Recruit youth staff from membership at Mic-O-Say events.
Hold six meetings per year (three meetings per issue):
Fund-raising to cover the cost of publication.
Over 1,600 copies distributed of each issue.
Extremely positive feedback from program and council board membership.
Reflects positive image of council programming.
Tangible way of proving appropriately trained young people are capable of producing extremely high quality work.
Quality does not come cheap.
The Middle Tennessee Council serves a 37-county area in the heart of the state. This area encompasses the large metropolitan Nashville community, several second-tier cities, and dozens of small towns and rural communities. There are over 50,000 youth and adult volunteers involved in the council's Scouting programs. This group represents an ethnically diverse population from a wide range of economic and social circumstances. The primary objective of the council's newsletter, Jet Trails, was to improve communication with its adult volunteer leaders and other interested persons by providing a quality designed, easy-to-read, and volunteer-focused information magazine.
In April 2004, the council marketing committee determined that Jet Trails was random at best in its design and execution. The marketing committee recommended an ad hoc committee be formed and meet during that summer.
Prior to the ad hoc committee, the council asked 3,000 plus adult volunteers to take on on-line survey about Jet Trails. It included six simple questions. Also, one of the members of the ad hoc committee developed an independent survey distributed to personal contacts.
The ad hoc committee was comprised of printing and advertising industry experts, as well as Council staff members involved in its execution and a variety of other volunteers. The committee met and made recommendations that focused on design, printing and input from the survey returns. These recommendations included:
Since the initial research, volunteers are randomly selected on an annual basis and asked for their input. This allows for a yearly overview of the content and design of Jet Trails.
Adult volunteers continue to give positive feedback since the execution of the new design. Front covers use a one-photo approach and are focused primarily on the faces of Scouts. Standardization of the layout and design have allowed for amore upscale look, while also using a full bleed.
The ad hoc committee's input and expertise was critical to the success of this newsletter.
The four-person council staff team that is responsible for the production of Jet Trails continues to learn industry terminology that crosses over into other projects and created a sense of pride in a quality publication.
Continued volunteer feedback has allowed field staff members to know that volunteers do read their district's column.
It continues to be an evolving process.
The purpose of the newsletter is to help provide the best possible Scouting experience for our youth members. Its purpose is to give all leaders timely, important information to help them fulfill their Scouting roles more effectively and, as a result, to offer a better program for their members.
Specific objectives for our newsletter include:
The volunteers of the council marketing and communications committee are ultimately responsible for the Navigator. Its design and objectives are reviewed annually. As a newly consolidated council, 2006 was the first complete year for the Navigator and the committee conducted a readership survey in May/June to determine if our initial design, frequency, and content decisions were on track.
The survey results confirmed many of our decisions, but also pointed to changes that were needed. A total of 137 surveys were completed with high ratings for the overall publications, photography, typeface, readability, color scheme, frequency, and amount of information. Areas that needed attention were: writing style, particularly for district sections, timeliness, and some excellent suggestions for content improvements.
For example, we were surprised to learn that nearly 21 percent of respondents did not always receive the newsletter prior to their district roundtable, despite our mailing the Navigator one week prior to the first such date. As a result we have started mailing the publication at least eight days before roundtables. To address writing styles, the marketing communications committee is holding writing workshops for staff and volunteers as well as creating a Navigator style sheet for common capitalization, grammar, and abbreviations.
Readers asked for more stories about what other units were doing that they could use as examples, more specific program help, more camping information, and an overview council calendar. We have expanded our Around the Council section, highlighting unit stories that are now being submitted by units themselves and increased our camping section to two pages. We have also added a monthly how-to article/box and a prominent at-a-glance council calendar.
Navigator is produced using templates created by the design professionals so that staff can achieve the proper look in-house doing the layout using Adobe InDesign software. The current format of a tabloid-style newsletter using spot color on newsprint was selected because it offers the most cost-effective way to produce the quantity needed. Navigator is sent to all registered volunteer leaders (one per household) nine times per year in the months of September, October, November, January, February, March, April, May, and August. The January edition is a special family issue sent to all registered Scouting households either as an insert for regular Navigator recipients or as a separate mailer for all other Scouting households.
