COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVANCEMENT GUIDE EVERYTHING YOU DO GFWC CLUB MANUAL. HAS A PUBLIC RELATIONS COMPONENT.

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1 COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS ADVANCEMENT GUIDE Communcatons and Publc Relatons s a wonderful tool for clubwomen. In ths gude you wll fnd deas, resources, tools, and tps necessary for achevng successful publc relatons and professonal communcatons to promote GFWC clubs, dstrcts, states, regons, and the natonal organzaton. Publc relatons covers more than just publcty. The term publc relaton descrbes the nterrelatonshps between GFWC, ts members, the general publc, and other enttes, ncludng the government. Our man goal n communcatons and publc relatons wll be to get the word out to the publc about who we are. We must publcze our clubs projects n order to let communtes know we exst. We must stress the mportant thngs our clubs are a part of and the need that exsts for our organzaton to make the communty a better place to lve. Whle recognton or a thank you s not somethng that clubwomen expect, we are lookng for partners to help make our communtes a better place. Wthout communcaton and publc relatons, how wll the women n your communty know that we exst? Vst for updates and more nformaton. EVERYTHING YOU DO HAS A PUBLIC RELATIONS COMPONENT COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE Patt Poe, Charman (South Central Regon) 7187 Rock Sprngs School Road Nocona, TX ppoetfwc59@gmal.com Deb Allen (Southeastern Regon) debgfwc@charter.net Nancy Burdck (Western States Regon) nancy.burdck@comcast.net We are lvng n a wonderful age where socal meda s a constant remnder about what s happenng n your communty. What better way to share your programs and projects than by usng Facebook, Twtter, YouTube, Flckr, Instagram, and Pnterest. Clubwomen are encouraged to advance GFWC s prortes, projects, publc polcy ntatves, and communty mprovement endeavors INITIATIVE In 1994 Martn Luther Kng, Jr. Day n January was declared a Natonal Day of Servce. Each and every club n GFWC s asked to do a servce project on that day. It may be n any area, any type of project. OUR GOAL IS 1,000 CLUBS PARTCIPATING. IDEAS Make these suggestons part of your club work. Thnk outsde of the box, put a new slant on an dea and adopt t to your club work. Wth all projects/programs thnk dversty work wth other groups or for other groups, or hghlght dversty as the theme. Chamber of Commerce Jon the local Chamber of Commerce and other busness Loretta Caron (Great Lakes Regon) loretta_caron@sbcglobal.net Tammy Garland (Southern Regon) tammytger90@gmal.com Donna Shbley (New England Regon) dmshbley@gmal.com Vcky Trmmer (Mddle Atlantc Regon) H: C: vtrmmer@dzmmlaw.com Jeanne Urban (Msssspp Valley Regon) rjurban@sbcglobal.net

2 assocatons. It s an nexpensve way to share nformaton wth the communty about club events. Publcty Offer communty organzatons publcty on your club webste to help defray the cost of hostng the ste. Communty Webste Launch a webste for your communty s non-proft organzatons--attract new members, ncrease volunteersm, enhance fund rasng, and mprove communcaton. Members of the communty can go to a sngle ste to learn about actvtes and projects as well as a way to contact sponsorng organzaton for more nformaton. TV Nte Send an advertsng flyer to TV outlets and local busnesses. A press release can be sent to prnt meda and onlne meda outlets. Info can be blasted through a Facebook page and PTO newsletters, and tckets could be purchased wth PayPal. Fun photos of the event could be posted on Facebook. When a brand s not consstently delvered, t can create a gap between how GFWC and our clubs are perceved, and how we want to be perceved. The wder the gap, the more lkely that confuson wll occur among our potental members, funders, communty leaders, and other nterested ndvduals. Complance s also mportant for a varety of legal reasons. If an establshed GFWC emblem, trademark, or regstered motto (such as GFWC Unty n Dversty ) s not used consstently and protected by a brand, t can be deemed abandoned by the courts, openng the trademark for use by other, unrelated organzatons. Door Hangers GFWC