Creating an E-mail Newsletter

Here are some tips for creating or improving an e-mail newsletter for your club or division members.

• Ask members what they want

  Ask your members what information they want to be included in the newsletter. A free online survey can be used to get feedback on what has been in the newsletter or what your members would like to see included in the newsletter.

• Use color, graphics and pictures

  Making the newsletter look better will increase readership, and with an e-mail newsletter, adding color, graphics and pictures doesn't increase costs.

• Make the newsletter easy to read

  Make sure the articles are put together so that they are easy to follow in the newsletter, and that the key information is located high in the story so readers won't get frustrated looking for details they need.

• Use the newsletter to refer members to other information sources

  Instead of repeating information that exists elsewhere, such as the Kiwanis International, District, Division or club web site, provide appropriate links. Other references can be useful as well, such links to information on other web sites about topics of interest to your members.

• Feature members

  Take some time and space to tell your members' stories as well. Members may not come forward with a story on their own, but they can be sources of valuable or interesting information. Increasing members' knowledge about each other can strengthen ties to the organization.

• Share success

  Tell your members about the good things that happen as result of your organization's activities. Members may remember the hard work they put in at a fund raiser but not be aware of the children who were able to go to camp as a result. Let members know that their efforts pay off and how they pay off.

• Make it easy for members

  Publish the newsletter in the "pdf" format, which is the most widely used and easiest for most users. Rather than e-mail the newsletter to people, possibly causing a problem due to its size, post it on your club's web site and then e-mail links to it to your members. That way they can download it when they are ready. Make sure the newsletter can be easily handled by a variety of computer users, and can be successfully printed if people choose to do that.