How many of us have heard the phrase “4-H is the best kept secret in South Dakota”? It’s time to change that quote by sharing with others the exciting benefits 4-H has to offer. What role does it play in youth development? What benefits does it provide our youth? What value does it have in our communities? It’s time to publicize!
Publicity is one of those things that is often overlooked during the initial planning stage of an event. It is crucial to any volunteer project and should be part of the planning stage. Remember, publicity should reflect the mission and vision of 4-H. It should showcase our youth’s empowerment through work with caring adults and communities in order to learn, grow, and work together for positive change.
Putting a Publicity Plan into Action:
- Form a “publicity” sub- committee for your event
- Establish “publicity” goals:
- Identify publicity needs. (Who is your audience? Examples: county commissioners, community leaders, legislators, school officials, etc.)
- What outcome do you hope to achieve from this campaign? (Example: Our goal is to increase and renew our volunteer base.)
- What resources are required for its success? (Extension Office email system, paper, stamps, newspaper, radio, etc...)
- Determine member roles and responsibilities (media contact person, writer, coordinator, etc.)
- Act (Put your plan into action.)
- Evaluate its success (Examples: Increase in volunteers, increase in membership, increase in community support, successful service project)
For more information on how to promote 4-H in your community please refer to National 4-H Promotional Toolkits.