Extra! Extra! A Guide for Developing a Site Newsletter Danielle Gieger Denver Rescue Mission The Crossing June 2010

The Crossing Youth Department Why a newsletter? ◦ Needs ◦ Communication “We ain’t one-at-a-timin’ here. We’re MASS communicatin’!” —Pappy O’Daniel, Oh Brother Where Art Thou!

Format Microsoft Publisher ◦ Many newsletter templates ◦ Simplicity of the program Choosing a format Editing the format

Stories Relevance ◦ Who is reading the newsletter? Current Events ◦ Calendars, events, new policies Well Written ◦ Proofread!

Planning Establishing a Time Frame ◦ Weekly? Monthly? The DBYC News ◦ 1st of the Month: Publish, print, and distribute ◦ Week 1: Brainstorm, research ◦ Week 2: Decide and develop stories ◦ Week 3: Write/edit stories ◦ Week 4: Final touches: proofread, pictures, style

Final Touches Proofreading ◦ Spell check, grammar check ◦ Fresh eyes Pictures ◦ Photo-Media Release ◦ Relevance Style ◦ Fonts, color, size, borders, background, and design

Resources Local Area Events ◦ Free days, cheap days Community Resources ◦ Rec Centers, School Info, Neighborhood Associations Internet Resources ◦ Parents and Kids