Crestvew Woman s Club (FL) desgned door hangers that advertsed the upcomng Membershp Tea and the Chrstmas Tea. The door hangers ncluded the GFWC logo n the desgn. Members walked the neghborhoods close to the clubhouse and hung the door hangers on house doors, whch proved to be successful. Garden Flags Purchase garden flags wth your Club name on t and place them n all members front yards. LEGAL EASE BRANDING The GFWC brand s our mage to the publc t s the collectve GFWC dentty that conveys an mage of frendshp and volunteer servce to our target audences. The GFWC brand conssts of several dfferent elements. The GFWC emblem s the foremost example of our brand dentty and our mage to the publc. It s an ntangble mage of our reputaton. Club members themselves partcpate n developng and protectng the GFWC brand by beng ambassadors of our mage through volunteer actvtes wthn the communty. Fnally, the GFWC brand s made up of other assocated communcaton tools and dentfyng features, such as our regstered motto (GFWC Unty n Dversty ), taglne (Lvng the Volunteer Sprt), offcal statements (the bolerplate nformaton, detaled below), key terms (such as Junorette), document templates, etc. Together, these elements establsh the GFWC brand as a sgnfcant and dfferentated presence n the world. All GFWC members must fercely protect and contnue to establsh our unque brand. It s ths mage wthn our communty that represents our members as an nternatonal women s organzaton dedcated to communty mprovement by enhancng the lves of others through volunteer servce. GFWC STYLEBOOK The GFWC Stylebook s the prmary reference for mantanng the GFWC brand, communcatng our vtal messages, renforcng our standards, and enhancng the mage of GFWC and GFWC members. At the same tme, there are restrctons and specfc gudelnes for word and emblem use, publcatons and advertsng desgn, Web desgn, merchandsng, and more. GFWC clubs and members have responsblty for, and a role n protectng and enhancng, our brand. It s mperatve 2

3 that every member responsble for creatng communcatons for her club famlarzes herself wth the GFWC Stylebook. The GFWC Stylebook can be vewed and downloaded at THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING GFWC PART OF YOUR CLUB NAME All clubs are strongly encouraged to use GFWC n your club name. Ths s a great way to prove our collectve mpact n our communtes. Many towns and ctes have two or three clubs n ther area, however, wthout GFWC n your name, the communty won t recognze that you are part of a larger entty. By proudly showng your GFWC afflaton, you demonstrate to your communty your relatonshp to a reputable nternatonal organzaton. GFWC EMBLEM USE POLICIES GFWC owns four trademarked versons of the GFWC emblem, along wth several other trademarked statements and terms. Actve GFWC members are granted a non-exclusve, royalty free lmted lcense to use GFWC trademarks, subject to the condtons lsted n the GFWC Trademark Use Polces, whch can be found onlne at For most purposes, the full-color verson of the GFWC emblem s preferred, showng the sheld n red and blue and the outlne n gold. For tmes when full-color prntng optons are unavalable, you may use a onecolor emblem, showng just the emblem outlne n blue, whte (or knocked out), or black, as shown on page 3. All emblems are avalable to vew and download at FILE TYPES JPG, EPS, GIF, PNG. If you ve worked wth a prnter, webste, or just emaled photos or documents to a fellow club member, t s lkely you are famlar wth at least a few of these fle types. But what are they and when should you use each fle type? If you ve ever been confused, frustrated, or just plan n the dark about those three-lettered abbrevatons, the followng lst wll explan when and where the most common fle types are used. JPG or JPEG JPGs are one of the most common mage fle types you wll come across. JPG format s best for compressng photographc mages. So f you see a large, colorful mage on the Web, t s most lkely a JPG fle. Most dgtal cameras process mages as JPGs, so f you are submttng an mage of your club s event to a local paper, t wll often be a JPG. SUBMITTING PHOTOS Submttng your photos to GFWC for ncluson n GFWC Clubwoman Magazne, GFWC.org, or GFWC s socal meda outlets s