You can have the best mission on earth, the most compelling reason to give money and the most fabulous events and activities, but if you don’t get the word out, nobody will ever know. You don’t have to be a professional PR exec or boast top-tier connections to get your news placed. What you do need, however, is an understanding of the area newspaper and media guidelines and the ability to follow the specifications set out by editors and reporters.

In this section, you’ll find:

• The 10 Commandments of Good PR, which gives suggestions for getting started
• A Press Release Template that you can adapt for your own use
• A Sample Press Release to give you an idea what a news release looks like and the type of information it should feature
• A Sample Calendar Listing for events and activities that are listed in the community schedule of local newspapers, television and web sites.
• Templates that you can use to create a web site for your local chapter.