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What is the value of newsletters?

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As editor of the newsletter for my local woodturning club for the past 4 years of so, I have been concerned about the details of creating and delivering the it to our members. I have always felt that out newsletter was pretty but lacked content. We have never been very successful at getting much input from the members for contributions.

It seems that there must be a better way, so I am asking forum members who think they have a good newsletter to email me a copy for ideas. My term is office is about to end, and I would like to help the new editor make some substantial improvements.

Does anyone have a great way of generating content? From other posts on this forum, it looks like other clubs end up relying on one individual to do it all. Is this true?

I thank you in advance for your input and look forward to some stimulating discussion of an important club function.
 
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Keith, one of the things that the editor of our BWT newsletter has been including are pictures of members and demonstrator's work during our "instant gallery/show and tell/demonstrator" presentations. Descriptions are included when available. This is valuable, especially to members who are unable to make a meeting or want to revisit something later on. And it's certainly relevant to all club members.
 
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Well Keith, here is the recent copy of the North Coast Woodturners, from Cleveland, Ohio, the editor is Brian Becker, and friend of mine, and he makes up the newsletter, the attached link below will take you to the email version of the letter, you can check it out.....it seems to be a good informative newsletter, and it expands all the time with Gallery pictures of members...good info for old business/demo's and what is up and comming.....hope this helps...dennis Taylor







http://www.ncwt.org/newsletters/2004 Newsletters/2004_06/ncwtnews_04_06.htm
 
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newsletters

Thanks Jim and Dennis

I looked at the North Coast Woodturners newsletter and it is similar to what I have been putting out. It looks very nice on the internet and is very well done. I am glad to be able to look at it. Do I understand that it expands with more pictures through the month? or is it static?

I guess I was thinking that our newsletter could be improved by making it more magazine-like with complete articles that would cover a different topic than was presented at the meetings.

Perhaps a newsletter needs only to show some pictures from the meeting, the presidents column, the upcoming schedule and some other club news items.

I hope other I can get a look at some other club newsletters.

Thanks
 
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The Spin Doctor said:
I guess I was thinking that our newsletter could be improved by making it more magazine-like with complete articles that would cover a different topic than was presented at the meetings.
Therein lies the rub...you can't do it alone and it's very, very difficult to get folks to contribute such material beyond an initial rush of excitement. I created and edited a very nice newsletter for an organization I belonged to a number of years ago. It was a graphic arts "work of art", but it was pulling teeth getting anyone to write more than dribble. After two years, I hung it up and moved on. Too much work, especially as a volunteer.
 
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Jim,

I guess you hit the nail on the head. No one wants to be bothered to put out the effort required. I found just getting the wordprocessor to properly display all the pictures with descriptions was hard enough. The trick is how to get meaningful content without having to make it a big job.

There must be some ideas out there that are in use that do not require great effort but that could improve in the basic format described.

I have been considering doing a biographical review of a different club member each month with photos of the member, his/her shop, favorite turnings etc. Or having a monthly virtual tour of member shops. These would be fun to put together, but not too difficult. This idea fits the bill for a column that everyone would look forward to.

Also thinking of generating list of possible articles or columns and asigning the job to a different person each month on a rotational basis until everyone in the club made a contribution. Somehow trying to entrain some participation...
 
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Guys,

I also have been the sole provider of our newsletter(3yrs.more or less.) No complaints, someone has to do it. I learned early on the kiss principle was important to our group. A breif overview of the last meeting any upcoming events and a few kind words about the show and tell tabe and evening demo was all that was or seemed important. I'm sure each region has its own requirements but this is what works for us.
:)
 
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Jake Debski said:
Guys,

I also have been the sole provider of our newsletter(3yrs.more or less.) No complaints, someone has to do it. I learned early on the kiss principle was important to our group. A breif overview of the last meeting any upcoming events and a few kind words about the show and tell tabe and evening demo was all that was or seemed important. I'm sure each region has its own requirements but this is what works for us.
:)

Jake,

That is about what I have done as well and there have been no complaints but I am afraid no one is going to complain, because they fear getting elected to do the job! I wonder is others agree with keeping it basic. Is there a much else we really need to add to keep everyone happy if the truth be known?
 