easy. Emal your dgtal fles to PR@GFWC.org and be sure to nclude as much nformaton as possble. When t comes to fle sze, bgger s always better. Web and prnt utlze dfferent optmal resolutons (72 dp for web, 300 dp for prnt). You can always sze down, but you can t sze up wthout affectng mage qualty. As a rule of thumb, always submt your mages at the hghest resoluton and fle sze possble. EPS EPS fles are vector-based fle types. In smplest terms, ths means they can be enlarged or reduced wthout losng mage qualty, unlke JPGs. For example, sendng an EPS fle of the GFWC emblem would allow a prnter to enlarge the mage to ft on a poster, banner, or even a bllboard, and the emblem would stll appear crsp and clean. Dong the same to a JPG mage would produce a blurry and unprofessonal fnshed pece. GIF GIFs are manly used on the Web for small mages and cons. They lack the vbrant color range of JPGs whch keeps ther fle sze lower but also restrcts ther use for hgh-qualty photo mages. PNG PNGs are a bt of a hybrd between JPGs and GIFs, and are commonly used Web fles. PNG fles also allow for transparent backgrounds. Introduced n 1994, PNGs are newer fle types but haven t supplanted JPGs for photo fle type of choce due to ther larger sze. PNGs also can t be converted to CMYK, whch makes them unsutable for prnt. What s CMYK? Glad you asked 3

4 RGB OR CMYK? If you have worked wth a prnter or Web desgner, you may be famlar wth RGB and CMYK colors. The detals behnd these A CLOSER LOOK color modes can be complex, but n basc terms, mages n Convertng from RGB to CMYK s often left to the RGB mode (Red, Green, and Blue) are used for the Web, whle mages converted to CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key, prnter or desgner of your prnt communcatons or Black) are used for prnt. For example, your dgtal camera materals. Image edtng software such as Photoshop wll produce an mage n RGB. If you wsh to upload that mage allows for smple converson from RGB to CMYK. to your club webste, you re all set, as computer montors and televson sets use RGB to produce the vbrant colors on your screen. However, f you are submttng that mage to a prnt publcaton, such as a local newspaper or GFWC Clubwoman Magazne, the mage needs to be converted to CMYK because a prnter deals n CMYK nks. Your home or offce color prnter works the same way wth ts CMYK toner cartrdges. So just remember RGB for Web, CMYK for prnt. CHANGES OR ALTERATIONS TO THE GFWC LOGO/EMBLEMS The GFWC emblems must be used exactly as they appear on sample sheets or electronc copes and cannot be changed or altered, other than to be enlarged or reduced n overall sze. The GFWC trademarks must always be used n ther complete form wthout the addton of other words or punctuaton. SIZE OR COLOR RESTRICTIONS When the GFWC trademarks are used, they must be accompaned by the regstered trademark symbol:. Where the color emblem s used, GFWC requres that members abde by the color restrctons outlned below. All are sold to process Pantone colors: Blue PMS 2747 Red PMS 1815 Gold PMS 1245 (outlne of four-color emblem) RESIZING THE EMBLEM The emblem s a perfect crcle and cannot appear as an ellpse. When reszng the mage, many programs allow you to hold down the <Shft> button, and drag the mage from the corner n order to mantan ts orgnal dmensons. CORRECT INCORRECT For more nformaton, refer to the GFWC Trademark Use Polces avalable at USING ALL COMMUNICATION TOOLS There are numerous ways n whch you can communcate your club s actvtes and accomplshments to both nternal and external audences. NEWSLETTERS Club newsletters are one of the most effectve and effcent methods of nformng GFWC members about projects, programs, events, partnershps, and ssues. Appont a newsletter charman for your club and/or State Federaton. Identfy a layout and meda (electronc, hard copy, or both) that works best for your membershp and budget. Possbltes range from a plan, one-page, photocoped document to a more elaborate, mult-page, colorful newsletter wth photos. 4

