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research dossier

COUNCIL OF PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMSINC (PR COUNCIL)

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 134011840 · Form 990 · FY2025 · NTEE S41 · Community Improvement · Medium ($1M-$10M)

revenue

$1.9M

expenses

$1.8M

net assets

$2.6M

employees

program ratio

87%

mission · from form 990

THE COUNCIL OF PUBLIC RELATIONS FIRMS, INC. IS A TRADE ASSOCIATION FOR THE (CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O) PUBLIC RELATIONS INDUSTRY. IT ADVOCATES ON BEHALF OF THE INDUSTRY WHERE PUBLIC RELATIONS IS A STRATEGIC BUSINESS TOOL, AND IT PROVIDES MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES TO ITS MEMBER FIRMS.

profile · synthesized from sources

Trade association for public relations firms that advocates for the industry and provides management support services to member agencies. Focuses on helping members transform their businesses, seize opportunities, and manage talent challenges. Offers benchmarking, learning opportunities, networking, and industry representation.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2025

What they reported doing

#1 primary $658K

THE COUNCIL PROVIDED BUSINESS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT, WITH A FOCUS ON HELPING MEMBERS CONTINUE TO TRANSFORM THEIR INTEGRATED AGENCIES, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AND MANAGE THROUGH TALENT ISSUES. EFFORTS INCLUDED BENCHMARKING SURVEYS (OVERALL FINANCIALS, BILL RATES, AND SALARY), EXPERT WEBINARS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS AS WELL AS L&D OPPORTUNITIES. IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN FROM BENCHMARK DATA AND INDUSTRY EXPERTS, THE PRC CREATES NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR MEMBERS TO NETWORK AND LEARN FROM EACH OTHER.
#2 $407K

COMMUNICATING THE VALUE MODERN PR AGENCIES DELIVER WAS A KEY FOCUS AREA. EFFORTS INCLUDED INDUSTRY FORUM PARTICIPATION, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, LOCAL AND NATIONAL EVENT SPONSORSHIP, AND COLLABORATION WITH OTHER INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE COUNCIL'S MISSION.

named programs · 3 · from sources

What they call their work

Agency-Ready Certificate Program

Program designed to engage and educate young talent in the public relations industry, preparing them for careers in modern PR agencies.

Business Management Support

Provides benchmarking surveys, expert webinars, community meetings, and learning & development opportunities to help member firms manage operations, talent, and business transformation.

Industry Advocacy & Awareness

Raises awareness of the value of modern PR agencies through forum participation, speaking engagements, event sponsorships, and collaboration with other industry associations.

activities · 4 groups

What they do

Professional Development and Standards in Marketing and Communications 3 activities
- Advocating for the public relations industry through collaboration and thought leadership
  
  Advances awareness of modern public relations agencies by participating in industry forums, speaking engagements, event sponsorships, and collaboration with other associations. Promotes ethical standards and the value of PR to stakeholders.
- Providing professional development and educational programming for member agencies
  
  Hosts expert-led webinars, workshops, conferences, and educational series on topics including AI applications, legal issues in client contracts, governance, and agency growth. Offers 30-minute sessions and multi-part series for agency owners and leaders, with recordings made available through a dedicated online portal.
- Running the Agency-Ready Certificate Program for emerging PR talent
  
  Offers a structured certificate program designed to educate and engage early to mid-career professionals in the public relations industry, delivered for at least three consecutive years.
Industry Research and Benchmarking 1 activity
- Conducting and publishing research on PR agency performance and industry trends
  
  Produces comprehensive research reports and surveys on topics including compensation, billing rates, agency costs, profitability, AI adoption, talent, employee benefits, and technology usage, providing strategic guidance and benchmarks for PR agencies. Includes the annual U.S. Benefits & Wellness Report, Compensation Survey, Labor Billing Rates, and Tech Stack Study.
Professional Association Capacity Building 1 activity
- Offering benchmarking and peer networking resources for agency leaders
  
  Provides access to benchmarking data, interactive dashboards (e.g., Workforce Economics Dashboard), and peer networking opportunities including CEO Pulse meetings to support business decision-making and knowledge sharing among member firms.
AI Governance and Ethical Research 1 activity
- Producing thought leadership content on AI and ethical communications
  
  Develops and disseminates frameworks, podcasts, and whitepapers on AI governance, ethical information creation, and the role of AI in measurement and strategy. Shares key takeaways from industry events like AMEC North American AI Day to inform PR leaders.

