Non Profit Organization Resource Center
Community Outreach
- Network with other community groups, such as parent teacher organizations, children and women's groups, daycare providers, domestic violence shelters, the legal community, and housing organizations.
- Establish an Intenet presence with a Website Take Donations Online, list your mssion, contact information, goals, programs and projects
- Anywhere you go post flyers, at laundromats, parks, schools, community colleges, welfare offices, child support agency offices, food stamp offices, libraries, hospitals, grocery stores, community centers, malls, gyms, Wal Mart, recreation centers, food banks, the court house,referral agencies, county or state fair, etc. Keep a stack of flyers and a roll of tape in you car and put up wherever you go.
- Radio public service announcements (see sample), and putting monthly meeting information in the local and regional newspapers, and local cable television stations. Get a volunteer to take on this monthly task. Most can be done via email
The important thing to remember about public outreach is that it always needs to done because a person needs to be exposed to something thirteen times before they remember it. For example, a person hears a radio public service announcement about your meeting or event, sees a story in the local paper, sees a flyer in the grocery store, etc but it doesn't register until for the fourteenth time and they finally do something about it.
It is one thing to say that more people need to get involved but it is your organization's responsibility is to reach out first to those in need.
Public Outreach Event
Get volunteers to help you frrom those who call you on the phone, attend meetings, and those who you talk to about your organization. Have them help you hold an outreach event .
Step 1 Make up flyers about your organization, event...
Step 2 Find an event location, i.e., Wal-Mart, community fair, grocery store, mall, etc.
Step 3 Find out about any permits that are needed for that location
Step 4 Set a table at location, don't go alone, bring a friend
Step 5 Bring meeting flyers, information booklets, a chapter mailing list sign up and a donation can
Step 6 Educate, empower, and invite people to the meeting, event...
Tips for your Public Service Announcements (PSA)
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Use your own number or a number that you can get retrieved messages from and return phone calls
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Follow-up with the public service directors at both television and radio stations to make sure that they are consistently running PSA's
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Make the announcements specific to your area
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Use information that will get someone's attention
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Put meeting information in the public service announcement
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Ask your local cable stations to run your announcement
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