5 Determne the newsletter s frequency (.e., monthly, b-monthly, or quarterly). Create an edtoral calendar and set deadlnes for artcle submsson. Suggested topcs nclude: Presdent s Column Letter from your club, dstrct, state, and/or regon presdent. Member Profles A glmpse nto the lves of fellow club members and ther experences. Feature a dfferent member n each ssue. Calendar of Events Important dates, such as meetngs, programs, events, Federaton Day, your club annversary, holdays, observances, and member brthdays. Club News Program updates, accomplshments, recent events, awards, accolades, and communty recognton. Featured Artcles. Include nformaton dstrbuted from all levels of GFWC leadershp, and solct artcles from all levels, as well. Cover Communty Servce Program projects that were completed wth or for GFWC Partners and use ther logos/emblems whenever possble. Solct artcles from communty leaders (.e., elected offcals, chamber of commerce presdent) or local communty program or project partners. GFWC nformaton from GFWC Clubwoman Magazne, News & Notes, and Assgn artcle wrtng to club members based on responsbltes as leaders and project organzers. Convey knowledge, generate enthusasm, and enhance your club s publc relatons outreach, membershp recrutng and retenton, program development and reportng, and strategc plan. Publsh thank you notes or letters of prase whenever possble. Share nformaton found n GFWC publcatons, usng the approprate copyrght nformaton, whch can be found n the GFWC Stylebook. Include acton photos, when possble, as they add nterest to your newsletter. Provde club contact nformaton. WEBSITES Effectve outreach to members and communtes ncreasngly reles on the ablty to share nformaton va the Internet. Clear-cut, well-organzed, and frequently-updated webstes convey credblty, enthusasm, and effectveness. A good webste can be a key component n your club s publc relatons outreach, membershp recrutng and retenton, program development and reportng, and operatonal plannng. Appont a webste charman for your club and/or State Federaton. Create a club emal account (.e., GFWCClub@yahoo.com, GFWCStudyClub@gmal.com) and assgn someone to check t regularly. Identfy a technology soluton that works for your level of knowledge possbltes nclude workng wth a webste developer or desgner; securng assstance from tech-savvy frends, famly, or volunteers from local schools lookng for practcal experence; or runnng and mantanng the webste on your own. Secure a doman name that clearly portrays your name and ncludes GFWC. (.e., Lnk to to show that your club/state Federaton s a part of GFWC. Include your club s webste address n all prnted materals, ncludng press releases, busness cards, brochures, flers, and posters. Provde the followng nformaton on your webste: A calendar of meetngs, project-related actvtes, and other club/state Federaton events. Club/State Federaton hstory, notng mportant mlestones and accomplshments, offcers, past presdents, and other achevements. 5

6 Develop a plan for updatng the webste, sharng responsbltes for wrtng new content among the group. SOCIAL MEDIA Tradtonal meda s lke a one-way street you can always read a newspaper or lsten to a televson report, but you have lmted opportuntes to share your thoughts on a subject. Socal meda s a two-way street you have the ablty to engage n an nteractve dalogue. It s a socal nstrument of communcaton that gves people the power to share, makng the world more open and connected. Your voce s heard. Socal meda ncludes the varous onlne technology tools that enable people to easly communcate and share nformaton and resources. It can nclude text, audo, vdeo, mages, podcasts, and other multmeda communcaton. GFWC s keepng pace wth new technologes to help us stay connected to members and to help members connect wth one another. Whle there are many socal meda stes Twtter, Flckr, YouTube, and others Facebook s the socal meda ste that currently resonates best wth GFWC members. FACEBOOK Facebook s the perfect multgeneratonal platform for your club members to nteract wth one another and wth the communty. The frst step s to create a club Facebook page. Use your club s name as the ttle and appont someone n your club to manage t. Post updates and photos of your actvtes, create events for your meetngs, and make sure to keep your contact nformaton and club webste up-to-date. All members of your club who are on Facebook should lke your club s page so they