Facilitated by AG/DGND Phyllis Danks

Public Image Round Table Notes
4/25/15 The Lodge at Welch Allyn

Facilitated by AG/DGND Phyllis Danks

Round 1
Difference between publicity, PR & public image?

Publicity is a message you are sending out
-part of creating an image
-advertising

Actual definition: “Creating a good opinion among people in a way that makes them notice you.”
Public Relations is the info/face you put in front of the public
-how you interact/react with the public
-reflected in membership
-involves misperceptions or old reputations
Actual definition: “The relationship between you and public”

Public image – the perception of who you are or what your organization does

What do you think Rotary means in your community?
-example given of how local politician was thanking Rotary for school programs
-fundraisers/events are a good way to be visible
-teaming up with other organizations
How do you change a perception? i.e. That Rotary is just older folks.
-reach out to younger groups to partner with and invite younger people to join
-modify publicity to appear younger – promote activities that younger members participate in
-be on social media where the young people are
-utilize an Interact or Rotaract Club to get parents involved and incorporate more with youth
-image does effect the types of growth you have in membership – like the ages of new members

What if your club seems like a clique-y club? Like a couples club.
-will your members change their ways to be more welcoming?
-how can you seem more welcoming to all kinds of people?

Need to have the right Rotarians in the position of taking care of public image in order to do a good job at it
-we are too busy doing what we do to take the time to promote it and we need to do that more
-without the publicity we aren’t growing ourselves or improving our image as an organization

-good to have young people in leadership roles in Rotary since that makes them the “face” of the club
-when soliciting for community support, it helps to promote what it is your club does in the community and creates an awareness, can even encourage people to support Rotary by making them realize what all you do
-must include Rotary signage/logo on the things we do in order for people to see it and make that association
-when having social nights, wear Rotary attire – shows a unified group out having a good time

How can a business owner also communicate that they are a Rotarian?
-have business cards out
-four way test signs in office
-in email signature
-can give event passes/tickets to your clients to invite them to a Rotary event

Public Image is really important – must have a PR chair to be dedicated to doing this
-focus on attracting younger members too

Round 2

Why is this important?
-membership recruitment
-important to grow membership so we can do more

Public Relations is anytime you interact with someone outside of your club
-social media
-invite them to a meeting, have conversations
-get them involved in a project
-put articles in the paper

Public Image – how you are perceived
What is the image that you want people to have of your club?
TOTALLY AWESOME
-would attract younger people and good workers for new members if they thought you were totally awesome
POSITIVE & COOL
Is that the image that people have now? No
-people think it’s a bunch of old guys that aren’t very relevant to them
-maybe not so many meetings, too old fashioned – more hands-on stuff

Issue of clubs that are mostly couples – what if it’s the only club in the area? What should the club do?
-ask you to bring a friend with you
-be welcoming and sit one-on-one with someone so you feel welcome
We don’t promote what we do often enough
What can we do aside from social media to get the word out about what your club does, what Rotary is like and put aside any misperceptions?
-people should wear Rotary attire when out as a club – don’t reserve your Rotary shirt just for Rotary either
-need to show that we aren’t exclusive and be welcoming – sometimes they don’t know enough to know that anyone can join
-do visible activities instead of just the Rotary-focused things – and get younger people to join in so people see it’s not just all older people
Example from Auburn Club of being on the radio recently and someone who heard the broadcast came to a meeting to join – happy with their community’s perception of Rotary

Do you promote Rotary in your business?
-Rotary plaque hanging in shop – generates questions
Started Interact Clubs and parents could join the club
-parents will at least attend youth programs
-need to ask them to join
-Youth Exchange is also a great outlet for parents and young people

Encourage joining Rotary – even if it’s not your club!
We are the only ones who can change the misperception that we are an exclusive, old guy, lunch club

What signage do you use? How big is your Rotary sign?
-DeWitt uses lawn signs to promote Pancake Day and it helps sell tickets
-raise average of $36,000 each year
-raises awareness in their community with such a large event

It is up to you to change your club’s image – you have to reach out with the right message and get involved with the right programs to attract younger, active members.

