When those questions are answered, Dameron helps his clients start the media blitz.

“With nonprofits, they often have no money at all,” said Dameron, who lives in San Bernardino and also runs a modeling agency. “But they have a compelling story to tell, because they were created to help people.”

Dameron spends multiple hours every week listening to compelling stories.

One of his clients, Miracles in Recovery, helps people overcome substance abuse problems; others work to save abandoned babies or provide bicycles to underprivileged children.

Some of them barely have a dime to spare, and in those cases, Dameron lowers his hourly rate.

In addition to putting together e-mail contact lists and matching nonprofits with potential donors, Dameron also works with nonprofits to outline budgets and strategic plans.

He got many of his tactics from an advertising background; before starting his company, he wrote commercials for KOLA-FM and worked in public relations for the architectural firm Wadsworth and Associates.

Two other things influenced Dameron’s path in life: his Christian faith and his aunt, who runs a sanctuary for rescued dogs and cats and inspired him to embrace philanthropy.

“I’ve been blessed,” he said. “I have been given much, and it gives me great personal satisfaction to help these nonprofits help other people.”