District 24 Communication Plan 2007 - 2008

Prepared by Pat Hannan, pro@district24toastmasters.com

Goal:

Establish and maintain mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance and cooperation between the district and its members, as well as between the district and the public, working to increase awareness of Toastmasters through all available media. Administer policies and programs related to public relations for Toastmasters International, District 24 and the member clubs.

Strategies:

• Serve as a staff officer under the direction of the District Governor
• Work in support of the District Governor, Lt Gov Education and Training, and Lt Gov Marketing in an effort to successfully train division governors, area governors and club officers.
• Serve as a resource agent for club Vice President of Education
• As well as accept responsibilities outlined in the Public Relations Officer Job Description.

Plan:

Double Dozen

The Double Dozen Newsletter will be published monthly with a target publication date of the 1st of each month. A story plan will be developed and distributed on an as needed basis to district leadership and other key members of District 24. The deadline for stories will be the 21st of each month and a turn around to the District Governor on the 25th with final reviews to meet the publication schedule.

A newsletter editor will format the document with information provided by the Public Relations Officer (PRO). As a minimum, each edition will provide current news, a message from the trio members, featured clubs or members, skills building tips and information about Toastmasters International.

The newsletter will be distributed via a subscriber list from the administration of the domain hosting service offering an opt-out feature. The newsletter will be mailed to members if requested. Additionally the newsletter and past issues will be available online. Topics will be tightly linked to the Toastmasters International calendar to harness other information sources.

A newsletter story board will be provided to key district members of upcoming stories for the Double Dozen and solicit input and guest authors.

District Website

E-Mail

District e-mail addresses will be used by the leadership team using the district24toastmasters.com domain name. Auto forwards or pop accounts can be used to offer members the opportunity to contact team members without knowledge of the leader's personal e-mail address. When elections are held and transitions are made the e-mail will be redirected to the new officer. E-mail accounts will be set up for District Governor, Lt. Gov. Education & Training, Lt. Gov. Marketing, Public Relations Officer, Division Governors and other leadership team members as requested.

Visitor's Promotions

Visitor promotions will be held during the year and will be coordinated with the district trio. Press releases, internal marketing to clubs, areas and divisions as well as external marketing to local news programs will be conducted.

Mailings

While electronic mailing of breaking news items and newsletter information will be used, in some cases postal mailing will be used to supplement the electronic version. Some items that will be mailed might include promotion of the district conference or other key information that deserves additional "press".

Photography

Photos from the district website will be available to members as requested. Copyrighted photos taken by professional photographers will not be published on line or in the newsletter without the express written permission of the copyright owner.

Media Contacts

Press releases will be sent to newspapers and magazines as appropriate. The District Public Relations Officer will work with Club Vice President of Public Relations to coordinate any media information promoting their clubs on an as needed basis. Television and radio contacts will be used to promote activities as they are available.

The names "Toastmasters International," "Toastmasters," and the Toastmasters International emblem are trademarks protected in the United States, Canada, and other countries where Toastmasters Clubs exist. Unauthorized use is prohibited.