financials · form 990 · fy2025

revenue

Total revenue$1.88M

Contributions & grants$1.67M89%

Program service revenue$38K2%

Investment income$163K9%

Other revenue$0

expenses

Total expenses$1.80M

Program expenses87%

Admin / overhead14%

Fundraising0%

Salaries & benefits$1.12M

Grants paid out$10K

Largest expense lineCompensation

balance sheet

Total assets$3.00M

Cash$379K

Investments$2.53M

Liabilities$353K

Net assets$2.65M

Liquid reserves19.3 mo

6 years on record · 2020–2025 · YoY revenue -5.3%

leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 4

Name	Title	Hours/wk	Compensation
KIM SAMPLE	PRESIDENT & EX. COMM	40	$569K
PAUL D CUSKER	VP, DIGITAL & MARKET RESEARCH	40	$152K
KRISTIN D'URSO	SR DIR OF FINANCE & QA	40	$122K
ELENA R DYPIANGCO	SR DIR OF CONTENT & LEARNING	40	$119K

board members · 15

ALEXIS DAVIS SMITH — BOARD DIRECTOR
BILL DAVIES — BOARD DIRECTOR
CRAIG BUCHHOLZ — VICE CHAIR - EX. COMM. & B
DIANA LITTMAN — BOARD DIRECTOR
EMILY GRAHAM — BOARD DIRECTOR
EVAN KRAUS — CHAIR - EX. COMM. & BD
JILLIAN JANACZEK — BOARD DIRECTOR
JOHN FITZPATRCK — BOARD DIRECTOR
KIRSTY GRAHAM — BOARD DIRECTOR
MATT KUCHARSKI — TREASURER - EX. COMM. & BD
MYLES WORTHINGTON — BOARD DIRECTOR
NICK COWLING — BOARD DIRECTOR
RODELL MOLLINEAU — BOARD DIRECTOR
TIFFANY GUARNACCIA — BOARD DIRECTOR
VALARIE DE LA GARZA — SECRETARY - EX. COMM. & BD

relationships · 25

Who they work with

360PR+ Partner — Lucia Ferrante from 360PR+ serves on the Audit Committee.
AMEC Measurement and Evaluation Partner — Collaborated on insights from AMEC North American AI Day, highlighting shifts in communications due to AI.
AMEC Measurement and Evaluation Partner — Collaborates on AI-focused events and shares insights from AMEC North American AI Day for PR leaders.
Avenir Global Partner — Rachel Rice from Avenir Global serves on the Audit Committee.
Burson Partner — Craig Buchholz from Burson serves as Vice Chair on the Executive Committee.
C+C Partner — Mark McClennan from C+C serves on the Ethics Committee.
Communiqué PR Partner — Colleen Moffitt from Communiqué PR serves on the Eligibility and Membership Committee.
D+G Partner — Collaborates on CEO Pulse events for agency leaders.
Davis+Gilbert Partner — Legal firm co-hosting a three-part educational series on contract and legal issues for PR agencies.
Fahlgren Mortine Partner — Marty McDonald from Fahlgren Mortine serves on the Eligibility and Membership Committee.
G&S Business Communications Partner — Seth Niessen and Anne Green from G&S Business Communications serve on the Audit and Ethics Committees respectively.
InnovAItion Partners Partner — Collaborated with InnovAItion Partners through a CEO Pulse meeting on building an AI chief of staff.
Marathon Strategies Partner — Phil Singer from Marathon Strategies serves on the Eligibility and Membership Committee.
MikeWorldWide Partner — Patrick Resk from MikeWorldWide serves on the Audit Committee.
Omnicom Partner — Emily Graham from Omnicom serves as Chief Equity & Impact Officer on the Board of Directors.
PR Council Network — Member organization participating in industry benchmark studies.
PR Council Network — Member organization participating in the PR Council's research and benefits reporting initiative.
PR Council Member Firms Network — Network of over 150 PR and communications agencies in the U.S. and Canada that participate in PRC programming and resources.
Padilla Partner — Matt Kucharski from Padilla serves on the Audit Committee.
Sharp Think Partner — Peter Frank from Sharp Think serves on the Audit Committee.
Tahnee Perry Partner — Practitioner engaged to lead sessions on using AI to support agency growth.
The Conference Board Partner — Collaborated with The Conference Board to conduct a study on chief communications officers.
Tunheim Communications Partner — Kathy Tunheim from Tunheim Communications serves on the Eligibility and Membership Committee.
Wendy Sellers Partner — Practitioner engaged to lead sessions on AI in HR and governance for member agencies.
member firms Network — Member firms participate in PR Council research, share AI use cases, and are subject to its ethical guidelines.

strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

Human-Governed, Context-Rich AI Integration

methodology: human_governed_ai
By treating AI as a collaborative colleague through structured context engineering, human oversight, and governance frameworks, PR firms improve AI output quality and decision-making because reliable, curated organizational knowledge reduces hallucinations and aligns AI behavior with strategic goals.
Outcome-Based PR Measurement and Service Design

methodology: outcome_based_pr
By shifting from output-based metrics (e.g., impressions, AVEs) to outcome-based measurement tied to business impact, public relations becomes a strategic function that drives measurable business value because it aligns communication efforts with organizational goals and decision-making.
Peer-Led Learning and Benchmarking for Agency Improvement

methodology: peer_learning_network
By facilitating peer cohort learning, benchmarking, and structured knowledge exchange among member agencies, the Council improves agency performance and innovation because shared experiences and comparative data reveal actionable insights and foster accountability.
Reputation as a Driver of Enterprise Value

methodology: reputation_as_enterprise_value
By linking public relations outcomes to trust, stakeholder behavior, and financial performance, the Council positions reputation as a strategic asset because it enables firms to demonstrate ROI and influence C-suite decision-making.