International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day

PROMOTION & PUBLICITY TOOLKIT FOR

SURVIVOR DAY ORGANIZERS

INTRODUCTION:

What to Say and When to Say It2

Key Messages2

Timeline4

PROMOTION:

How to Reach Loss Survivors in Your Community6

Save-the-Date Emails and Information Cards6

Flyers and Posters7

Social Media8

Sample Tweets and Facebook Posts12

PUBLICITY:

How to Spread the Word through Newspapers, TV, and Radio14

Guidelines for Working with the Media14

Place a Calendar Listing in Local Media16

Calendar Listing Template18

Place a Media Advisory in Local Media19

Media Advisory Template23

Use Radio and Television PSAs 24

Sample Radio PSAs26

APPENDIX:

Sharing Your Story Safely and Responsibly27

INTRODUCTION:
What to Say and When to Say It

Local promotion and publicity are essential to spreading the word about your Survivor Day event. In this toolkit you’ll find everything you need to reach suicide loss survivors in your community and publicize your event through local/regional media channels. Please bear in mind that the sooner you start promoting your event, the more loss survivors you’ll reach who will have the opportunity to discover that they’re not alone.

If you have any questions, please contact AFSP's Public Relations Director, Alexis O’Brien, at or 347-826-3577.

Key Messages

Survivor Day Messages

  1. Survivor Day is a day when suicide loss survivors can gather together to find comfort and gain understanding as they share stories of healing and hope.
  2. International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day was created by an act of Congress in 1999 and since then has been sponsored and supported by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. It takes place every year on the Saturday before American Thanksgiving.
  3. In 2015 there were 330 locally organized events held throughout the US, Canada, and around the world.
  4. For those who are unable to attend a Survivor Day event in person, AFSP hosts a Survivor Day program online atafsp.org/SurvivorDay.

Suicide Messages

  1. In most parts of the world, suicide claims more lives than war, murder, and natural disasters combined.
  2. In most parts of the world, suicide is one of the leading causes of death.
  3. For each suicide there are scores of people left behind to make sense of what they’ve lived through.
  4. Everyone has a role to play in encouraging good mental health and better mental health care. Good mental health can help prevent suicide.
  5. Caring for those left behind in the aftermath of a suicide is an essential part of suicide prevention because suicide loss survivors who are left to grieve alone are at greater risk of suicide themselves.
  6. The slogan “If You See Something, Say Something” applies to suicide prevention as well. If you know of someone who is in distress, encourage them to seek help, provide them with mental health resources (e.g., by visiting afsp.org), and follow up with them to ensure they are seeking and finding the help they need.

AFSP Messages

  1. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is the nation’s leading organization in the fight against suicide. AFSP funds research, creates educational programs, advocates for smart public policy, and supports survivors of suicide loss.
  2. Each year, there are over 40,000 people who die by suicide in the US. It is AFSP’s goal to see the annual suicide rate reduced by 20 percent by 2025. AFSP is working toward a world in which suicide is universally preventable.
  3. AFSP is the largest private funder of suicide prevention research.
  4. AFSP invites suicide loss survivors to participate in its Out of the Darkness community, campus, and overnight fundraising walks, which take place across the US each year. In 2015 more than 210,000 people participated in 360 walks to prevent suicide.

Timeline

April

June

July

September

October

November

PROMOTION:
How to Reach Loss Survivors in Your Community

Save-the-Date Emails and Information Cards

Send save-the-date emails and distribute save-the-date information cards to previous Survivor Day attendees and to individuals and organizations that come into contact with suicide loss survivors.

  • Suicide bereavement support group facilitators
  • Clergy, religious organizations, and interfaith associations
  • Mental heath professionals
  • Mental health centers
  • Psychiatric hospitals and other outpatient/inpatient facilities
  • College counseling centers
  • Veteran and military organizations
  • Hospices
  • Funeral directors
  • Coroner’s offices
  • Members of theAssociation for Death Education and Counseling

Enlist your local event partner and local organizations to help you spread the word through newsletters and listservs.

Note:Be sure to include the afsp.org/SurvivorDayweb address in all your save-the-date emails.

On the Survivor Day Resources page, you will find:

  • A save-the-date email banner that you can paste into the signature field of your email program
  • Twosave-the-date emails: a general one to send out in the spring, and one to send out in the summer or fall that features the trailer for this year’s Survivor Day documentary

Flyers and Posters

On theSurvivor Day Resources page, you will find customizable flyers and posters to help you get the word out about International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day in general and about your local Survivor Day event in particular.

During AFSP’s fall walk season, display Survivor Day posters or set up an information table with Survivor Day materials, including flyers and information cards, at local Out of the Darkness community walks. To arrange to set up a table at your local community walk, reach out to your local AFSP chapter in early summer to work out the logistics.

