Toolbox Tuesday - Newsletters

12. Send out Hard-Copy Newsletters

I am a great believer in e-letters for an instant response and little expense, but there is definitely still a place for hard-copy (printed) newsletters which can be kept and read over and over again.

Hard-copy newsletters do not have to be your main source of communication, but it is a good idea to produce one every three or four months so that your clients, members, supporters and volunteers can be kept completely up-to-date. Hard-copy newsletters allow plenty of room for details that can’t be included elsewhere, and give people something they can refer back to.

How to Write Successful Newsletters
Make sure you…

Use a professional looking design and layout. Your newsletter gives people a first impression of your entire organisation – so make sure it’s a good one. There are plenty of free templates and software available online.

Include relevant photographs. Not only will this make the newsletter look interesting, it will give the reader a chance to literally see your organisation in action.

Include information that is relevant, up to date and interesting. Keep in mind whom your readers are, and what they would be interested in. Always include a story or tip that gives people a reason to keep your newsletter stuck to the noticeboard.

Provide feedback about what has been happening in your organisation including statistics about services, clients, fundraising and large scale projects.

Give readers a human insight into your organisation by including at least one big success story about a client or member. Human stories make your organisation easier to relate to.

Remind people what your organisation is all about. Use your newsletter to let people know what your goals and visions are for the future. When people see the big picture, it helps them put everything you do into perspective.

List upcoming events, activities or fundraisers that you need support for, and be specific about the type of support you require. People are usually more willing to help if they know exactly what they are getting themselves in for.

Include a wish list for your organisation – even if some of the wishes seem a little absurd. You never know what your members or supporters have access to, and if you don’t ask, how will they know what you need?

Give people the opportunity to donate by including a donation slip in every newsletter. For best results, make sure you include tick boxes for specific amounts so that people have an idea of what you think is reasonable. If you leave the slip blank, people worry about how much to give, and end up giving nothing at all.

Motivation Monday - Dreamer

Maybe I'm a dreamer but I believe if you really want to do something then you should just go for it, because if your heart and soul and energy are into it then you're going to be successful.  If you keep looking back over your shoulder and thinking, "oh gosh, I should have done that" then you'll regret it because you are not living to your potential.

Barbara Kendall   

Wednesday's Word of the Week - A Good, Healthy Struggle

God is using your struggles to toughen you up!

It’s like viewing a movie after you’ve read the book. When something bad happens, everyone else gasps at the crisis on the screen. Not you. Why? You’ve read the book. You know how the good guy gets out of the tight spot.

God views your life with the same confidence. He’s not only read your story, he wrote it. His perspective is different, and his purpose is clear. One of God’s cures for weak faith? A good, healthy struggle.

Consider it a gift when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. Under pressure, your faith-life is forced into open and shows its true colors. Scripture says, let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. (James 1:2-3)

Join with the Old Testament prophet Isaiah who resolved, “I will trust in him and not be afraid!” (Isaiah 12:2)

From Come Thirsty by Max Lucado

Toolbox Tuesday - Letter to the Editor

11. Write a Letter to the Editor

It is not always possible to get an article published, but it is always possible to have your say and draw attention to specific aspects of your organisation. The ‘Letters to the Editor’ page is a well read part of any newspaper, and it provides an avenue for real discussion and debate about your cause.

The best time to send a letter is when there has been a news item which relates to your organisation or the need that it meets within the community. Send a letter commenting on the item and expressing how your organisation can help, or how your organisation has been affected.

Wednesday's Word of the Week - Taking Out the Trash

Who wants to live with yesterday’s rubble? Who wants to hoard the trash of the past? You don’t, do you? Or do you?

I’m not talking about the trash in your house, but in your heart. Not the junk of papers and boxes but the remnants of anger and hurt. Do you rat-pack your pain? Amass offenses? Record slights?

A tour of your heart might be telling. A pile of rejections. Accumulated insults. No one can blame you. They’re innocence takers, promise breakers, and wound makers. They’re everywhere and you’ve had your share.

Jesus answered Peter’s question in Matthew 18:21 and 22 when he asked: “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” “No, not seven times,” Jesus said. “Seventy times seven!”

Do you want to give every day a chance? Jesus says to get rid of the trash. Give the grace you’ve been given!

From Great Day Every Day by Max Lucado

Toolbox Tuesday - Sign Writing

10. Get Your Car Sign Written

Admittedly this takes a few more dollars than most of the things on this list, but it is not as expensive as most people think. Depending on the size of your car, and exactly how you want it to look, you can turn your car into a mobile billboard for about $1000. Weigh that up with the price of a newspaper advertisement, and you’ll see it’s a pretty good investment.

When deciding what you want to include on the car, remember that people won’t have time to read or remember loads of details. You want something that catches people’s eye, gives them one key message, and a website address where they can visit for more information.