can share nformaton you post wth ther frends. Your club s page should also lke pages of groups you work wth natonal and local partner organzatons, news statons, cvc organzatons, or other groups wth Facebook pages. Don t forget to lke GFWC s Facebook page as well! Vew t at Other Socal Meda Optons TWITTER Allows you to post short, smple updates or lnks va tweets. Your Twtter followers can retweet or favorte your tweets to easly share your updates. YOUTUBE If your club has a talent or nterest n vdeo, a YouTube channel s a great place to post PSAs, vdeo blogs about club actvtes, ntervews on local cable channels, or just quck smartphone clps of your club s actvtes. FLICKR Use ths account to share photos from your volunteer actvtes, socal events, and fundrasers wth current and prospectve members. INSTAGRAM ths popular account also allows you to share photos from your volunteer actvtes, socal events, and fundrasers wth current and prospectve members. PINTEREST Pnterest s a vsual dscovery tool that allows users to collect deas for dfferent projects and nterests. Users create and share collectons (called boards ) of vsual bookmarks (called Pns ) that they use to do thngs lke plan trps and projects, organze events, or save artcles and recpes. Whle t s easy to get dstracted by the many optons avalable to you, t s mportant to keep your audence n mnd. Chances are, you ll have more success focusng on one or two socal meda accounts than havng a presence on every socal meda ste. 6

7 COMMUNITY AWARENESS Snce ts foundng n 1890, GFWC members have been leaders n communty volunteerng and advocacy. Whle many clubs are well-known wthn ther ndvdual communtes, the collectve mpact of over 80,000 women mprovng ther respectve communtes through volunteer servce s not as powerful as t could be. Makng GFWC a part of your club name and usng the GFWC emblem n all communcaton materals are great frst steps that wll result n a heghtened awareness of GFWC, but your publcty efforts cannot stop there. Increased publcty for and awareness of GFWC wll lead to greater partnershp and collaboraton opportuntes for clubs everywhere. CELEBRATE FEDERATION DAY Celebrate Federaton Day on Aprl 24 and Volunteers n Acton Week (the week that ncludes Aprl 24) wth a publcty actvty. Each year, GFWC clubs celebrate ths mportant day n ther local communtes, states, and across the naton. Projects and actvtes focus on publczng GFWC clubs and the work that members do n ther communtes; recrutng new members by rasng awareness about the benefts of belongng to GFWC; supportng volunteer actvtes wth collaboratng organzatons; and fulfllng GFWC s msson to enhance the lves of others through volunteer servce. SPECIAL EVENTS Hostng a specal event s a great way to draw attenton to your club and GFWC and brngs people together to learn about us. Holday receptons, canddates forums, art shows, book sgnngs, lectures, and dscussons are just a few examples of events n whch clubs can partcpate. Consder partnerng wth local organzatons to expand your outreach efforts. Be sure your club receves recognton for ts efforts n event sgnage and recognton materals. SPONSORSHIPS If you don t have the resources to host or plan a specal event, sponsor a relevant event that someone else s organzng. Make sure your sponsorshp s acknowledged on advertsng, programs, posters, or other promotonal materals. Sponsor a local sports team (.e., Lttle League, soccer, basketball). Team sponsorshps are usually nexpensve, help young people, and generate postve awareness wthn the communty. Adopt a Hghway. Contact the Department of Transportaton to arrange adopton of a secton of local hghway. The department wll provde a sgn wth your GFWC club name and nstructons on how to plan your clean-up events. