 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
 Previous: The K7RA Solar Update |  Next: 3Y0X DXpedition Receives ARRL Colvin Award Grant |
By Norm Fusaro, W3IZ
ARRL Affiliated Club/Mentor Program Manager
January 13, 2006
Many clubs publish and distribute a newsletter to inform their members of important news and happenings. But what makes a good newsletter?
With over two thousand affiliated clubs, ARRL HQ gets a lot of newsletters and, believe it or not, we actually read all of them. Most clubs do a good job in publishing a monthly newsletter. Here are some tips on making your newsletter something that the members will look forward to getting and reading.
Have a Format
Decide how your newsletter will look. It should follow the same look every month so that your readers become familiar with the layout and will know where to look for certain information.
Will the look be a full page or half page folded? How about columns? Whichever style you choose keep things consistent.
Use a boilerplate for information that is fairly constant each month. A boiler plate is simply a text box that contains information that is printed in each edition of a publication. Things like club officers and staff members are pretty static and will stay the same month after month. Other things like VE testing dates may have simple changes. Using a boilerplate so that you can just slug in the new dates for the month makes publishing the newsletter easier, and the reader knows exactly where to look for such information.
Information, Please
Every newsletter should contain the following basic information:
Be sure to include this kind of information if it applies to your club:
Other useful information could include:
The President's Corner
Every newsletter should have a section where the president of the club can provide some insight and encouragement to the members. The president should never be negative in addressing the membership. Celebrate the victories and let the club know what is ahead for the future.
Be Creative
Your club newsletter should reflect the personality of the club. The basic information about club meetings, VE testing and activities needs to be communicated to the members, however beyond that the newsletter should have something that will make the reader want to read the newsletter.
Some examples found in club newsletters include:
Invite Contributions
Newsletter editors are always looking for material. Unfortunately many have resorted to cutting and pasting news from the web or other sources. Regurgitating information is not news and will most likely cause your reader to discard the entire publication and may miss an important announcement.
As a newsletter editor you should always be soliciting contributions. Even the smallest piece of news can turn into a good story if you investigate it. Every good editor knows that a provocative editorial will get responses from the readers but a club newsletter is not the place to flame or alienate other members.
Being a newsletter editor doesn't mean that you have to do all of the writing. The editor's job is to get the articles, edit them for content and grammar, and layout the edition for publication. Having a team to work with makes the job much easier and the club benefits from the contributions of several creative minds.
Classifieds and Advertisements
Some clubs have had success in getting local merchants or club members who have businesses to advertise in their newsletters. These ads help offset the cost of publication.
Other clubs have used an ad in the newsletter as a bartering tool. As an example, if a store donates food or other material for a club's Field Day event or awards dinner, then the club agrees to provide advertising space in return for the donation. This is a great way to build community relations and inform the public about your club and Amateur Radio.
Provide a corner for members to list some gear for sale. People sometimes feel better about buying used gear if they know the person from whom they are buying. Selling to another club member ensures that your trusty old rig goes to a good home.
Don't forget to include a disclaimer so that nobody thinks that the club is guaranteeing the equipment offered for sale in the classified ads.
Non-Ham Radio Contributions
If your newsletter has space available it is nice to recognize non-ham radio achievements of club members. These could include graduations, wedding or birth announcements, scouting achievements, etc.
Clubs are comprised of people, not radios and technology. Recognizing people for the things that they do is a great way to build morale in an organization.
|
E-Letters
With recent postage increases, electronic distribution of your club's newsletter makes more sense than ever. In addition to saving your club money by not printing and mailing a hard copy newsletter electronic versions can include color photographs and other graphics that could be cost prohibitive using paper and ink. E-letters also can contain hyperlinks that can direct the reader to websites of interest or other sources of information.
However, e-letters should not replace important announcements like officer elections or dues and membership renewal.
If your club is not currently forwarding a copy of your newsletter to ARRL Headquarters, please feel free to send it.
E-mail: clubs@arrl.org
Snail mail:
ARRL
Affiliated Clubs
225 Main St.
Newington, CT 06111
| Previous: The K7RA Solar Update | Next: 3Y0X DXpedition Receives ARRL Colvin Award Grant |
