communicating locally - harder than ever!
08:45, 29 September 2010
.. Posted in Communication, Outreach and General Mngmt2 trackbacks
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If I need to communicate something nationally, internationally, or even within a particular profession, the Internet has made that really easy to do.
If I need to communicate within a remote village in Afghanistan, traditional, non-Internet methods of "instant messaging" still work very well ("instant messaging has been around loooong before the Internet or cell phones).
But communicating within a few communities in rural Oregon? Now THERE'S a huge challenge. And I suspect it's a challenge for most small communities all over the USA.
The demise of local newspapers has made communicating in small regions and cities harder than ever in the USA. Take where I live right now:
- There are no radio stations focused on this community.
- There's no television station focused on this community.
- Most people here don't use Craigslist, at least not for community news.
- Most people here don't use Facebook, and those who do don't necessarily "friend" the same organizations or individuals.
How do organizations in my community get information out to everyone in the community? The most effective way is using large banners on the main thoroughfare of the city, and with little signs and banners put up all over town. Some organizations send out direct mail to every household or a mailing list. And both of these methods work -- but they require a hefty budget and enough staff to pull it off.
It's a bigger challenge than ever for community organizations and nonprofit organizations to get the word out about events, services and volunteer recruitment. It's a challenge made even harder if a local chapter of a nonprofit is prohibited by its state or national office from using sites like VolunteerMatch for volunteer recruitment and Idealist for event listings (because the state or national office insists on mega listings on these sites -- and as we all know, mega listings do NOT work!).
I'm the volunteer communications coordinator with a chapter of a national organization that does not have the budget to put up banners around town regarding upcoming events nor to send direct mail to every household in the area. We're also prohibited from using sites like VolunteerMatch and Idealist for our chapter's specific needs. So how do I get the word out for this local chapter about events, resources and volunteer opportunities?
- I email all of the clubs, associations and nonprofits in the area I can find email addresses for, with details about the event or volunteer recruitment drive and ask them to share it with their members. Many clubs, associations and nonprofits in the area don't have web sites, and many who do don't post an email address, or the email address they have posted is no longer functioning, so I'm missing far more groups than I'm reaching.
- I email all of the communities of faith, secular societies, ethical societies and atheist associations I can find email addresses for with the same information. This leaves out all those who don't have available email address or anything online, however.
- I encourage members to post something in their Facebook updates about upcoming public events, with links to our web page (at least we're allowed to have that!).
- I email the two weekly newspapers that still serve this area.
Last year, for Halloween, we gave labels to our members to wrap around the candy that they handed out, with basic information about the organization and how to get involved. If we can find a label and copier donor again, and a volunteer to make it happen, this might be an option we will pursue again this year.
Another idea: if your local high school, college or university has its own newspaper, consider sending such press releases or taking out an ad in such. Also, look for clubs and classes at area high schools, colleges and universities that might be good targets for your message.
How do you reach your local community about events, services and volunteer recruitment, particularly if you serve a rural area in the USA? Share here.
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