Club_Officers_Handbook_2016

Ruritan Public Relations Guidelines Formerly distributed as a separate manual. Section 1: Understanding Public Relations

The Difference Between Publicity and Public Relations

understanding and goodwill achieved between an individual, organization, institution, and the public.” If you read the Objectives set forth in Article II of the Ruritan Club Bylaws, you’ll discover that Webster’s definition comes close to describing the established objectives of the Ruritan organization. Establishing a public relations campaign in your community does not necessarily require a heavy investment of your club’s finances. A public relations campaign is simply distributing your Ruritan message to businesses, institutions, and the community at large, with the purpose of establishing goodwill and support within your community. Any Ruritan club public relations program should inform the community about what your club has contributed to the community in the past (such as improvements to the local park, helping the elderly, sponsorship of youth programs, etc.) as well as what your club intends to accomplish for the community in the future. What Your Club Gains from Public Relations: Publicity After your Ruritan club has established the goodwill and support of the community through a public relations campaign, publicity will surely follow. If the media and the public at large are aware of your club’s previous contributions to the community, they will be more likely to lend support to your current or future projects. Remember, Ruritans can always use support from their communities, whether it

Ruritan has been called the best kept secret in America, and with good reason. Although not as well-known as other community service organiza­ tions, more than 28,000 Ruritan members in twenty-four states enjoy the Ruritan spirit of “Fellowship, Goodwill, and Community Service”. Despite the efforts of dedicated Ruritan clubs across the nation, relatively few people know how Ruritans improve America’s communities. Gaining recognition for your club’s community service achievements is crucial to gaining new members and increasing the effectiveness of your local club. Publicity and public relations can also help your club accomplish more than ever within the community. Before your club can start realizing the benefits of publicity and public relations, you need to understand the relationship between these two principles. Publicity is “public attention.” In other words, publicity is the attention and recognition your Ruritan club should be earning for its dedicated efforts to improve the community. To gain the public’s attention, your club must learn how to build a relationship with the community. The first step to building any successful relationship are establishing trust and sharing information. These are the basic elements of a public relations program. Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1986) defines public relations as “the degree of

takes the form of increased patronage at fundraisers, increased media coverage in the area, or increased membership from new volunteers who take the Ruritan message to heart. Publicity can yield many benefits for your club and your community. With increased publicity, local businesses are more likely to donate materials or funds to your club’s projects. Businesses may also be willing to co-

√ √ Anything that is important to a large number of people in the community. √ Events involving important figures in the community. √ Events or happenings that deal with the community’s future. √ Community improvement projects. Community fairs. √ Involvement with community youth. √ Community sports events, especially youth athletics. √ Annual fundraisers for community service work. √ Community awards or honors. What Makes Publicity? Anything that is new or novel in the community.

PR

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Revised 8/2016