Management of the mailing list is important. In addition to registered volunteers, other recipients include selected community newspaper editors, other United Way agencies, Friends of Scouting workers, and special friends and supporters of the council. The mailing list is provided to our printer electronically and ink jetted on the publication to take advantage of all available postage discounts.
Content and front page articles are suggested by council communications staff/committee and reviewed by the council's staff leadership team at their bi-monthly meetings. Staff members are assigned articles and provided with the suggested number of words allowed, photo recommendations and deadlines by detailed memos for each issue.
All articles are proofed by related department/district staff prior to placement into the publication. After layout, pages are then returned to staff members for review before the issue goes to press. The electronic InDesign files and photographs are submitted as PDF files via secure FTP server to the printer.
To meet our production schedule of mailing in time for the leaders' roundtables (most of which are held in the first week of each month), copy is due on the first week of each month and sent to the printer within 10 days.
Navigator is a critical part of our council operation and performs well against the objectives listed. The average circulation is 13,000 copies, with 37,000 mailed in December for the annual "Family Issue". It has always met its scheduled mailing deadline, which is critical to maintain credibility with volunteers and staff. The Navigator has additional impact by being placed on the password-protected web site, which can be viewed by all Scouting volunteers. Although it is not possible for our district staff and volunteers to personally visit all Scouting leaders every month with relevant information, this is what the Navigator helps us to accomplish.
At the "Fireside Chats" held in districts for feedback on council operations and support, the Navigator has received high marks from the volunteer leaders for both timelines and content. It is often pointed to as one of the biggest successes to date of the council consolidation. The readership survey showed very positive results to the question: "How would you rate the Navigator" with 68 percent excellent/very good, 23 percent good, and 8 percent rating fair or poor. Users' feelings about the Navigator are reflected in our favorite quote taken from the responses to the open ended survey question: "I look forward to my Navigator as much as my son looks forward to his Boy's Life!"
Our area's family Friends of Scouting contributions have traditionally been some of the highest in the nation, over $1.3 million in 2006, which reflects satisfaction by leaders and members' parents. A tradition of timely communications of key council messages through our council newsletter is one reason for this success.
The most difficult part of producing a newsletter that meets the stated objectives is making it a priority of all relevant staff. If copy is late, it sets off a whole chain of events that could result in mistakes and missed deadlines. Everyone has to take their newsletter assignments seriously and write in a style suitable for publication.
Photographs are important, but getting them to print properly is a challenge. We have found it helpful to use Adobe Photoshop to correct and properly format photographs, and work with our printer to suggest scanner and photo settings. Uncoated paper on a web press requires different settings then a regular offset or digital printer.
Security is important if it is to be on the Internet. We post a password-protected copy of Navigator as individual PDF pages and as a complete PDF document on our Web site, with a link to the latest issue sent in an e-mail to our "E-Navigator" subscribers. We use passwords and recommend such use to others because of the sensitivity of name and contact information listed in each issue. By including both the entire publication and individual pages as separate files, those users with high-speed access and dial-up can access the pages they need.
An annual "Readership Survey" is a great way to ensure our publication is meeting the needs of our volunteers.
Our primary objective is to produce a well-designed, easy-to-read, informative newsletter that relays local Scouting messages, information, news about upcoming Scouting programs and activities; and reinforces adult leaders' pride in their council and in their involvement in Boy Scouts of America.
This publication has been a staple communication tool for many years, previously in a newspaper-style layout. In January 2006 the newsletter was changed to a new magazine-style layout with color cover and some color pages. The purposes of the new layout were to capture reader interest at the mailbox with captivating cover photos, make it easier to flip through and read, and allow three-hole punching so that it can be added to a leader's notebook and used through the month.
Each issue (six per year) has a focus topic such as Friends of Scouting, camping, etc. A page-by-page plan is distributed six weeks prior to the mailing date to all staff responsible for content. Articles are due three weeks prior to issue, leaving two weeks for layout, editing, and draft approval.
The printed newsletter continues to be an important tool to convey details about upcoming events, training opportunities, and other Scouting information to key unit leaders.
The council did consider discontinuing the printed newsletter in favor of an e-mail newsletter. Comments from other councils about their mediocre success in doing so was instrumental in our decision to continue printing the newsletter. We moved from 12 issues per year to six, with supplemental short e-mail newsletters on a weekly basis.
