Making Publicity a Priority in 2025
As we turn the page to a new year, many of us make resolutions to start new habits or expand our horizons, sometimes quite literally with a list of aspirational travel destinations.
It’s a mindset that has led to the increasingly popular “Dry January,” giving up drinking alcohol for the entire month.
When it comes to Rotary, we should also make a few resolutions, and improving publicity should top your list. You may be part of a thriving Club with noteworthy accomplishments, but if your community isn’t aware, then you aren’t properly leveraging the work.
The best way to add new members and retain existing ones is to create a community – not just a Club – that’s actively living the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self.”
And the best way to promote your Rotary “community” is to “Show Don’t Tell.”
Resolve to use your communication channels to actively demonstrate what you’re accomplishing through photos of Rotary members as People of Action. Appoint a Public Image Chair, and task them with taking photos at every Rotary gathering, whether a meeting or a project.
The photos shouldn’t be a group lined up like they’re facing a firing squad. Show your Club members in action, planting a garden, excitedly talking with each other, sorting food donations, or marching in a parade.
Then, use these action shots to tell your Club’s story.
It’s like creating a movie trailer for your Club. Trailers are teasers of what to expect if we buy a ticket and commit to 2 hours in a theater. Build a “teaser” of what potential members can expect if they show up at a meeting to explore your Club and meet members.
Need some pointers to get started? Join the Public Image Committee Zoom learning sessions coming up this month. On Jan. 14 at 6 p.m., we are hosting “ClubRunner - Basics of Creating Your Club Website” and on Jan, 15, at 7 p.m., a session on “Social Media Tools To Enhance Club's Public Image.” Sign up at https://njrotary.org.
I hope you make publicity a priority in 2025, and join us to learn how to get started! Happy New Year!
Amalia Duarte
Public Image Chair
Rotary Club of the Mendhams