Clubhouse

Want awareness? Go the newspaper route

Kiwanians the world over have long searched for the recipe to get their club’s name known. The Kiwanis Club of Stamford, Ontario, has it figured out.

As 2006-07 club president, Marjorie Slinn turned to good, old-fashioned public relations strategies by sending an “open letter” to newspapers and accompanying Web sites.

“We had a meeting with our city council regarding permission to install new bus benches,” Marjorie recalls. “One of the council members asked us, ‘What is Kiwanis anyway, and what does it do for the city?’ Naturally, we were a little taken aback, and we decided we would make more people aware of our club and its function.”

Did the letter spark interest in the club?

“It netted us nine new Kiwanians!” she enthusiastically reports.

The letter: