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PROMOTION & PUBLICITY
Publicity is an intrinsic part of any organization. Without the proper
publicity, the organization's goals - to raise money, to attract new
members, or to provide a program or service - will not be met. Therefore,
for your organization's publicity to bring results, careful thought and
planning should be put into your campaign.
Remember the 8 P's: Poor Publicity
Promises People you've Planned a Pretty Pitiful Program!
The most effective publicity allows the
reader to grasp all the important facts of the program quickly.
Accordingly, promotional materials should bear a clearly printed message
that is designed to evoke a response from the viewer. They do not
necessarily have to be extremely artistic, but your message should be
clear and understandable to the reader.
Initial Decision
Before beginning your publicity campaign, the following should be
discussed:
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Budget—Determine how much can
you realistically spend on publicity.
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Audience—Who do you want to
reach and how? Is there a pre-selected market available? Take into
account age groups, audience's likes and dislikes, career fields, etc.
Publicizing something for professors or non-students may be an
entirely different task than publicizing an event for students.
Examples of target audiences: families, non-traditional students,
married students, residential students, commuter students, faculty
& staff, international students, students of color; gay, lesbian,
and bi-sexual students: community, alumni, male/female students, and
fraternity or sorority affiliated students.
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Information—Make sure that your
publicity materials contain all of the appropriate information (who,
what, when, where, why, how). It is best to publicize the aspect of
your program that people are most familiar with and to which they can
relate.
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Resources—What are your
resources? Look at people, talent, material donations, etc.
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Location:—Where will your
materials get the most attention? Choose high traffic areas and give
thought to placing your advertisement in different and unusual places.
Be creative! Make sure to research the rules and procedures of your
location and how early you need to reserve it.
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Schedule—How much time do you
have? What deadlines must be met? The optimum time to begin
advertising the event is 2-3 weeks before it is going to happen. Write
up a realistic calendar with deadlines to keep track.
Checklist for Awesome Advertising
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Always use spell check. Take ten seconds
to avoid ten weeks of terror.
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Computers are not human, one word: SAVE.
Remember to keep saving after every major design change.
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Use a variety of colors and shapes for
your paper stock. To avoid the bulletin board blur (all white paper)
make your posters scream "Hey, look at me!"
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Balance light and dark space. An
attractive poster consists of a balance between text, images, and
style elements; if you leave out one other component, white space,
your poster is now a blob of ink.
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Remember the three-font rule. A font is
another name for the style of text you use. If you use 40 different
fonts your posters will be busy and very hard to read. Three fonts or
less and your poster will make its mark.
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Using all capital letters IS VERY HARD
TO READ FROM LONG DISTANCES.
Items to Include
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Date of event
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Time—beginning and ending
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Location of event
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Name of attraction, or event
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Admission price (even if it's free)
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Deadline for applying
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Rating and running time for movies
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Sponsoring committee or organization
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Any co-sponsoring organization names
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Your logo (larger than others)
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Any specific event-related information
And two special items most of us do not
think about:
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"Attendees who wish special
accommodations due to a disability may contact __________ or call us
at _______."
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"For more information contact the
__________ office at _____ or call _____."
Here is a list of ideas for you to get away from the traditional
publicity angles:
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Body Painting
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Buttons
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Candy attached to mailbox stuffers
(pre-wrapped only)
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Flyers in bathroom behind doors (Ladies
Room Journal, Men's Room Magazine)
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Mirrors, hang reverse signs
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Napkins, imprinted message
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Phone-a-thon
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Poster - different shapes & sizes
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Sandwich boards
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Skits
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Stickers
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Videotape (promo clips)
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Doorhangers
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T-shirts
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Tray Liners
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Write you message in sidewalk chalk
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(Your ideas here…)
Check with your school for specific policies
you need to be aware of!
Fundraising
Developing a successful fundraising strategy allows student clubs and
organizations to cover operating expenses, complete projects and programs,
and create a small reserve or cushion for the future. Also, fundraising is
beneficial for the following reasons:
Principles of Fundraising On-Campus
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Planning: First plan your goals for the
year, followed by a budget. Develop a fundraising plan to help you
meet those goals. Ask the five "W's".
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Time = Money: Don't spend more time or
money on the event than the amount you will raise.
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Set Goals: Set a goal of a dollar amount
or number of people for the event.
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Recruit Early: Create a group to help
you execute the fundraiser. Establish a permanent fundraising
committee or chair in your organization.
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Make it Fun: Donors and participants are
much more likely to participate.
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Advertise Early and Often: Get your
message out and tell people what you are doing.
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Build Coalitions: Speak with other
groups to gain support and assistance.
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Commitment: Get money and time
commitments long before the event.
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Organization: The entire project could
be a success or failure based on organization.
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Clarity: People must know why you are
fundraising? (e.g. goals and/or message).
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Evaluate: Determine the level of success
and leave notes for future leaders.
Principles of Fundraising Off-Campus
Important!! before you begin any fundraising efforts, you
school regarding specific policies.
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Define who you are—What is the
nature of your group? Why do you exist?
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Define your needs—What activity
or program are you undertaking? Who does it serve? What are the
relevant details? (time, place, cost, participants)
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Keep good records—Throughout
your fundraising efforts keep good records of whom you have contacted,
and all activities you undertake or complete.
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Brainstorm—What local
businesses and individuals have a tie to what you are doing, to who
you are, and who might be in a position to help? No idea is
eliminated.
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Research—Inquire as to which of
your prospect have an existing relationship or tie with your school.
University Relations can help. Determine individuals to contact.
Refine list as appropriate.
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Contact Prospects—It is usually
best to make contact in writing. Your letter should be professional,
typewritten, spell-checked, and should contain a clear explanation of
your request and how a contribution will be used. Include your
organization's name and spokesperson's contact number. If you are a
registered club/org. you should use your school name in all publicity.
Also, mention that you will follow up with a phone call in one or two
weeks.
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Calls—Few prospects will
respond to your request on their own. Telephone the prospect and speak
to the person to whom you have written. Explain that you are following
up on the letter regarding _____, and be ready to explain the project
as though they'd never heard of it before. Be prepared for personnel
changes, lost letters, etc.
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Visits—It may make sense to
schedule personal visits. Visits make the most sense when a connection
with the prospect already exists. Perhaps a group member knows a
prospect or has worked with the prospect in another capacity. Your
case is better made in person.
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Follow-up—Those prospects who
contribute become donors. Donors should all receive a thank you note,
and receipt at minimum. Contributions to student organizations are tax
deductible. Other forms of donor recognition are also strongly
encouraged (e.g. signs, banners, and/or announcements or statements in
programs). Make the donor part of the event and they may be willing to
give again.
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Share Information—Your records
of fundraising experiences will be helpful to your members as well as
to other organizations. Highlight prospects who were very helpful and
those that were not.
All schools are different and you will need to find out the specifics at
your school. Regardless, some sources of funding require your group to be
a registered club or organization and some do not. All of the resources
will require their name to be placed on to all of your publicity along
with your club or organization name. In other words, with any
co-sponsorship, you should acknowledge all funding sources. Before talking
to any representatives, your club/organization must have a budget in hand
of your finances.
Raffles are a great way to raise money but check with your school and
their policy before organizing one.
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