GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT

Effective communications and promotions are extremely important to help you reach your target audience; raise public awareness about the need for your program; interest potential partners, funders, members, and volunteers; and gain trust in the community or region.

Media Relations

The media provides an excellent and affordable means of delivering your message to your community and beyond. Good publicity through media relations can help raise awareness about the need for your program and may attract partners, volunteers, or members. Press releases, media advisories, and public service announcements are effective tools to get your message into the media.

Tips

Develop good relations with your local media and keep them informed about your projects.

Develop well-presented media or press kits to help your group present your project to the media in the way you want the public to hear about your initiatives.

Work with partners on joint press-releases to gain wider coverage.

E-mail

E-mail offers a fast and economical way of communicating with your members, partners, and target audience.

Tips

Create mailing lists by collecting names and e-mail addresses of members or individuals in your target area.

Always ensure you get permission to include a name on your list and give people the option to have their name taken off the list.

Check with government agencies and other environmental organizations to see if an e-mail list for your area is already compiled.

Website

A website can be an effective communications tool to help your group or organization increase credibility and public awareness of your goals, projects, and upcoming events. An effective website can make it easier for interested parties to learn your background information before they contact you, offer volunteer services, or even make a financial contribution. Make sure to keep it current and up-to-date with the latest news on your initiatives.

Newsletters

Newsletters are a valuable tool to increase public awareness of your initiatives, achievements, and plans for future initiatives. Newsletters can also be used to inform the public about what is needed to continue your project successfully, and to provide readers with information about how they can get involved.

Tips

Keep it brief! - but provide enough detail to interest people to get involves and be sure to include contact information.

Distribute at least one copy annually to all stakeholders so that they are aware of your activities.

Post past issues of your newsletter on your website and ask other groups working on related projects if they are interested in submitting an article for your newsletter.

Sample Newsletters

• Baptiste Lake Association
• Big Rideau Lake Association
• Farren Lake Property Owners' Association
• Friends of the Coves Subwatershed
• Friends of the Tay Watershed
• Georgian Bay Association
• Greater Bob's and Crow Lake Association
• Lower Beverly Lake Association
• Mary Lake Association
• Mississippi Lakes Association
• Sharbot Lake Property Owners' Association
• Upper Rideau Lake Association
• Thousand Islands/ Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve
• Wolfe Lake Association

Mailing Lists

One of the greatest challenges of mailing is keeping mailing lists up-to-date. Collecting names, addresses, and phone numbers of individuals in your target area can be time consuming and the Privacy Act restricts the ability of a municipality to provide that information. Check with government agencies and other environmental organizations to determine if mailing lists are already compiled for your area - see if you can partner with one of these organizations in a mailing.