Theme Thursday - World of Friends Africa - Amazing Race

Girls’ Brigade Africa Amazing Race

Week 3:

• Get girls back into teams from previous week
• Explain rules of the game

1. No running
2. Work as a team
3. No put down comments
4. Detour – choose between 2 activities (do only 1)
5. Roadblock – only one person from team does activity, different person from the team each week.
6. Idea of the game is to make it to the end, not about winning prizes.

Burkina Faso

• Tongue Twister Telephone
• In a circle in teams
• Give girls tongue twisters; to be passed onto next girl like Chinese whispers. Last girl to receive has to say to leader, if they get it right they get a point.
• Super snakes sneak silently searching supper.
• Every elephant eats eggplant each evening.
• Warthogs walk with worms without whispering.
• Six slippery snails, slid slowly seaward.
• How much wood could a wood chuck; chuck if a wood chuck could chuck wood.
• These thousand tricky tongue twisters trip off the tongue.
• Team with most points gets their BENIN – DETOUR clue.

Benin

• All members in team travel to Benin in a line and walking as if on a tightrope.
• Detour – choose between word unscramble or canoe races.
• Word Unscrammble – girls to spell out words from facts off sheet using letters; there will be no spare letters once completed.
• Canoe races – girls to make 1 canoe each, add some tape to the bottom of the canoe. Each canoe to get across the water without sinking. Girls have to blow; no hands.
• Once complete give GUINEA – ROADBLOCK clue

Guinea

• Skip backwards to Guinea
• One person is to find the ‘bug’ inside the bowl of pudding
• They are only allowed to use their mouth to get it out.
• The bug has their next clue on it; DEVOTION clue

Devotions

• As a team jump holding hands to find the cross.
• Complete the activity using the instructions on the sheet
• Give AFRICA clue

Africa

• Girls are to keep together as a team and find 15 Africa facts, these are located all around the building.
• Once complete, team can go to the pitstop.

PIT STOP!

Wednesday's Word of the Week - God is Enough

Let’s face it–anxiety or worry have no advantages! They ruin our health, rob us of joy, and change nothing! Our day stands no chance against the terrorists of the Land of Anxiety.

But Christ offers a worry-bazooka. Remember how He taught us to pray? “Give us this day our daily bread. Matthew 6:11” This simple sentence unveils God’s provision plan: live one day at a time.

Worry gives small problems big shadows. Corrie ten Boom said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows; it empties today of its strength.” And Romans 8:28 affirms: “Every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.”

Most anxiety stems, not from what we need, but from what we want. Philippians 4:4 says, “delight yourselves in the Lord, yes, find your joy in Him at all times!”

If God is enough, you’ll always have enough!

From Great Day Every Day by Max Lucado

Toolbox Tuesday - Guest Speaker

9. Be a Guest Speaker

Without a doubt, the best way to engage people in your organisation is to speak to the face-to-face. Regardless of who the audience is, being a guest speaker allows people to see, hear and feel the passion you have for your organisation. That excitement and commitment helps build excitement and commitment in them.

To achieve the most impact in your talk, make sure you tell real stories about how your organisation has benefited the community. Make it personal and focus on the stories, not the statistics. By all means use power point as a tool, but avoid simply reading screens of information – it’s boring and forgettable.

Local service groups such as Lions and Rotary are always on the look out for interesting speakers. You can find your local clubs by visiting the following websites:

Lions Clubs
Rotary
Round Table New Zealand
Zonta New Zealand
Kiwanis International

Theme Thursday - World of Friends Africa - Amazing Race

Girls’ Brigade Africa Amazing Race

Week 2:

• Get girls back into teams from previous week 
• Explain rules of the game 

1. No running 
2. Work as a team 
3. No put down comments 
4. Detour – choose between 2 activities (do only 1) 
5. Roadblock – only one person from team does activity, different person from the team each week. 
6. Idea of the game is to make it to the end, not about winning prizes. 

Africa

• ‘Water’ Relays 
• Line up in teams 
• First relay – bucket balance, girls balance bucket on head to chair and back again 
• Second relay – Camel relay race, girls on all fours with upside down bucket on their back, balance bucket on back to chair and back. 
• Team with most points gets their TANZANIA – DETOUR clue. 

Tanzania

• All members in team travel to Tanzania leap frog style 
• Detour – choose between cooking or singing 
• Cooking – girls to cook Tanzanian Baked Bananas, and eat 
• Singing – girls to learn words to Toto off by heart and sing 
• Once complete give NIGERIA clue 

Nigeria

• Travel as a human knot to Nigeria 
• One person is chosen to have their face painted, another person is the painter 
• The rest of the team is to tell the painter how to paint the persons face 
• Once finished, give DEVOTION clue 

Devotions

• Find the cross 
• Complete the activity using the instructions on the sheet 
• Give KENYA clue 

Kenya

• Girls to travel acting and sounding like monkeys to Kenya 
• Girls to make one bracelet each using beads. 
• Once complete, team can go to the pitstop. 

PIT STOP!