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Club newsletters

Keith --Here's the URL to the June newsletter done for the Minnesota Woodturners Association. I only took this on when our last editor had to stop doing the publication because of time constraints. I've done only two since that happened and do not plan to continue. Even though I'm retired (a newspaper photographer), it's too much for one person.

http://www.mnwoodturners.com/newsletters/June2004.pdf

Prior to my doing the publication, I was a frequent contributor doing most of the photo coverage (and some writing) for club meetings and frequent articles with photos on hands-on sessions which I coordinated for the club up through January of this year. I agree with others here who have stated that it's important to have a staff of contributors. The wife of one of our members did do the writeups for our last two membership meetings and I was grateful for that. She had newspaper experience and did a great job.

I think a newsletter can be important but only if it can be done by more than one person. I suspect we'll need to rely more heavily on our club web site to get out club information and that can be problematic because we still have about 15 percent of our membership without Internet access.
 
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Basic Content

Keith,

I was the editor of our newsletter for the last year, and i think that a basic newsletter filled the requirement for our members. As mentioned in a previous post, the more detailed and complex the newsletter gets the more assistance is required to get it completed and finding willing contributors is a lot harder than it sounds. About 25% of our members don't have email or Web access so i ended up mailing copies to them and emailed copies to the remainder. Additionally, i posted the newsletters on our Website so everyone could access them at a later date.
 
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Member Participation

Hi Keith - I've been the journal editor with the North Carolina Woodturners since Feb. 2002 -- I'm the third editor since the NCW first formed in 1990. When I volunteered for the position, I was given copies of all the past newsletters; the general content of our newsletter has not changed in 14 yrs., only the way the newsletter has been published and the gernal layout.

Normally, our newsletter is 8 pages in length, but has also been 4 or 12, depending on how much information I have at the time of publishing. Each newsletter generally includes the following:

* message from the president, telling the members about current activities and events, related to our club, neighboring clubs, and the AAW.

* introduction to the next month's demonstrator -- a picture here is really worth including, if possible.

* summary of the events planned for the rest of the year, so people can mark their calendars.

* member news -- new member announcements, membership attaboys, etc.

* library news -- new video and book purchases added to our library.

* demonstrator review -- photo and text writeup of the previous month's demonstration. At the beginning of the year, we try to get enough volunteers to write at least one or two reviews per year. Having different members volunteer to do this gives variety in writing styles, perceptions, etc. Getting the volunteers is not easy, as you know, and sometimes it may need more involvment with the board members to help move this along.

* monthly challenge projects -- including a photo of the previous month's winner, the current month's challenge, and summary of challenge projects for the balance of the year (since some projects may require more than one month to plan).

* instant gallery photos and descriptions, if available, from the previous month's entries. This is a great way to share ideas with the members, and fill space at the same time!

* mentor list -- members who are willing to help other turners for hands-on skills.

* next meeting date and time -- highlighted and repeated.


The rest of the newsletter is "filler" material, including member classified ads, special announcements, etc. Throughout the year, some members submit articles on their experience at one of the woodturning schools, tips & techniques, book or video reviews, etc. When I get the articles and photos, I store them where I can pull one out when I have space available. As in your club, not all of our members have email or internet access, so I still get articles and classified ads in the mail, and have to re-type or scan these in. I have also used some of our "early years" articles and re-printed them. If all else fails, I find an article I like from one of the turning forums, other chapters' newsletters, etc., and ask the author for permission to re-print it. This part is, as I see it, my major role as the editor -- to make sure I have enough material to fill the newsletter, to fill at least 8 pages. I don't re-write the articles -- I just fill in the spaces.

To put the newsletter together and get it out, it takes the effort of various board members and NCW officers, our club photographer (member volunteer), and other member volunteers for demonstrator write-ups, additional photos (usually of the demonstration), mailing list database management, and newsletter mailings. Members who bring in their pieces for the instant gallery are also a tremendous help -- a photo takes up space!!

I don't wish "doing it all" on anyone. Finding the volunteers may not be easy to do, but push hard -- pass the sign up list around a few times. Some may be reluctant at first, but with the right encouragement........

Good luck!

John Uteck
North Carolina Woodturners
 
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Keith,

I don't know if you have access to this info yet, but this was forwarded from our club president, and it was sent to him by Carl Voss, Editor American Woodturner.