Distribute flyers (in printed form or as email attachments) to loss survivors and to individuals and organizations who come into contact with them. See the previous page for a list of people and institutions that should be on your distribution list.

Social Media

Why Use Social Media?

Unlike traditional media, social media empowers you to share information and stories about issues that are important to you. As you begin to plan your Survivor Day event, it is important to establish a presence on social media websites like Facebook and/or Twitter. Not only can it increase the number of local suicide loss survivors you are able to reach, it can also raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental health issues in general.

Note to Survivor Day organizers whose events are (c0-)sponsored by AFSP:
All Survivor Day–related social media activity conducted by AFSP chapters is subject to AFSP’s social media guidelines, which you can review here if you have access to ChapterLand.


General “Do” and “Don’t” Suggestions

DO “like” AFSP National on Facebook ( You can also follow your local chapter and AFSP National on Twitter (twitter.com/afspnational) and even on Instagram (@afspnational).

DO be actively engaged with social media. Social media is more worthwhile if you are an active, ongoing user.

DO be creative with your content. Post interesting videos, pictures, stories, etc., to help promote your local event site. (See “Content Suggestions” below for examples.)

DO use the #SurvivorDay hashtag when posting on Twitter.

DON’T create your own Facebook page, group, or profile for your local Survivor Day event. The proliferation of individual Survivor Day pages becomes very confusing for Facebook users. Instead, promote Survivor Day through your personal profile (see “Promoting Your Event through Facebook” below) and connect to the AFSP Facebook page at

DO use the Survivor Day cover photo we have made available on the Survivor Day Resources page to help you promote your event on your Facebook page.

Content Suggestions

Post pictures of the loved ones you lost and share their stories.

Share videos: Go to [LINK TO COME]for a preview of this year’s Survivor Day film, [TITLE TO COME]. The link for the trailer is[LINK TO COME].

Post links:

  • Repost stories from AFSP National’s Facebook and Twitter pages. Find AFSP National’s page on Facebook by clicking the link above. To share on Facebook, click “share” under any post. You can share the posts without commenting or you can add some text about your own event. On Twitter, retweet by clicking the retweet button.
  • Share links from afsp.org as well. The AFSP website has the following resources for survivors of suicide loss (included in the suggested Facebook posts below):
  • Handling special occasions after a suicide loss:
  • Helping children understand suicide: [LINK TO COME]
  • 10 things to do for yourself after a suicide: [LINK TO COME]
  • Safely speaking out about suicide: [LINK TO COME]
  • AFSP infographic:
  • [ADDITIONAL RESOURCE LINKS TO COME]

Promoting Your Event through Facebook

Creating a public Facebook Event is a great way to share current information about your Survivor Day event with people inside and outside your circle of Facebook friends.

Note: A Facebook Event page is an event listing you create on your personal Facebook page; it is not a separate Facebook page, group, or profile devoted to your local Survivor Day event. As noted above, we advise against creating a separate Facebook page for your event.

  1. Sign in to your personal Facebook account.
  2. Create an event by clicking “Events” on the left-hand side of your Facebook page and by selecting “Create” just right of the middle of the page.
  3. Fill in your event details and invite all your Facebook friends to attend.
  • If your event is open to the public, select “Public” in the “Privacy” dropdown menu in the “Create New Event” window.
  • Explain on your event page how people can register for your event, e.g.:

“Thank you for your interest in our Survivor Day event. To register to attend, please visit YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK > and click “REGISTER” at the bottom of the page. Please note that you cannot officially register to attend our Survivor Day event through this Facebook Event page, which we use first and foremost to provide information about our event.”

Note: To find your afsp.org/SurvivorDay event link, go to afsp.org/SurvivorDay, find your local event webpage, copy the webpage link (it starts with [URL TO COME]), and paste it into the text above.

  1. Email your registrants the link to the Facebook Event and ask them to join and invite others.
  2. Be sure to post to your event page regularly.

Note: To tag AFSP in your posts, make sure you have “liked” the AFSP National page. When you write your post, type @ and start typing “afspnational”: the page name should come up automatically. Once you select it, the full name of the organization will appear in your post.

Promoting Your Event on Twitter

Most of your tweets will have to be 106 characters or less. Twitter posts are limited to 140 characters (including spaces), the link to your event webpage will take up 22 characters (Twitter automatically alters any URL to 22 characters, no matter the actual length of the link), and “#SurvivorDay” is 12 characters.

Using Twitter to promote your events is great, but if you don’t have any followers it may feel as though you’re speaking to no one. A great way to combat this and get the word out is to tweet “at” local universities, politicians, local and state-level publications, and other noisemakers, even if finding their handles (the names that follow @ on Twitter) may require a little bit of research. To tweet at someone, start a tweet with a period, then put in the @ symbol, and type the handle. If the venue where you’re hosting your Survivor Day event has a Twitter handle, you can use that, too.

