Communications and Public Relations
Successful public relations and professional communications promote GFWC clubs, districts, states, regions, as well as the national organization. It is important to publicize our clubs’ projects in order to let the public know we are and the impact we make in our local communities. Many platforms can be used to raise awareness, enlist community support, recruit new members and form partnerships with local organizations and businesses.
Engaged members are more satisfied, will see more value in their membership, and will participate in more activities. But how do you create an experience that’s truly meaningful to your members? Create a COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY. How you shape the content will educate, inform, and inspire current members as well as potential NEW members. Executed properly, a good membership communications strategy will also help you RETAIN members.
2022-2024 GFWC-NC Communications and Public Relations Chairman: Crystal O’Neal
2022 GFWC CLUB CREATIVITY AWARD WINNER
& 2022 GFWC TOP TEN PROJECT
Learn more about “The Extra Mile Campaign” here!
2022 TOP TEN PROJECTS
“CONGRATULATIONS” TO THESE GFWC-NC CLUBS
TOP TEN PROJECT DETAILS
BEFORE YOU BEGIN – ASK THE HARD QUESTIONS!
What do you want your communications to do? Once you define your goal, you’ll need to determine which tactics will help you reach your intended audience and goals. Next, you’ll want to establish how you expect your communications to influence your members. What do you expect to happen as a result? Understanding and having a realistic expectation of results defined in your overall strategy is key when evaluating the success of each tactic and can help when adjustments are needed.
The GFWC Advancement Plan for Communications is available in the Club Manual on the GFWC Member Portal. It will walk you through creating a solid communications strategy, define the following tactics, and outline the tools that you can utilize to reach your club’s goals and objectives.
• Branding
• Public Relations
• Club Communications
• Website
• Social Media
• Digital Meeting Capabilities
Social Media is a great way to extend your reach, especially during this time. According to Google, there are 65 or more social media platforms or sites. Many of these platforms simply do not fit with our goals and interests. We will review several of the most popular ones here, but feel free to research what will work best for your club and members.
If you cannot decide where to start, consider ranking your club’s priorities; it may be more effective for your club’s brand to focus on maximizing the capabilities of one or two platforms. Whichever platform(s) you choose, set up a team to monitor it regularly. The platforms that allow followers to interact come with (unspoken) expectations that someone will respond very quickly and that there will be a steady stream of real-time content. Never let just one person in the club be responsible for social media efforts; it is far too big of a job!