Reaching out to media to introduce your board to the community!

This is the second in a series of blogs posts about “Successful Strategies” for First Book Advisory Boards.

Heather V., the chair of First Book-Kenosha/Racine, WI, wanted to increase awareness in the community of her newly formed campus advisory board as well as gain the interest of volunteers and donors. The board’s public relations member suggested that they meet with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Public Relations director. This led to interviews with 2 local newspapers and a radio station.

The publicity has generated amazing responses. The board has heard from recipient groups, volunteers, and a local library that has offered to request funds for the advisory board from their “Friends of the Library” group. Heather says she’s most pleased by the number of people who spoke to her about seeing the interviews in the paper. She says, “This indicates that initial seeds are being spread, and more people will likely be interested in supporting First Book in the future.”

If your advisory board has other successful tips for raising awareness of your board in the community, please share your story.