Dan Alt

Brand and Reputation Manager, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

What made you join PRSA, and how long have you been involved? 

I’ve been involved in PRSA for the last year. I got involved because my former agency was interested in continuing to be part of the professional society supporting public relations. I also wanted to find ways to give back and contribute what I’ve learned throughout my career to support the profession that has supported me. It’s been a great opportunity to get involved and to continue growing relationships here in Philadelphia. A lot of my early career was built on networking and finding people who could help me connect the dots, and now I want to help others do the same.  

You’re our sponsorship chair this year. When you look for sponsorships for PRSA, what are your main goals for building those partnerships? 

There’s a huge network of communication professionals in Philadelphia. People think of the city as “meds and eds”, but at the core, there are so many communications professionals supporting those tentpole industries and many others. That’s our membership: people making sure Philadelphia is known as one of the best places to live, work, and visit. 

If you’re an organization trying to build influence, PRSA Philly is a great partner because our members are everywhere. Many of the top employers across Philadelphia have at least one PRSA member, so it’s an effective way to engage that audience. 

We work with longtime sponsors who really believe in public relations and its business impact. We are also engaging with emerging partners that have the opportunity to shape the future of public relations in the market in areas like AI and social media. We want communications professionals, when they think about where the industry is going, to see these partners as resources. Our goal is to help these organizations demonstrate their value and be on the cutting edge, while also supporting our chapter’s mission. 

You also serve as our treasurer this year. How is it balancing both roles, and does being treasurer influence how you approach sponsorships, since you see all the finances? 

In my brief tenure as treasurer, it’s been helpful to understand the bigger picture of the investments we’re bringing in and how we’re using our resources to serve the chapter and its members. 

Given my dual role, having direct visibility into the finances lets me see where a sponsor could really benefit us and which stakeholders we should bring to the table to support programs and activities across the chapter. That financial line of sight is valuable in identifying where sponsorship can have the most impact and ensuring sponsors receive that value and beyond from participating with PRSA Philly. 

What makes a sponsorship worthwhile for both PRSA and the sponsoring organization? What are we looking for in those relationships? 

For PRSA, the value is in creating sustainable programming that reaches the broadest range of PR, communications, and marketing professionals in Greater Philadelphia. Sponsors help us reach a wider network and enable us to host bigger, more exciting, and more timely events that professionals need. 

For sponsors, the first value is supporting the lifeblood of public relations in Philadelphia. Many of our sponsors truly believe in the value of PR in advancing their organizational goals and see supporting PRSA as a way to keep that momentum going and position Philadelphia as a major national player in communications, marketing, social media, AI, and more. 

We also aim to design sponsorships that align with an organization’s strategic goals. For example: 

• If they’re looking for top talent, we can craft sponsorships that connect them with emerging professionals or highlight them as an employer of choice. 

• If they are seeking/want awareness, especially for new agencies or organizations, sponsoring PRSA can increase their visibility in the market. 

• We collaborate on things like lunch-and-learns, where sponsors can share expertise on topics they care about and promote relevant resources. 

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. If you are interested in sponsoring, we have existing packages that are tailored to a specific organization’s needs. Our goal is to create a partnership that supports both PRSA’s mission and the sponsor’s objectives. 

Download the 2026 Sponsorship Deck

You work in brand management at CHOP. Can you tell me a little about what brand management is and what your day-to-day work looks like? 

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is the first Children’s hospital in America, and is consistently ranked among the nation’s Best Children’s Hospitals. In my role, I help design and deliver our master brand strategy - how we continue to show up, whether that is in relation to our clinical expertise, life-changing research, the impact we have within our communities, all in service of providing what is best for children in our backyard and around the world.

We have many exciting things happening clinically and in the community, and we want to ensure we’re showing up in a meaningful way. My day-to-day work is twofold: 

1. Protecting our Reputation- As issues arise, I focus on how to bring the enterprise together to cohesively respond in a unified manner. 

2. Growing that reputation - Finding new ways to engage the community, build partnerships, work with policymakers, and advocate in meaningful ways, while keeping all the dots connected across the organization. 

I’ve been at CHOP for seven months, and it’s been a great experience.

What advice would you give to a communications professional who might be on the fence about joining PRSA? 

PRSA is an incredibly inviting and welcoming space for PR professionals. It’s valuable to have people around you who understand what you’re dealing with day to day, especially in a field where no two days are the same. 

You can talk with people who truly get the unique nature of your work, and that’s powerful. On top of that, the educational resources and programming opportunities are second to none. If you’re looking to try something new, learn about a different area, or just stay on top of how quickly things are changing, PRSA is a great place to do that. It’s an amazing experience for young professionals.