Shine in the Press – part I

Posted on May 16, 2017 by splashways

How to Wrap it!

Happy Chanukah to you! In past Chanukah ezines, I’ve focused on brightening up your holiday press releases with Chanukah themes. For example, I’ve advocated using the number eight – as in eight miracles happened here, or eight Chanukah chesed activities. This year though, I am making good on last month’s promise to focus on writing effective press releases.

A few weeks ago, a client asked me to review a news release about a Chanukah toy-packing project. Students pack toys, for distribution, to young hospital patients and their siblings in Israel. No doubt, it is a wonderful cause that teaches children to help others and be grateful for their own good fortunes.

Funded by a generous local family that devotes energy, time, and funds, the program ensures that each child’s “wish list” is fulfilled. So far, so good. However, by the time I finished reading the press release I had one burning question: Is this a release promoting the school or the charity?

Original Article: Students Pack for Chanukah

Every Chanukah, the Dreidel Drive purchases and delivers thousands of toys to gravely ill children and their siblings in Israel. The wish lists of toys are collected from the children by organizations in Israel and are then passed on to the Gold family in Denver. The Golds’ make a powerful effort to fulfill each child’s wish list. MP4’s, bicycles, digital cameras, dolls, train sets, Lego sets, computer accessories, stuffed animals, board games, warm coats, funky hats and mittens, are a few of the purchased Chanukah gifts.

In the days before Chanukah, all of the toys must be boxed, packed onto pallets, and loaded into shipping containers. Student volunteers of Chaim Crown Hebrew Day School diligently perform this task. Once the containers reach Israel the toys are sorted for specific hospitals, orphanages, and even private homes. When Chanukah arrives, bouncing, singing, dancing, and juggling clowns deliver the toys. A few of these clowns are our own students who participate in All About Clowns, a program that trains volunteer clowns.

All who witness these gifts delivered, describe a most beautiful sight; Children whose lives have become racked with illness and painful treatments are smiling radiantly, giggling, and bubbling with laughter. Transformed, they experience a respite of joy and light that lasts long after the special Chanukah visit.

On November 27th, there will be a charity event at a private home, to raise funds for the Dreidel Drive. For more information, contact (123) 444-7777 or email Moshe@DreidelDrive.com.

I gently explained to the client (who didn’t want a rewrite but just some feedback) that the focus was not in their best interests. Quite simply the release promoted Dreidel Drive but not the school. In fact, the school’s name did not even appear until the middle of the second paragraph. The release also contained way too many details. With my suggestions in mind, the client returned to me with the following revised opening paragraphs…

Revised Article: Chaim Crown Student Packs Toys and Lots of Smiles

Chaim Crown Hebrew Day School students spent Sunday morning participating in the annual Dreidel Drive and packing thousands of toys to be shipped to Israel. The toys will be distributed to the gravely ill children and their siblings in Tikva, an orphanage in Jerusalem, Shaare Tzedek, a children’s hospital in Netanya, and Beit David, a community center in Sderot.

Josh, a junior attending Chaim Crown Hebrew Day School said, “These calluses are from tying up twenty boxes of Legos, four train sets, six American Girl dolls, and three Wii games. They might burn tomorrow, but right now I’m imagining the children’s smiles when they open these gifts.”

Mr. Gold, founder of Dreidel Drive remarked, “It takes a lot of work to put this toy drive together. I am very proud of the long-standing support the Chaim Crown Hebrew Day School has provided. In April, the junior class held a carnival which raised thousands of dollars and today they’ve rolled up their sleeves to label and pack literally thousands of toys.”

Rabbi Bender, head of Chaim Crown Hebrew Day School, explained, “Some people may question how we can take students out of shiur to pack toys. I don’t see any conflict at all. Community service is integral to being a ben or bat Torah.”

(*Names, location, and contact information have been changed to retain anonymity.)

Click here to read Shine in the Press – part II

My team and I are here to help you communicate effectively, increase visibility and loyalty, recruit and retain students, and raise important funds. Should you have any questions about writing more effective press releases or about any of my day school services, please send me an email or call 516.569.8070.

Kol tuv,

Candace Plotsker-Herman

Shine in the Press – part II

Posted on May 16, 2017 by splashways

Ways to Illuminate…

Write a winning press release:
1. The main point and your school’s name should appear in the first two sentences.
2. When possible, paint a picture.
3. Keep you overall strategy in mind.
4. Yes, tell your Chanukah stories, but make sure they send a message that says more than, “we celebrated Chanukah.”

