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Evaluate your club's public relations program
How does your Club rate? Do you belong to a "Whatsa" Ruritan Club or a
Public Relations Star Ruritan Club?
The questions below come from a club that evaluates its public relations
activities. Increased public awareness is necessary to the future of
Ruritan, and it can mean big gains for both your Club and your community.
Judge for yourself whether your Ruritan Club’s commitment to building public
relations needs more attention.
- Do Club members wear Ruritan membership pins, jackets, or hats to all Ruritan events and activities?
- Does your Club have an adequate supply of current Ruritan brochures?
- Are these brochures distributed at Club service projects and fund-raisers?
- Have you appointed a Public Relations Committee?
- Has a Club Reporter been appointed?
- Does your Club Reporter have a copy of the Ruritan Public Relations Manual (Letting the Secret Out)?
- Does your Public Relations Committee or Club Reporter have an adequate supply of Club stationery and envelopes?
- Does your Club Reporter submit all news releases using Club Stationery?
- Does your reporter adhere to accepted news release formats?
- Is your Club Reporter familiar with the deadlines of local news media, and are these deadlines being met?
- Have you appointed a Club Photographer?
- Is "Club Photographer" a permanent, established position on your Public Relations Committee?
- Does your Club's budget support the cost of camera film and developing and other promotional printing needs (i.e. news releases, flyers, etc...)?
- Is public relations a priority agenda item at all planning meetings?
- When planning Club events, do you give consideration to arranging media coverage?
- Does your Club's Public Relations Committee understand the difference between paid advertising, and free news stories or public service announcements (PSA)?
- Does your club invite news media representatives to attend and cover special events?
- Are event tickets, special passes, or other promotional items routinely sent to local media at no cost?
- Have your Club's service or fund-raising projects been featured in local media (television, radio, or newspaper) within the past twelve months?
- Has your Club initiated any new members who heard about your Club's projects through newspaper, television or radio?
Total the number of "YES" answers above
General Public Awareness of your club
0-4 yes answers: What's a Ruritan Club?
Unknown or misundersood. "Isn't that like Rotary?"
5-10 yes answers: Wallflower Ruritan Club
Spoken of well, but not truly understood. "Those people that do all those
good things for the community and make good stew."
11-15 yes answers: Noteworthy Ruritan Club
Community supports projects, but few new members recruited. "We always
donate to the club, but don’t have time to join."
16-20 yes answers: Public Relations Star Ruritan Club
Community is honored and thankful to have a Ruritan Club. "Ruritan has
made a difference in my community!"
Adapted from resources used by the Mt. Laurel (VA) Ruritan Club and
used in the Summer 1998 RURITAN magazine
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