I would like to thank the 26 chapters that entered the AAW's first chapter newsletter contest. The newsletters submitted were really inspiring with all showing the imagination and talents of the respective volunteer editors.

It goes without saying that editing the chapter newsletter is one of the most important tasks of any volunteer organization. And the AAW is no exception.

The top three newsletter editors will receive award plaques at the Orlando Symposium. They are to be congratulated! The winners are:

First Award OVWG Newsletter, Ohio Valley Woodturners Guild, Pete Kekel, editor http://www.ovwg.org

Second Award Minnesota Woodturners, Minnesota Woodturners, Bonnie McDermid, editor http://www.mnwoodturners.com

Third Award CAW Newsletter, Capital Area Woodturners, Jim Marstall, editor http://www.capwoodturners.org

Visit the respective web sites where you can see their fine newsletters.
Also included in the final round were newsletters from Bucks Woodturners (Ed Lashen, editor), and North Carolina (John Uteck, editor).

Here are some characteristics that distinguished newsletters. Some of the chapters with good examples are noted in parenthesis.

*Contact information. Phone and e-mail addresses of chapter officers and committee chairs. (OVWG, Minnesota).

*Mentor list. Phone and community for woodturning mentors. (OVWG, Central Texas).

*Chapter calendar. List of chapter activities for upcoming months (OVWG, Minnesota). We all need more than one reminder of important events.

*Promote upcoming programs. Put a little sizzle in promoting demos and other chapter activities. Some chapters (Minnesota, Bayou, Loess Hills) include a MapQuest map to help members locate the next meeting. If you don't have a demonstrator or special program, you'll have to be more creative to get members to attend.

*New members. List new members, who will help integrate members into the chapter.

*Show and Tell. Your members will want to know the wood species and size of the pieces shown. (CAW, Carolina Mountain).

*Photo captions. If you publish a photo of a member, be sure to include complete caption identification information. Minnesota Woodturners do an excellent job.

*Three- or four-column format. Our eyes read and have an easier time absorbing information on pages that have three or more columns on a page (Minnesota, OVWG). Popular software programs, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, and PageMaker, include templates to simplify this task. If you newsletter is mailed, you may find it easier to print multiple pages on 11x17-inch paper, which simplifies handling (Bayou, Central Texas).

*Chapter website. If your chapter has a website, be sure to prominently promote the address (Bayou, Central Indiana, Nor-Cal).

*Chapter library. Promote new acquisitions to your library (North Carolina).

*Member activities. Names make news! Consider reporting member activities, including travel to woodturning classes and exhibit information (CAW).

One more suggestion: If you haven't already done so, please consider splitting the newsletter editing and newsletter distribution (mailing) into two separate volunteer opportunities. Your editor will appreciate the gesture.

The judges were Marlen Kemmet, WOOD magazine managing editor; Jan Svec, WOOD magazine project editor, and myself, Carl Voss, American Woodturner editor.

Please forward this message to your chapter members.
 
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Thanks Bob!,

Thanks so much for your input. I can't believe how much work those clubs put into their newsletter! This thread has been so very helpful to me and I hope to our future editor. I certainly appreciate the list of topics to be included. I wish I had done this earlier!

I only hope we can recruit some meaningful help to really put our newsletter into high gear because it has become so obvious to me that it needs to be a group effort.
 
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Chuck Bjorgen said:
Keith --Here's the URL to the June newsletter done for the Minnesota Woodturners Association. I only took this on when our last editor had to stop doing the publication because of time constraints. I've done only two since that happened and do not plan to continue. Even though I'm retired (a newspaper photographer), it's too much for one person.

http://www.mnwoodturners.com/newsletters/June2004.pdf

Prior to my doing the publication, I was a frequent contributor doing most of the photo coverage (and some writing) for club meetings and frequent articles with photos on hands-on sessions which I coordinated for the club up through January of this year. I agree with others here who have stated that it's important to have a staff of contributors. The wife of one of our members did do the writeups for our last two membership meetings and I was grateful for that. She had newspaper experience and did a great job.

I think a newsletter can be important but only if it can be done by more than one person. I suspect we'll need to rely more heavily on our club web site to get out club information and that can be problematic because we still have about 15 percent of our membership without Internet access.

Thanks for letting me see that outstanding newsletter! It is what I had dreamed of and sets the standard as far as I am concerned!
 
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