There is a financial impact of about $15,000, which is partially offset by advertisement income. As a main channel of information, though, the cost is negligible when considering the impact that the newsletter has on council and district activities, training, and other areas vital to volunteer success.
The council has learned that:
|
|
After meeting with current district marketing chairs, district webmasters and other key volunteers and staff, a plan was put together to include the following.
Advertising--a renewed push for ad sales was begun.
Revised deadline schedules were sent out to staff and volunteers.
Scouters now look for e-newsletter releases to contain late-breaking news, updates, cancellations, and other more urgent information. At the same time, they now look for The Scouter Digest to not contain news but rather to contain long-term information and feel-good articles about recent events.
Finances--Sending out e-newsletters has no postage or paper cost. This has reduced by two the printed newsletters needed at a savings of roughly $40,000.
Ad Sales--Four The Scouter Digest issues had 90 ad placements for a total of $36,675 ad income. This income, plus the money saved by printing only four Digests, made a great cost saving for communications.
A large cost saving can be accomplished by focusing on an electronic medium. At the same time, the quality and positive reception of both printed and e-newsletters can increase.
The council has been careful to not fall into the trap of a set deadline for e-newsletters and only sending one out when it is needed.
The time and effort needed to format e-newsletters was far outweighed by the cost and time required to lay out additional printed newsletters.
To establish a regular communication piece for our corporate partners without asking for donations.
To inform our corporate partners of events in the community and share stories of how their peers are involved in raising funds for Chicago Area Council.
The finance department professionals write articles about the fund raising special events.
Photos of corporate leaders are taken by a studio photographer, pro bono.
The council field staff submits stories and photos of Scouts for informational purposes for the corporate partners.
Corporate partners like seeing their colleagues in the Scouting news and look forward to learning about what the Scouts are up to.
Spotlighted Scouts and leaders are excited to be featured and compliment us on showcasing their boys in the stories.
Revenue from special events increased by over 15 percent since the inception of the ScoutLook newsletter.
Many corporate partners complimented us on the quality, length, frequency (quarterly), and content of ScoutLook.
The volunteer fund raising workers felt more committed to the cause and mission of Scouting.
The objective is to communicate to our volunteers the week's key priorities, dates and events.
The staff first had a contest to name the e-newsletter. Then the Council Marketing Committee asked Scouts to give their input on the name. The Digital Eagle was selected from an entry from a Scout. Each Friday at staff meeting, the staff gives input on the next week's edition. Volunteers are constantly giving input through e-mail.
The responses from our volunteers have been super! Everywhere the staff/volunteers do planning meetings or fireside chats, the volunteers are eager to compliment the Digital Eagle and our effort to communicate weekly. Approximately 3,000 volunteers receive the Digital Eagle weekly.
When the staff and volunteers work together to communicate to our Scout volunteers in a timely and accurate manner, goodwill and better communications take place.
The Northeast Illinois Council's Scouting Around newsletter is published to distribute information, promote, inform, and educate our adult leaders on council activities and services. It is also a means to build morale and honor outstanding performance of Scouts and Scouters.
Our newsletter is published six times a year. The production of the newsletter is a team effort between volunteers and the council staff. All committees and districts are asked to submit suggestions, articles, stories, and photos to the newsletter's editor one month before issue date.
A layout mockup is developed to help determine space allotments. Each issue must have good graphic design so the content is well organized and easy to read.
Base on our increasing attendance at training and at events, the newsletter is a vital part of our council communications. Our volunteers look forward to receiving their issues because they want to use the information in the newsletter to help plan their Scouting calendar and to help recruit parents as unit leaders.
The newsletter is a vital council communications vehicle. It must include timely information and be informative to our readers. The graphic design must be uncluttered, straightforward and easy to read.
 |
 |
The Duffle Bag is the official publication of the Greater St. Louis Area Council. The Duffle Bag is primarily an informational publication. It is published six times per year and averages 28 tabloid pagers per issue. It promotes programs and motivates and recognizes youth members and adult volunteers.
