Communications is an essential part of what we do as a community. Environmentalists need to think proactively about strategy, message, distribution of messages and reactions to outreach. How do we set up our organizations to communicate effectively? How do we build the budgets, collect the tools, and raise the funds needed for communications and communications tools?
Many of us do not have communications training nor do we have the resources to spend on expensive conferences and training consultants. We are busy monitoring policy, working in the field, organizing our membership, fundraising, and keeping our groups afloat.
We have collected and developed a bank of valuable tip sheets, reference guides, planning tools, and templates that will help you improve your communications skills. These resources are available to you at no cost. We hope they will help you in your work and in the development of your communications strategy. We also hope that access to these kinds of resources will help your organization face its challenges whether they might be thinking about communications before a crisis occurs or training your experts to be good spokespeople.
We also encourage you to check out the training opportunities listed in the column to the right. Some are free and some have a charge, but we feel they’re worth exploring.
Election 2008 Planning BenchmarksBy Holly MinchUse the following list of key dates to plan your election-year efforts. This list highlights national deadlines around the presidential races, but don’t forget the local equivalents for Governor, Mayor, City Council and other important decision makers. October
Ten Helpful Things to Know about Vocus:1. Saved Searches help you search for results. Saved Searches:• are user specific • always save your searches to save yourself time• help you take advantage of the most up to date contact information
A press advisory is designed to attract media to attend an
event, most often a press conference. The details in a press advisory should
persuade the reporter to attend the event.
1. The Basics The
press advisory should explain what the event is about, where the event will be
Many communication efforts fail because they target everyone. In reality, most outreach should target a specific group of people. Make sure you can define the allies you need so that you can focus your message, resources and strategy where it counts.
1. Name your “Wish List”
The letters section of newspapers and magazines is one of the most-read sections of the publications. The high readership offers you and your organization a cost-effective solution to spread your message and to reach your target audiences.
1. Outlet Policies
When your cause fails to find a supporting voice from your paper‘s editorial page, or if the editors have taken to denouncing your cause, establishing your message and explaining the worthiness of your mission can be done by getting an Op-Ed published. A direct way to combat the message when your side of the story fails to be told is by defending your cause in an Op-Ed.
Several factors should help you determine what media event is most appropriate. Press breakfasts or luncheons are more appropriate for non-breaking news, whereas a press conference may be more suitable for breaking and urgent news. You should also consider your financial and human resource constraints when deciding the details of a press event.