Can adjust meeting schedule to appeal to younger people with fewer meetings or lax attendance policies

Round 3
What is publicity?
-telling your story
-making sure that the work you do is visible outside of just club members

What is public relations?
-the strategic side of telling your story
-putting thought behind publicity to have max/desired impact
-interaction with those outside of your organization

Public Image
-what people think of your club
-perception
-the result of the other two things

How do we make our image positive?
-be proactive and communicate what you plan to do, what you did and how it provided a valuable service
What is your club’s image?
-it is unclear
-people generally think it’s a good thing, but they are not clear on what exactly we do
-the selective promotion we are doing at least gives people a positive feeling
-some people don’t even know there is a club in their community
-too often we keep Rotary and our accomplishments hidden – just now starting to shine a light on what we do
-some think it’s just “an old farts club” that makes pancakes and drinks together
-have to get out in the community to talk about it, put it in the news media, so people learn more about what we are doing

RI has been pushing more and more for clubs to promote themselves

How can you change your club’s image? Or are you happy with the image you have now?
-some level of comfort that people at least understand that Rotary is a positive thing in their community
-trying to put more information out there to pull back the curtain on what we do
-if you can develop a relationship with people who are unfamiliar with Rotary to grow awareness

When asking new members how they learned about Rotary
-read an article in the newspaper that you work on humanitarian causes or did an educational program – but it’s either one or the other, not making the connection that Rotary is doing all those things
-from a marketing stand point we lack the branding that makes a clear association of what Rotary does
-need to improve having a more consistent message from all clubs, will help overall awareness

It is positive that Rotary has so many aspects to it because that makes it appeal to more people
-maybe we can’t cram everything we do into our message

Should understand that PR is like “spreading seed” – some grow into plants and some don’t
-need someone dedicated to the sowing so clubs can reap the rewards
Need to have a dedicated PR person who is enthusiastic about getting the word out
When you think of a new project do you ever think of the PR when planning?
-some shift in thinking about how it will be promoted in advance, but often overlooked until after

Being involved in schools helps associate us with the younger people and their parents too

PR will be better if you are proactive about planning how an event will be promoted in advance

Round 4
What is publicity?
-letting people know about your events – social media, web site, news
What is PR?
-managing the publicity
-determining what you want to project and what do you want to have happen
-being thoughtful about it
-can be easier said than done because of misperceptions or preconceived notions
-should be a group effort
-hand shaking – promoting Rotary at other organizations and within your other networks

What is public image?
-the way you are perceived

Can it be internal? Yes
-it is also how members view the club

What is your club’s image now?
-make the best beans at their pork BBQ
-known for big events, but not so much for the many smaller things
-known for patriotism
-images change too – over time clubs are becoming less stuffy and formal
-trying to break the image of it being men in suits
-mostly positive images and working on improving them

How does that impact membership?
-have gained some new members from the more relaxed atmosphere

-should communicate that “we are a bunch of youthful, old men known for their philanthropy and jokes.”

Mostly happy with the image of their clubs

What do you do in the community to promote your club?
-put out a phonebook
-do canal clean ups
-events like pancake day
Do you ever partner with other groups?
-work with other Rotary clubs
-Kiwanis
-Lions
-sometimes we need more workers for a project than we have just within the club
-partner up with clubs for “labor share” to help with their events in exchange for them helping with yours
-this is a change from the past when clubs often did not work together
-is great for smaller clubs
-also helps grow more friendships and relationships with people you see at district events

Important to build public relations between clubs and district too

Several clubs in session have Interact Clubs
-beneficial for club members to connect with students/youth
-kids help out with hands-on projects
-not as many have invited parents to join Rotary
-try to get them involved by having Interact events at Rotary meetings – gets parents to attend a Rotary meeting when supporting their kids
-have a student of the month club to encourage interaction with youth too

These natural leaders, the kids that participate in our programs (YE, RYLA, Interact) are a great voice for Rotary
Important to change the public image that we are an old man’s club
-as simple as a photo that you share featuring young members

Be sure to share your Rotary story with anyone who asks you about Rotary
-pins and Rotary attire prompt conversations

You never know who might be impacted by your message!