It is mailed free of charge to those leaders who have their primary registration as unit leaders (i.e.: Cubmasters, Scoutmasters, Varsity Scout Coaches, Exploring/Venturing Advisors, den leaders, Webelos leaders, den leader coaches, unit committee chairmen, members and unit commissioners.) A one-year subscription is available for $6; multiple year subscriptions are also available. Approximately 8,500 copies of each issue are mailed.
The Duffle Bag is published six times per year. It is delivered to the post office for third-class bulk mail delivery on the 25th of each month.
The content for the district section of the newsletter is downloaded from the council's internet Web site. This includes all calendar/event information. An event/calendar grid is created for easier reading.
Information in the district columns should cover the upcoming two to three months. A list of council articles and features is provide in the monthly executive staff memo to assist the district in preparing its web pages, and to eliminate duplication of council events in district columns.
The district news section of the publication was reorganized to improve the calendar. A grid of district events was laid out on a separate page to include more details of upcoming events.
When the Duffle Bag arrives in an adult volunteer leader's mailbox, it reminds them of their commitment to Scouting. The Duffle Bag also is available in portable document format on the council's Internet web site: www.stlbsa.org. This allows anyone with Internet access the ability to view the publication the day it is printed, which eliminates the one-week delay before it arrives in the mail.
It is critical to meet production deadlines. Third-class bulk mail delivery can be unpredictable in rural areas. Failure to mail the publication by the 25th of the previous month can put delivery to some rural areas as late as the 15th of the month.
As a council, our objectives for our quarterly "Stakeholder Report" newsletter for 2006 were to incorporate our new council brand into its design and more effectively communicate with our target audience. At the beginning of this year, our council implemented a new council brand. We wanted to redesign the layout of our newsletter so that our new brand would become associated with our council name. With this redesign, we also aimed to more effectively communicate with our target audience. This one targets financial supporters of our council. Therefore, much of the information in this newsletter needs to be presented as an overview. We also wanted to present new and exciting facts about our council and relate compelling stories about our Scouts and volunteers within its pages.
To meet our objectives, we first had to design a new masthead for all of our council publications, including the "Stakeholder Report," to feature our new council brand. Once we had a new masthead, we changed the layout of our newsletter as well as the color scheme and fonts used so that it presented a more cohesive image of our council when used with other publications. We then worked to better target our audience by presenting them with short sections on new and exciting events and statistics in our council, as well as personal and compelling stories of what our Scouts and volunteers are doing in the council.
The redesign of our "Stakeholder Report" newsletter has led our executive board and our donors to comment on how much easier it is to read and digest the information presented now as compared to the past. Our audience reports they are more likely to take the time to read our newsletter now, unlike in the past. With our message reaching our target audience better than ever before, we are starting to see an increase in donations in some areas.
By redesigning our newsletter, we learned what our target audience of financial supporters of the council is looking for in a publication from our council. They want short sections and lots of graphics. Knowing this, we have been able to translate it into other efforts to target this particular audience. In our branding process, we have also learned how much more visually appealing our publications are when they are more consistent in the image they present.
The objective of our Forces for Good newsletter is to inform donors of all the goings-on at the Greater New York Council, enabling them to see that their money is going towards something concrete and worthwhile and hopefully inspiring them to continue giving. We wanted to present them with a full-color newsletter on quality paper that is full of engaging pictures, stories and updates, as well as helpful tips regarding their contributions.
We send out an edition of Forces for Good every season, beginning work on each issue about one month prior. The development department conducts a roundtable discussion to decide which stories should be featured and who will contribute. We discuss recent events and happenings in Scouting to determine which would most appeal to our donors. Once each story is written up, turned in and edited, the newsletter is laid out, pictures are chosen, and everything is sent to the printer. Forces for Good is then mailed to our 2,000 top donors of the last year.
We see the impact of the newsletter almost as soon as we send it out. We get feedback from many of our donors, as well as staff members, about stories featured, and we often receive suggestions for future stories. Over the last year we have seen an increase of 30 percent in contributions from individuals, much of which is attributable to better donor communications such as the Forces for Good newsletter and other similar efforts.
Through producing Forces for Good, our council has learned that donors want to see examples of exactly what their money is doing to benefit young boys and girls in New York City, and they appreciate receiving such news in the form of the Forces for Good newsletter. It keeps them connected to what is happening in New York City Scouting.
The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local
councils, developed by the Marketing &
Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of
America.