Effective tools for getting the word out in your communities
Adapted for the LISC Learning Forum from LISC/Chicago’s Scribe Handbook, Feb. 2008
Participants in LISC/Chicago’s New Communities Program (NCP) have used a vast
array of tools to tell their stories and spread the word about their neighborhoods and
programs. Here is a condensed list of examples.
(NOTE: If you are reading this on paper, the links won’t work or may be too long to
type easily. Download a version in Word with live links at this web address:
newcommunities.org/cmadocs/ScribeTools.doc
PRINT NEWSLETTERS – It’s old-fashioned, sure, but still
one of the best ways to get your material in front of a
targeted audience. And it reaches those who don’t use the
web.
NCP’s RE:NEW –
newcommunities.org/tools/NCPpublications
Logan Square’s bilingual four-pager –
http://www.lsna.net/display.aspx?pointer=3271
E-NEWSLETTERS – Much less expensive than print, can be
e-mailed or offered as a download. These can range from
very simple (list-serve notices with no graphics) to slick
versions made easy by companies such as Constant Contact
and Vertical Response, which offer attractive templates and
management of your e-mail addresses.
Greater Southwest Development Corp –
http://hosted.verticalresponse.com/259289/ad9f0f545c/1288000200/9a4f6e6579/
ANNUAL REPORTS – These aren’t cheap,
especially if you hire a top-notch designer (which is
recommended), but they carry your message to
important readers including funders, public officials
and colleagues. Don’t weigh it down with photos of
VIPs at the fund-raiser; much more effective are
images of neighborhood people doing the work of
your organization – or benefiting from it. At right,
the Neighborhoods at Work photo book, 2006.
Effective tools – NCP Scribe Handbook (beta) – February 14, 2008 – page 1 of 4
SPECIAL PURPOSE PUBLICATIONS –
A capital campaign, neighborhood
assembly or launch of a multi-site project
might benefit from a publication – in print
and PDF versions – that explains the
program and makes the pitch for funding
or support. The 2006 Community
Investment Portfolio sought investments
for 14 neighborhood projects ranging from
a big shopping center to a string
instrument program for children. Most of the projects are moving forward.
WEB SITES – Probably the most important
communications method, a web site about your
organization or programs provides far more visibility
than any print publication. The best sites are not static
“brochures” about an organization but living, changing
things that include news, directories, a calendar and
plenty of “About us” information. The more
information on the site, the more Google and other
search engines will send traffic your way. On the web,
content is king.
Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation site (gagdc.org) offers regular
news and lots of links to partners to help bring the community together. “Enhanced”
business listings (above, for barber shop) provide a web presence for small businesses
that didn’t have one before.
Logan Square Neighborhood Association (lsna.net) uses
its site to advocate on issues of education, affordable
housing and commercial development. There’s a button
to switch from English to Spanish stories that have been
translated by LSNA staff.
Quad Communities Development Corporation
(qcdc.org) lists 700 businesses in its directories, and has
a commercial database list with photos of available
properties. The site supports the group’s efforts to
revitalize a local commercial corridor.
Effective tools – NCP Scribe Handbook (beta) – February 14, 2008 – page 2 of 4
ON-LINE FUNDRAISING – Inexpensive and secure
on-line tools can help raise funds for your programs,
though you shouldn’t expect the world to start sending
money just because you added a “Donate” button.
Bickerdike Redevelopment Corporation organized an
aggressive six-month campaign to solicit small,
individual donations to its BickerBikes youth cycling
program. The group surpassed its $5,000 goal by
promoting at meetings, with list-serves and through
personal networks. Most donations were for $25 to $100
each. The tool used here was by groundspring.org
BLOGS – A 2006 report by ABC News said 75,000 new blogs were created each day,
and the joke goes that 99 percent of them have a readership of one: the author. But if
you have a good topic and contributors who like to write, a blog can raise awareness of
your work and send traffic to your web site. See communitybeat.blogspot.com
AUDIO SLIDESHOWS – Powerful combinations of photos, audio interviews and
sometimes music, audio slideshows can be highly effective tools at community events,
meetings with funders and on your web site. Making an
audio slideshow is less expensive than professional video
production, but requires moderate to advanced skills in
photography, reporting and use of software. NCP does
audio slideshows two ways: with multi-media
professionals, who create very high-quality presentations
(see http://tumultimedia.org/), and with community
development practitioners who have been trained by the
multimedia team (see http://tumultimedia.org/NCP).
Both types have been well received.
VIDEOS – Everyone is doing them, as a visit to YouTube
will show, and community development groups are
getting in on the action. Using $250 digital cameras with
video capabilities or more-expensive high-def video
cameras, practitioners are creating basic promotional
videos and news documentaries. It’s easier than you
might think, as long as you follow this cardinal rule: Keep
it short! Thirty seconds might be all you need, or three
minutes at most. See examples here:
http://www.newcommunities.org/news/articleDetail.asp?objectID=808
Effective tools – NCP Scribe Handbook (beta) – February 14, 2008 – page 3 of 4
Process documents and in-house materials to support programs
MEETING REPORTS – Documentation begins here for the New Communities
Program, with scribes assigned to major planning meetings or neighborhood progress
reports to capture the discussion and provide a concise, easy-to-read narrative. These
reports are simple typescripts, nothing fancy, but they include quotes and the writer’s
best effort to organize the material and present it in a useful way.
PRESENTATIONS – The reason many people don’t
like PowerPoint presentations is they are often too
wordy, have terrible graphics (garish colors,
inconsistent type) and are read by the presenter
rather than used as a starting point for discussion.
Good PowerPoints offer the opposite: an
opportunity to show your program in its best light,
and to drive your messages home. Good writing and
great photos make all the difference.
FACT SHEETS – How does a program work? What are the
facts about the latest development? How are delicate subjects
like sex education or gang violence addressed in local schools?
One-page fact sheets can provide people the basic information
they need to understand a program, and then carry that info to
others.
CHARTS and DIAGRAMS – Showing the structure of a
complex program is often best done with a chart. This
requires, first, good knowledge of what you are trying to
convey, then some creative use of words and graphics.
PHOTO ARCHIVES – To make best use of photos in
publications, web sites and newsletters, you need to be
able to find them, fast. One person should be
responsible for collecting, downloading and arranging
digital photos by event name, neighborhood and date,
using a folder structure or a photo-management tool
such as Apple’s iPhoto. Don’t forget to periodically
back up the archive on an external drive or server.
IN-HOUSE CRITIC – Whether a staff member or a contracted “scribe,” the person that
documents your activity is often well-qualified to write sensitive memos about
problems within the program or future challenges. This is integral to the Chicago scribe
program, which includes quarterly in-house critiques.
Effective tools – NCP Scribe Handbook (beta) – February 14, 2008 – page 4 of 4