Guidelines for Success

Recruitment and Outreach

A group is only as strong as the commitment of its members, sponsors and volunteers. From the very beginning, your group should be reaching out and trying to involve others in your efforts. Get the word out about your group’s goals and activities! Here are some traditionally effective publicity tools:

Flyers

Tips for designing flyers:

1.) For starters, there’s the KISS rule: Keep It Short and Simple. Design an eye-catching flyer that conveys the following:

• We are interested in conservation and nature.
• Here are our relevant and exciting goals!
• We are an action-oriented group.
• We want YOU to be involved.

2.) Make sure your flyer includes the following information:

• Meeting time and place (especially important for a first meeting)
• A catchy message (e.g. "Students Working for a Better Earth Tomorrow")
• The group’s name and brief mission

3.) Remember: When readers’ eyes scan a flyer, they first read the middle, then the top, then the bottom.

4.) Don’t let your flyer become too busy or crowded with information.

When you have designed an effective flyer, check with school and community guidelines to see where you can legally post them. Be creative: community event boards, cafés, and local hangouts are great places to advertise.

Public Service Announcements (PSAs)

Plan ahead! If possible, get a short announcement about your meeting included in the school’s morning or weekly announcements. If your group is community-based, include an advertisement in relevant community newsletters. Again, be sure to include your group’s name, your brief mission, and your meeting time and place.

Face-to-face Contact

When doing outreach and recruitment, there is no substitute for personal contact. In fact, most students say they become involved in things by "word of mouth." Take the time to tell your friends and classmates about your group—it usually makes a lasting impression when someone approaches you face to face.

Table-Top Recruitment

Set up a table with information on your expectations for the group in the upcoming year. If you’re just starting your group, make sure the table-staffers can discuss goals and visions. If you’re advertising for an already existing group, emphasize past successful opportunities and projects.

Always have sign-up sheets available, too. Take down the name and contact information for anyone who shows interest, even if they don’t commit right away. After the first meeting, you will have convinced them to stay!

Be creative. A group of students attracted a big crowd to an initial planning meeting by advertising on sidewalks around their schoolgrounds. New ideas like these can make the difference between a group’s success and failure. Remember: always check with your school or community’s administration before advertising in public places.

Thank you National Wildlife Federation, www.nwf.org, for this information.