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Promoting Your Organization B) Lori Jamieson The Vioh of keeping your organization in the pubilt.‘ eye is a big responsibility. and can be an intimidating task, But if nothing is known about your group. your uL[!\tllI3.\ or opinions on an issue will he of little interest to others. and so you face the necessity otspreading the word. as far and as tl'tleltlfV as possible. We can take the first lesson from the experts. whose work you can easily find in the lust l\\t.le‘ of your favorite maga- Iine or newspaper Piek it up and take .i tlose look. both at the articles and at the ads. Which ones do you want to read immediater which would you look at later. which would you ignore alto- gether’ Why ' ls it because of the sub- |eet matter. the type of print. the color. style or design, the models used iffhere I\ a photograph, a catchy slogan or phrase" If you close the magazine and thinlt about it. which articles/ads do you remember" it should help your promotional efforts to apply this whole picture approach to the materials that you are gotng. to prepare. ()l'eourse. your purpose is not to sell pop or suntan oil 7 you‘re pro- hahly trying to encourage new mem- bers. announce activities, fundraising events. or rust to remind the world that your group esisLs. is working hard and having fun' But like the writers and the lithcrttsers. you must decide who you want your information to reach. and how best to present it so that your audience gets your message and pays attention to it. Again. the purpose of your message tilt‘LLJlC's in a large way what promotional tiirtii you‘ll use Newspapers and mag- .i/ines otter the most opportunities on .i Iota] level for most organizations. For beginners at new writing. it‘s best to begin by writing down everything that could possibly be said â€" even the dullest details. The second step is to choose from all of these facts those that answer the who. what. where, when. why and him of your \UhjL‘L‘l r and the most in ten-sting of these should become the first paragraph. Here are two examples adapted from recent submissions to Home and Country; their message is clear and straightforward, written to develop the reader's interest in the or- ganization and its cause. “The future of our local community hall has been at the forefront of our concern for the past three years. Representatives of the Nassagaweya WI served actively on a special com- mittee of the town of Milton and local groups to ascertain its fate. The Nassagaweya WI would like to feel it was because of their persistence and strong leadership that 1987 saw the and turning for a brand new communi- ty hall to serve our rural area. The Nassagaweya WI was also able to pre- sent a cheque of $500 Inward this pro- ject. We feel that the local hall is the nucleus of a "community" and that our efforts for Brockville Hall go towards preserving one more community in Ontario." "As the busy spring season draws ever closer. we must be extra cautious to ensure that our families make it safely through this time of year. With that in mind. Oxford Women for the Support of Agriculture met at Vincent's Farm Equipment to learn more about safety. For those not mechanically in- clined. we had a lesson on basic trac- tor mechanics and how to stop a trac- tor if you can‘t reach the normal shut off mechanism. Cold weather and strong winds were braved to learn how tn property use a fire extinguisher when putting out a fire. Along with some other very useful information. the evening culminated with a lasting impression. We watched as a manne- quin got tangled in a Pit) â€" in a matâ€" ter of seconds it was completely wrap- ped around the shaft. illustrating very clearly how quickly a tragedy can hap- pen â€" a sobering. but effective ending to an informative evening." It's a good policy to only write some- thing that you would read yourself, and to ask yourself. “If I were not part of this organization. what impression would this article make? Would it be in- teresting and provide all of the impor- tant details?" Don‘t just confine your reporting. to meetings; broadcast the news if a member of your group Mm an award or attends a conference, or it you are planning or have run an activity or event. Pictures will really direct ai- tention to your story; photos of people working and involved have more impaq than those of subjects stating back at the camera. Black and white are best rm publication. and the self-developing pic. hires are the worst. Never write directly on the back of a photograph - pm me information on a label and then attach the label to the photo. When your story has been typed iduu. ble spaced) and the spelling (especrilly of names) and grammar have been checked, you are ready to mail or deliver it to the editors who you l'e:l will be interested in your story. Their '=;i_-'nes and the addresses of their offices . ppear on the editorial page. If you don't ex- actly know who you should be “idling with, call the editorial offices and .lslt. You don’t want all of your hard \u .il It to end up sitting, unread. on the - ring desk. Always put your name. aw-Jress and phone number prominently ‘ i. my stories you submit so that the edit -: s can contact you for additional infer“ anion if they need it. A thank you note -r call is definitely in order for any courage that you receive â€" and will lulu to establish a good working relatit Mlllp. Trying to put together a po wt or newsletter opens a whole new \\~ ild of opportunities in promotion, a v0; 1;: iii- to the waters of graphic design The design should make the flow cl tnlbr~ mation as smooth and easy it it the reader as the text does. As a bl‘iEl ex- ample, cousider the logo desigrivd for the OMAF Centennial; every augment conveys some part of the Centennial message: the style of the letterirg. the forward movement of the alumni from historical times to the present. end the trillium itself as a symbol of OnmriO- Don’t expect that your work will be as complete as that of a professional artist. but try to keep style and substance in mind as a total picture as you are warli- ing. Remember that the reader’s c)? W1” flow from the upper left to the lower right of a-posber or advertiseman and Continued 0n Page I” \U’ 8 H 8; C October. November 1938