Spreading the Word….
November 16, 2008
by The New Agenda
|
To our Dear and Devoted Members:
Part of our work together is getting the word out about our organization. This week we announced the notion of “Bring a Friend” Wednesdays where we ask each member to invite on friend, neighbor, workmate, or family member to join our group.
We will also have flyers up on our website shortly that you can print out and hang around your community to help build your own chapter of The New Agenda.
Today, one of our Founders, Jennifer Lee, who is experimenting with other ways to spread the word, wrote this lovely story that we wanted to share with you:
Tonight I had my hair cut by a young (probably 26ish) woman. I wore my button that read:
She asked about the button. I explained it and we continued to have a great conversation. She was fascinated, interested and shocked at how little representation we have. She kept asking questions about gender equity and The New Agenda.It was a great feminist conversation.
When I went to pay her at the cash register she was standing with two other women behind the counter—her co-workers.
I had an extra button with me and handed it to her.
She was thrilled and turned to the woman next to her and repeated everything I told her. Then she said to the woman “We have to get to 50%.”
She turned to me and said, “Right?”
“Right,” I said.
She was elated.
I think the buttons work—it was my first day wearing mine.
Today was a great day
also finding that people are eager for the group’s info. last week I left the web addy with a customer who has nine adult-aged daughters and granddaughters, and just yesterday someone else I was visiting practically lunged across the table for a pen as I was telling her about the group. today I’m attending a home demo and have no doubt I’ll be spreading the word again to more interested people. a lot of voters were deeply affected by this election.
I think the idea of having buttons or cards with the New Agenda’s web address on them that we can hand out when we invite people to join is a good idea. I invited a couple of friends on Wednesday, and I told them that I also wanted to invite another mutual friend, but that I was leaving her for them to invite next Wednesday. “Each one reach one”.”
I see that the New Agenda also has a Facebook. This is a great way to spread the word. Anyone on this site should add them to their page, and send something out to their friends. Just a few clicks on the keyboard …
Great idea Tina!
What a great story! And, the button is fantastic! It’s like a teaser, in advertising. Doesn’t say so much that it’s apparent, but just enough to spark interest…..then, get a conversation going. I gotta see where I can buy some on the web site!
HELP NEEDED: Just tried to find how/where on the site I can buy a button. Can’t find it.
Anna: Jennifer is doing a trial with the buttons. We’ll post information about how to order them if it’s successful.
We’re going to get a “How can I promote The New Agenda?” info pack together, and we’ll post that as soon as we organize it.
So much to do!
Another thing that has worked really well in my industry is pens with the info printed on them. Especially if you get the unusual looking ones that catch people’s attention. They are relatively cheap in bulk and since they are something you actually use, people don’t just throw them in a drawer. They wind up spread all over the country because people leave them and someone else picks them up and uses them etc. I still see our customers using pens we gave out two years ago as well as the new ones.
Dawn – Thanks. Please don’t hesitate to post a Help Wanted sign if you all need assistance of any kind with anything!
We definitely DO need help.
Right now members, if anyone knows a branding expert/artist that could help us with our logo that would be terrific!
Can’t wait to order some buttons. People ask about my PUMA bracelet all the time. I would love to have buttons and be able to give them out. I still have the 57cents button that I wore through college. (Just noticed that my computer does not have a cents sign, I guess it says something about inflation.)
Amy – I don’t know any branding experts, but I have a lot of artist connections in the city where I used to live. I will put the word out and see if anything useful comes back. I have one excellent idea and will try to track this person down now…
Amy – Am I correct in assuming that whatever help you need with branding/logo would be work done pro bono, or is their a stipend, etc. Please let me know so as I find a few people I’m trying to track down, I can give them so basic info. Thanks…(I’m working on tracking them down now – there are 3 artists in particular who are amazing artists, all feminists, and their work is often infused with women’s issues, etc…
Yes, at this point would need to be pro-bono — which is how all of us are operating (ex costs for site design).
Amy – I figured. I jsut wanted to make sure so I could speak accurately. Have you thought of putting up a place on the web site that lists what you need at this point? Sort of like a wish list, but services?
Yes – good suggestion. Might do so tonight.
How about a more official sign-up for membership? And to start, an optional donation that people can make while signing up or a tip jar?
A wish list is a great idea – people like donating to specific things. It makes them feel like their money isn’t going into a bottomless pit. The nonprofit that I worked for was much more successful with fundraising when they provided donors options to choose where there donations went.
BTW, I really like the button. I’d totally wear that.
I hope the options across the top of the home page will soon include:
About
Board of Directors and Advisory Board (if any)
I hope the options across the top of the home page will soon include:
About
Board of Directors and Advisory Board (if any)
Amy and others
I sent a sem-long e-mail last night to become a member that included a few other ideas and an update on reaching out to artists who might be able to help with branding/logo, etc. Hope you got it.
Just clicked on “Action”. A few comments:
1. Letters are extremely well written, if not a bit long for their purpose (ie, be read in full by those they are mailed to!).
2. Action seems to denote actions taken by The New Agenda as opposed to including actions visitors or members can take. Wondering if that will change, ie. sub-headings of actions to include: actions taken by TNA, and actions members can take.
3. In order to make things clear to those clicking on the link, perhaps helpful to add a few words to each action item denoting who the letter recipient is. Without this, it feels like the in-club of those in the know and for those who don’t recognize a name, out-of-the-know. I think it’s crucial to make things accessible and to avoid this sort of feeling. For example, you could write: “Letter to Jeff Zucker, President and CEO of……, to address Chris Matthews’ persistent sexist behavior on air”, or something like that. Then the reader instantly knows what it’s about and can decide if they want to read the letter or ignore.
4. I would urge against signing a letter as an organization, only. Letters come from a person or people. I think you increase your chances of having a reader be read, be responded to and increase you credibility when you put names to paper. The org name might be listed under the name(s), but without names, I think you lessen your chances of receiving a response considerably. It’s hard to picture any high powered person writing back: Dear The New Agenda, not to mention that anyone who receives a letter wants to know who it’s from and who they need to address in response.
I agree on the letter signing. I helped out in fundraising at the nonprofit that I worked at and that was a big thing – always sign a real person’s name and not the organization. It’s humanizing.
Leave your Response Want an avatar? Get a gravatar!
Community Room
February 6, 2012 at 4:25 pm
January 30, 2012 at 2:36 pm
January 26, 2012 at 4:38 pm
January 23, 2012 at 1:04 pm
January 15, 2012 at 11:37 am
January 9, 2012 at 6:36 pm
January 7, 2012 at 10:10 pm
January 5, 2012 at 9:31 am
BUILD your NETWORK
Our Network of College Women
Protecting our Teenage Girls
We’re in the Media »
Click to see our latest stories in the media
More Stories »Recent Comments
The Latest from our Blog
Archives
Pioneer Mentors
Blogroll
Find us Online
Subscribe Entries (RSS) | Comments (RSS)
The New Agenda is a 501(c)(4) organization dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls by bringing about systemic change in the media, at the workplace, at school and at home. More...