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS Strengthen GFWC s presence and role wthn your communty by representng the Federaton on the boards of other local organzatons and assocatons (.e., chambers of commerce, beautfcaton commttee, and lbrary board). Check wth communty offcals to determne avalable opportuntes n your area. Partcpate n communty events, such as parades, holday lghtng celebratons, hgh school athletc events, and other communty-wde celebratons. MEDIA RELATIONS The prmary goal of meda relatons s to garner postve publcty for an organzaton s msson, polces, and practces. Meda relatons refers to the connecton between an organzaton and journalsts, whle publc relatons extends beyond the meda to the general publc. Keep n mnd that what s mportant to your club may or may not be mportant or of nterest to the meda. News value and relevance drve coverage, meanng that the meda decde what s newsworthy and wll evaluate your story dea accordngly. Always remember to follow up wth a thank you to the reporter and copy the managng edtor f your club s story dea was used. PRESS RELEASES A press release provdes a reporter wth the bascs s/he needs to prepare a story. The nformaton should be wrtten n a concse and straghtforward manner; cover club projects, programs, and accomplshments; and hghlght the news value of GFWC s work n the communty. Develop a news angle or hook to pque the meda s attenton and ncrease the chances for meda coverage. Consder the followng: 7

8 Is ths relevant beyond GFWC? What s the mpact (.e., dollars rased, people served, communty mprovement)? Why s ths story sgnfcant? Is t unque or unusual? Does t mprove people s lves? What are the major achevements (.e., sgnfcant annversary, recognton from a program partner or legslatve body)? Is there a human nterest angle? Proofread. Always proofread your work before sendng the release. Whenever possble, have someone else revew the document for spellng, grammar, and fact-checkng. Dstrbute your press release to local meda. Most meda outlets prefer to receve releases va emal, but t s best to check wth the journalst to determne hs/her delvery preference. Follow up wth your meda contacts to ensure they receved the press release and determne f they have any questons. [Club Name] GFWC BOILERPLATE [Street Address] [Cty, Postal Code State Abbrevaton, Zp] P: XXX-XXX-XXXX A bolerplate s a standard message that s used repeatedly, detalng an organzaton s purpose, msson, and hstory. All members are encouraged to use the followng GFWC bolerplate n wrtten communcaton, such as press releases, letters, newsletters, etc.: The General Federaton of Women s Clubs s a unfyng force, brngng together local women s clubs, wth members dedcated to strengthenng ther communtes and enhancng the lves of others through volunteer servce. Wth over 80,000 members n afflated clubs n every state and more than a dozen countres, GFWC members are communty leaders who work locally to create global change by supportng the arts, preservng natural resources, advancng educaton, promotng healthy lfestyles, encouragng cvc nvolvement, and workng toward world peace and understandng. For more nformaton, ncludng how to jon or start a GFWC club n your area, go to or call us at GFWC (4392). TIPS FOR DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MEDIA CONTACTS SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE Contact: [Club presdent or approprate charman] P: [Contact phone number] E: [Contact emal address] HEADLINE USING ALL UPPERCASE LETTERS Subttle n Italcs FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Month, Day, Year (Club s Cty, State Abbrevaton*) The openng paragraph should contan a news angle or hook to pque the meda s attenton and ncrease the chance for meda coverage. Ths paragraph should also contan who, what, when, where, why, and how. The remander of the body text should nclude any relevant nformaton, ncludng benefts, statstcs, area of mpact, etc. Add quotes from your club presdent, communty leaders, Program Partners, or elected offcals. The quote should be based on the press release topc, and you should obtan the ndvdual s permsson to use the quote. Add Bolerplate: About the General Federaton of Women s Clubs The General Federaton of Women s Clubs s a unfyng force, brngng together local women s clubs, wth members dedcated to strengthenng ther communtes and enhancng the lves of others through volunteer servce. Wth over 80,000 members n afflated clubs n every state and more than a dozen countres, GFWC members are communty leaders who work locally to create global change by supportng the arts, preservng natural resources, advancng educaton, promotng healthy lfestyles, encouragng cvc nvolvement, and