Fan the Flame:
1. If you want to get double duty out of the release by sending it to grandparent donors, send a release about an intergenerational Chanukah project.
2. If constituents think you do a stellar job with limudei kodesh but that you lag behind in general studies, highlight a program that uses up-to-date computer software or (supervised) social networking.
3. If you need to make the case that your students master Hebrew language skills, highlight your pen pal program with quotes of Chanukah correspondence between your students and those in Sderot.

Click here to read Shine in the Press – part I

Kol tuv,

Candace Plotsker-Herman

You’ve Got Mail

Posted on March 26, 2017 by splashways

We all have mail, way too much mail. This ezine is devoted to answering the question “How do you find the balance between being an effective communicator and nuisance?” As I was writing this ezine, I received a series of emails that exemplify worst practice in email communication. The example provided is meant to illustrate what email practices to avoid. It is not intended to be mean-spirited. I will also offer guidelines for best email practices.

A Few Culprits

#1. We now accept tuition via major credit cards. Hit administrational in the lower left- hand corner, then hit payment, click on tuition, hit credit card option…

#2. Our dinner committee is in full swing. Call to volunteer (no email address, just a phone number.)

#3. We received a matching grant for laptops from an anonymous donor. It expires in 45 days. To contribute, please call … (again no email address, just a phone number.)

As a non-parent, non-tuition paying constituent, the first email was definitely irrelevant. I also had minimal interest in the second message, “been there, done that,” flitting through my mind. Yet, it is certainly appropriate to encourage readers to volunteer. The third memo, well… if I hadn’t been mildly annoyed by the first two irrelevant emails, perhaps I would have been more inclined to contribute. The matching grant wasn’t expiring for another 45 days. There was no urgency and no need to bombard the already overloaded parent with yet another email in the same night.

Unfortunately, within the hour I received:

#4. A Shiva notice.

It was enough to make me unsubscribe.

So, how should a school communicate all of the above without annoying its constituents? Read on to see how to incorporate email into your overall communications plan.

A plan might feature a weekly email, a quarterly or semi-annual newsletter, a phone dialing (or parent chain) system, and if appropriate for your staff and parents, social networking.

A weekly email to parents makes sense for most day schools.
This should be a short update. Don’t fall into the trap of more is better. I’ve seen weekly newsletters morph from lively and informative two-pagers into monstrous 24-page magazines. In terms of weekly correspondence: less is more!

What should your newsletter-email include?
  One or two articles about secular news
  One or two articles about Jewish studies
  A one-paragraph Dvar Torah or educational message
  Any timely announcements
  Some happy pictures
  Exceptional school news

Remember, your weekly email newsletter should be a strategic vehicle for achieving specific goals. You know what your parents’ concerns are, so feature articles that will alleviate those concerns. For additional information in crafting an educational and illuminating newsletter that the parent may just read, please request the article “What Should your School Newsletter Do for You.”

Daily Email Guidelines

#1. Segment your list
Take the time to segment your list. Sub-groups may include: current parents, alumni parents, alumni, grandparents, donors, potential donors, and vendors. Many of these groups, particularly the current parent group, can be divided further.

#2. Give them What They Want – not What You Want Them to Want
It’s very tempting to send all your news to all your constituents.

I would love to have all my seventh-grade parents know everything about my high school. I would like them to know not only about the school’s mission but also the multitude of ways it achieves that mission. After all, when they choose a high school, all cumulative knowledge helps them make an informative decision.

Don’t succumb to the temptation. Most people want important and timely information. For everything else, there is a delete button.

(Think about it: Does a third-grade parent who is busy with work, after-school carpools, and a plan to get to the drycleaners before they close, really want to open an “important notice from school” email about the SAT deadline? Does the high school parent care about lice in the elementary school (if the buildings are totally separate?)

How do you find out what they want? Ask!

Some parents might want a weekly Shabbat email with a Dvar Torah. Grandparents might want one too. Ask if they would like to subscribe to your Shabbat list. Ask the alumna who was superstar athlete if she wants updates about the basketball team. These practices build goodwill. Constituents will actually look forward to rather than dread your emails!

#3. Appoint a Message Monitor. This is one person who has the final authority over the send button.
You may have multiple messages and each, of course, is important. But, barring emergencies, people need to communicate with each other about upcoming messages so the “message monitor” can plan an effective calendar. Otherwise, educational, administrative, and fundraising emails may end up in the recycle bin as a result of constituents email overload!

My team and I are here to help you communicate effectively, increase visibility and loyalty, recruit and retain students, and raise important funds. If you would like to chat about your needs, please send me an email or call 516.569.8070.

Kol tuv,

Candace Plotsker-Herman