Sample Tweets and Facebook Posts

Sample Tweets
Note: Please replace the phrases that are highlighted in yellow with your local event information. To find your afsp.org/SurvivorDay event link, go to afsp.org/SurvivorDay, find your local event webpage, copy the webpage link (it starts with [URL TO COME]), and paste it into your tweet.

  • .@Reporter On 11/21 survivors of suicide loss will gather together. Join us: YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK> #SurvivorDay
  • .@Publication International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is 11/21. Join us: YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK> #SurvivorDay
  • .@Politician Watch the [TITLE TO COME]trailerabt #suicideloss: [LINK TO COME]see the film w/us: YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK>
  • .@University Every 40 seconds someone in the world dies by suicide. #SurvivorDay helps those left behind cope
  • .@LocalCelebrityThere are millions of #suicideloss survivors around the world. #SurvivorDay brings us together. YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK>
  • .@Business RT to help #suicideloss survivors in TOWN/STATE cope. #SurvivorDay is 11/21 YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK>

Sample Facebook Posts
A. For your personal Facebook page

  • Every 40 seconds someone in the world dies by suicide. I lost my (friend/relative NAME) to suicide. On November 19, join me and others like me for International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day at TIME in LOCATION <YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK>
  • Visit afsp.org/SurvivorDay to find an International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day event near you.
  • On November 19, International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, I will be remembering my (friend/relative). Who will you remember? YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK>
  • There are millions of survivors of suicide loss around the world. On International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day, we join together as one community for mutual support and understanding. YOUR AFSP.ORG/SURVIVORDAY EVENT LINK>

B. For your Facebook Event page

  • On November 19, we will gather at our local International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day event to remember our loved ones and watch [FILM TITLE TO COME], a film for and about survivors of suicide loss. Until then, if you are coping with the loss of a loved one, read the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Resource and Healing Guide. : [LINK TO COME]
  • Special occasions can be difficult for those struggling with a loss. AFSP offers this resource:
  • For more information about International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, please visit afsp.org/SurvivorDay
  • If you know any children who have recently experienced a suicide loss, please read this resource from AFSP: : [LINK TO COME]
  • Many survivors of suicide loss read to gain understanding about suicide and to find comfort in other people’s stories of healing. Here is a list of books by and for loss survivors: : [LINK TO COME]
  • Who will you be remembering on November 19?
  • Post on November 18:
    Don’t forget tomorrow is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. Please join us at TIME in LOCATION.
    [This is also the time to remind your attendees of any practical information they might need: simple driving directions, parking info, public transportation info, etc.]

PUBLICITY:
How to Spread the Word through Newspapers, TV, and Radio

Guidelines for Working with the Media

Please note:A media story about Survivor Day can be an important way of creating awareness about the impact of suicide on those left behind and the resources available to help. However, the primary goal of this day is to provide a safe, healing space for survivors. It’s extremely important to work closely with any media at your local eventto ensure that this environment is maintained and no loss survivor’s privacy is violated.

Ask these key questions:

  1. Why does the journalist want to attend? Is he/shea survivor?
  2. What is the objective or focus of their article/story?
  3. What type of media outlet is this report for? Newspaper, radio, TV, online, school newspaper?
  4. Do they want to record audio, video, or take photographs? Or will they just be taking written notes?
  5. Do they want to interview survivors, mental health professionals, or volunteers?
  6. Have they reviewed AFSP’smedia recommendations for reporting on suicide(which phrases to avoid, how to strike a responsible tone, etc.)? Clickhereto accessthe recommendations; download the document, andsend it along to reporters who express an interest in covering Survivor Day.

Guidelines:

  1. Be direct and clear in explaining to journalists that this is a healing conference for those grieving after a suicide and that we must be sensitive to their loss and mindful of their privacy.
  2. Inform journalists that no audio or video recording, photography, or interviews are permitted at the eventwithout your prior approval.
  3. Instead, work with journalists to set up any audio/video recording, photographs, or interviews with pre-selected survivors, mental health professionals, or volunteers prior to the event. These can be done earlier in the week or in the morning before the eventstarts.
  4. Try to have a minimum of three people available for media interviews.
  5. Journalists are never permitted to attend sharing sessions.
  6. Journalists should review the media recommendations for reporting on suicide beforehand (see point 6 above).

If a reporter wants to do an interview about Survivor Day:Clickhereto access our guidelines on how suicide loss survivors can share their story safely and responsibly. If you are able to arrange for a survivor in your community to conduct an interview with a local reporter, download the document, then forward it to the survivor in question (or consult the document yourself, if you are the loss survivor who will be interviewed).