workng toward world peace and understandng. At the end of the release, nsert three number symbols to show that the press release s complete: # # # *States lsted n the datelne should be wrtten n AP style. For example, use Wash. for Washngton State. For a lst of AP state abbrevatons, vew the GFWC Stylebook at RECOGNIZE the ndvdual wthn your organzaton who s best suted to develop ths relatonshp. Your State Federaton bylaws may help n dentfyng ths ndvdual. IDENTIFY the meda outlets (newspapers, magaznes, televson statons, rado statons, cable access channels, blogs, and communty newsletters) you want to work wth. CONDUCT some research to determne the best person(s) to contact. Identfy the area of nterest and expertse for each journalst. DEVELOP and frequently update a contact lst that ncludes names, emal addresses, malng addresses, and phone numbers for each reporter and meda outlet. 8

9 DETERMINE the best way to reach each reporter. Some journalsts prefer phone calls, whle others prefer emal. INTERACT wth your contact whle professonal queres have ther place, you can often make more progress by nvtng a reporter or local blogger out to lunch and ptchng an dea that way. INVITE a journalst to speak at a club meetng about the best ways to gan publcty. Ths s a great way to educate her or hm about your club actvtes, msson, and accomplshments. REQUEST meda members to attend your State conventon to serve as emcees for an awards banquet or as a panel of reporters for a Meet the Meda workshop. RECOGNIZE outstandng achevement by local journalsts. SHARE nformaton wth your local reporters on the b-annual GFWC Jane Cunnngham Croly Award for Excellence n Journalsm Coverng Issues of Concern to Women. Informaton s avalable at THE RULE OF THIRDS In your mnd s eye, dvde the area you are workng wth nto thrds both horzontally and vertcally. As shown n the mage below, your subject matter should be where two of the lnes ntersect. Remember you can scale or crop your mage to remove anythng that s not essental to convey your message. TIPS FOR SUBMISSION News stores should emphasze your club s actvtes and accomplshments, focusng on why they are nterestng. Human nterest, humor, and nnovatve deas make the best story topcs. Has your club mplemented a modern soluton to an old problem? Have you developed a new approach or twst to an establshed project or program? Is your club engaged n any legslatve efforts, or workng on any projects that drectly relate to GFWC Resolutons? Numbers and statstcs are nce, but a good narratve s better. Include photographs! Send photos as emal attachments, never embedded n the body of your emal or n a Word document. Photos should be n the hghest resoluton possble, but no less than 300 dp (dots per nch). DEVELOPING A GOOD EYE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY A good photograph tells a great story. Photographs attract people to read the artcle. TAKE MORE SHOTS than you wll use so you have a varety from whch to choose. If you re usng a dgtal camera, you don t have to worry about wastng flm. Try both horzontal and vertcal (landscape and portrat) shots. PLAN YOUR PHOTO so somethng s happenng. People standng or posng together do not make nterestng photos. LIMIT PHOTOGRAPHS to no more than fve people. Do not cram a lot of people nto the frame. STRIVE FOR SIMPLICITY. Remove water glasses, soda cans, purses, wastebaskets, and anythng that clutters the photo. CREATE EMPHASIS. If you re photographng a person, brng the subject forward from the background so the 9

10 emphass s on hm or her. Subjects should not be leanng up aganst a wall. Try postonng the subject so hs or her body s slghtly angled (not drectly facng the camera) wth the head turned to face you. THINK COLOR. Does t add or detract? It s more vsually nterestng f someone has a sold color blouse or jacket. Black, whte, or neutral clothng usually does not come out well. EXPERIMENT wth dfferent angles and try several dfferent deas. Try movng the person n the scene. Have them move forward or poston themselves dfferently. LIGHTING. Use natural lght from a wndow to hghlght your subject. Never photograph someone standng drectly n front of a brght wndow. Instead, have the lght llumnate them. Make sure