DonorTec members can now use NewsMaker’s “social PR” wire service to self-publish press releases in a news format and distribute the release to NewsMaker’s subscribers and social networks, free of charge.

The agreement puts cost-effective PR within reach of its members, who typically include the community service organisations, sporting groups, arts societies, environmental action groups and many hard-working volunteers that are the lifeblood of communities across Australia, according to Doug Jacquier, CEO of Connecting Up Australia.

“The services make lobbying, building member relationships and meeting fundraising objectives easier,” Jacquier said. “You can tell your story in a few words on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, then link back to the news source for the whole story in a highly credible format. The fact the service is automatically indexed by Google News is the icing on the cake.”

The service boosts each press release on a dedicated Twitter channel (Newsgal2) followed by top media outlets, politicians and journalists. NewsMaker’s DonorTec members can access an extensive database of thousands of media contacts that is regularly updated, for a small fee.

“PR professionals and corporates have already cottoned on to the fact that NewsMaker helps them improve their clients’ search engine results and tell their stories to many audiences simultaneously, with minimal effort,” said NewsMaker founder and managing editor Leila Henderson. “Now we are proud to be working with DonorTec to help level the playing field for nonprofits.”

DonorTec is a software and hardware donation program for registered charities and nonprofit organisations and is operated by nonprofit Connecting Up Australia.