Get Publicity

There are two quick things you can do on this Web site to get the word out about your Make A Difference Day project:

Register your project so we can help you spread the word.

Contact newspaper editors in your area and alert them to the volunteer project you're organizing in their community with a press release.

In addition, the following ideas can help showcase your own organization while promoting Make A Difference Day. Good publicity doesn't cost money, and it can create excitement for your Make A Difference Day events as well as provide exposure for your organization. Here's a quick guide to the basics of starting a buzz:

Develop a media contact list of daily and weekly newspaper reporters, editors and photo editors, local and regional magazines, local TV and radio stations and wire services.

Distribute a press release a week or two in advance that clearly conveys the who, what, when, where, why and how of your activity.
PRESS RELEASE TEMPLATE

Develop public service announcements. Radio PSAs, which run at no cost to the sponsor, can be a good way to recruit volunteers. Be sure to factor in enough lead time (at least two weeks before) to air your PSAs. Use the sample provided, or write your own; send it to the public service director at a local radio station.
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Work the phones. Follow up press releases and PSAs with calls to reinforce your announcement and answer questions. Invite the media to your event and point out times when cameras would be appropriate.

Get a local celebrity involved, preferably one who has an affinity for your particular cause. If it's a media personality, ask him or her to do a "live remote" from your project.

Come up with one headline-making cause. Enlist the whole town to clean every local school or rebuild a community center. It's tough for local media to ignore a story when the entire community is involved.

Get the government involved. Encourage government officials such as your mayor or governor to proclaim the fourth Saturday in Oct. "Make A Difference Day." Then ask him or her to appear at your event to rally volunteers and attract coverage.
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Make it personal. Reporters need to tell stories. Emphasize the human-interest aspect of your project. Instead of saying, "We're having a coat drive," talk about someone who will be helped or tell a moving story about why a volunteer decided to get involved. Make sure you have articulate representatives who are comfortable with being interviewed by the media.

Contact local businesses that own a marquee sign and ask them to display a Make A Difference Day message.

Ask local nonprofit agencies to come up with a "wish list" of their most pressing needs. Ask your newspaper to publish this list along with details on how people can help meet these needs on Make A Difference Day.

Enlist student organizations. Meet with student leaders to generate excitement for Make A Difference Day activities. (Reproduce the Guide for Teens Planning Projects.) Suggest a contest to see which school can collect the most food, raise the most money, donate the most hours, etc. Encourage local media to cover their efforts.

Contact civic groups and offer to speak at an upcoming meeting. This is an effective way to recruit volunteers and other support for your project.
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Work with cause-minded companies. Certain national companies are very active in community service, including Wal-Mart, State Farm Insurance, Target Stores, Campbell Soup Co., Allstate Insurance, Kmart, EDS, Chrysler-Plymouth, J.C. Penney, The Prudential, Chase Manhattan and Catholic Family Life Insurance. If there's an office in your area, check to see if they have a project planned for this year or if you can interest them in one. Ask retailers to run announcements in their circulars.

Make it visual. One strong image can make the media feel your story is worth covering. For instance, let the media know you have one central collection point for donations that will illustrate the scope of your project. A school auditorium piled high with soap, shampoo, canned food and other donations is a great visual for the media. Outfit your volunteers in T- shirts; hang balloons and posters.

Choose a project that's worth talking about. If a food bank is on the verge of closure, your efforts to restock it are news.

Capitalize on a national event: Make A Difference Day. Emphasize the fact that your volunteers are among more than 2 million who will be helping others on this day.

Find a project with lasting impact so it is news long after Make A Difference Day. Keep your media contacts updated on the continuing progress of the project you started on Make A Difference Day. Does a poor family now have a home? Is a soup kitchen going to open because of your Make A Difference Day efforts? Show the human side of your hard work and its progress.

Piggyback on existing events. If thousands already are getting together on Make A Difference Day to watch a football game, ask them to bring food or clothing donations to the stadium. If a fair coincides with Make A Difference Day, create an information booth, fundraiser or volunteer pledge drive at the fair.

Contact your local transportation company and inquire about bus and train advertising. Ask about allowing pro bono space. Also ask a local advertising agency if they will support your efforts by providing pro bono services.

Ask supermarkets to run Make A Difference Day announcements in their circulars, to serve as headquarters for a food drive or to put a Make A Difference Day message on their food bags.

Use non-media outlets to capture media attention. Ask utility companies to insert Make A Difference Day announcements into bills they mail to customers. Supply fliers to supermarkets to stuff into grocery bags.