there s enough lght f there s not, your photo qualty wll suffer. Drect flash s not always a good soluton. Ambent and natural lghtng are your best bets. FILE SETTINGS on your dgtal camera should be set to take photos wth the best resoluton when takng photos for GFWC Clubwoman Magazne. If t s for Web or computer presentatons, lower qualty settngs are fne. SMARTPHONE PHOTGRAPHY as smartphones become the popular choce for takng pctures, the tps above stll hold true. Other tps for Smartphone Photography are: Hold your smartphone sdeways to take all pctures. Keep your smartphone stll to get a clear shot. Clean the camera lens your smartphone can get drty lvng n pockets, purse, and bags. Avod usng the dgtal zoom as t decreases the qualty. Observe camera etquette. OTHER METHODS FOR MEDIA COMMUNICATION Press releases are not the only way to communcate wth the meda. Other medums nclude meda advsores, photo releases, opnon letters, and publc servce announcements. CALENDAR LISTINGS All newspapers and many televson, cable, and rado statons announce communty events. The publcaton deadlne s usually far n advance of the event date. Check the calendar lstng polces and gudelnes for your local meda outlets. PHOTO RELEASES Photo releases are sent after an event takes place and the meda was not n attendance. Many local newspapers are reducng staff and are not able to cover events n person. When sendng a photo, nclude contact nformaton as well as the names of everyone n the photo. Be sure names and ttles are accurate and spelled correctly. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR AND OPINION LETTERS Letters to the edtor are usually wrtten n response to an ongong communty problem, when seekng support for a project or program, or when encouragng legslatve acton on a partcular ssue. Be as nformed as possble when wrtng ths type of correspondence. Include your contact nformaton when submttng the letter, as many news agences verfy nformaton pror to publcaton. PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS The Federal Communcatons Commsson defnes a publc servce announcement as any announcement for whch no charge s made and whch promotes programs, actvtes, or servces of federal, state, or local governments, the programs, actvtes, or servces of nonproft organzatons, and other announcements regarded as servng communty nterests, excludng tme sgnals, routne weather announcements, and promotonal announcements. GFWC developed a vdeo PSA, I m a GFWC Clubwoman, n March Avalable n the GFWC Marketplace at clubs and State Federatons are encouraged to send the PSA to local televson 10

11 statons, ncludng communty access and cable statons. You can also prepare a publc servce spot for local rado statons. Clubs and State Federatons may use the followng GFWC publc servce announcement or alter the contents to meet the needs of your club or State Federaton: Lookng to make a dfference? Look no further than your own backyard. The General Federaton of Women s Clubs s there. Lend your tme and experence through GFWC. For over 125 years we ve unted women s clubs wth people dedcated to strengthenng communtes n the U.S. and abroad. GFWC members work locally to create global change. For a GFWC club near you, contact us at GFWC or CONTESTS The Communcaton and Publc Relatons Commttee oversees two contests: Newsletter and Webste. Certfcates are awarded to the top three club entres, whle State Federatons compete for top bllng wthn each membershp category. Please refer to the awards, contest, and grants secton of the Club Manual for further nformaton. AWARDS GFWC recognzes State Federatons for outstandng projects and clubs for creatve projects n mplementng effectve Communcaton and Publc Relatons program, as follows: Certfcate to one State Federaton n each membershp category $50 award to one club n the naton for project creatvty Award wnners wll be determned by entres nto the Awards Program. Each State Federaton may submt one State Award Entry Cover Sheet and one Club Creatvty Award Entry Cover Sheet for the Communcaton and Publc Relatons program. Clubs do not submt entres drectly to GFWC. Refer to the Awards secton of the Club Manual for more nformaton, ncludng the Award Entry Cover Sheet gudelnes. 11