Council Newsletter and Web Page

Council Newsletter

A well-designed council newsletter keeps members informed and enthusiastic about council programs and activities and can help to increase participation.

Every grand knight should appoint a bulletin editor for his council. The bulletin editor should have a keen sense of organization and administration, as well as a flair for news. His duties include contacting council officers and committee chairmen to obtain items of interest, soliciting advertisements, writing copy and overseeing the layout of the publication.
Use consistent guidelines for photos, features and press releases to develop articles for the council newsletter. Send a copy of your newsletter to the Supreme Council Department of Fraternal Services, 1 Columbus Plaza, New Haven, CT 06510-3326.

Below are suggestions for appropriate content.

• Features and press releases developed for local newspapers and magazines. If an item is of interest to the general public, it will certainly be of interest to council members.

• Announcements of planned council events and special notices on council business such as dues, elections, etc.

• A regular column by the grand knight to highlight important news and to give credit for outstanding member achievement.

• Information received from the Supreme Council office, such as a Knights of Columbus film being aired on television, or letter-writing campaigns to legislators.

• A chaplain’s column to provide comment on pertinent matters.

• Reports from each of the Service Program directors on scheduled activities.

• Excerpts of speeches by visiting dignitaries.

• A calendar of coming events for members’ quick reference.

• Listings of birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, congratulations, etc.

• Membership campaign promotions.

• An "Insurance Matters" column written by the council's general or field agent.

• Notice of First, Second and Third degree exemplifications.

• Reprints from Knightline or Program Supplement of news stories and programming ideas of interest to all members.

The format of the newsletter will depend on the council's budget as well as the volume of news available. Make your newsletter as professional looking as your budget allows. Readability is as important as well-written articles. If at all possible, have a professional artist or desktop publisher from your council design your newsletter. In developing a “layout” design, keep the following in mind:

• Be sure to indicate the council number and location in a conspicuous place in your bulletin.

• Do not try to put too much information on a page — it will be difficult to read. Be sure to leave plenty of “white space” (blank space) around articles and artwork.

• Do not use more than two different typefaces. The use of many different styles creates a confusing look.

• Photographs and artwork help develop reader interest. Knights of Columbus clip art can be used to add graphics to the council newsletter. The clip art section of www.kofc.org contains samples of the Order’s various emblems; seasonal, programming, membership and religious artwork; and other images. Be sure that the photographs and artwork relate to a nearby story, and that any photo is clearly captioned.

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Council Web Site

Many councils now maintain Web pages. They can easily be found and offer many ideas which your council may want to adopt or modify for its own use. Virtually all of the Internet “how to” books provide easy-to-follow instructions on how to set up your own Web page. The “For Officers” section of the Order’s Web site also includes a council Web site template.

As with anything in public relations, bear in mind your basic communications objectives and the interests of the target audiences you want to reach. In addition to whatever other information you offer on your Web site, be sure to post your news releases, and that they are easily accessible from your home page. Once you have created a council Web site, keep it fresh with updated material and promote your Web address through all your other public relations materials. Be sure to include it with the council telephone number, mailing address, and email address wherever they appear—especially on council news releases. You can include a link to the Supreme Council site — www.kofc.org — or links to your state council site or other nearby council sites. Prior to publishing materials from another site or any source, you should request permission from the source and include attribution.

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Advertisements

Many councils finance their entire publication through the acceptance of carefully chosen advertisements. For purposes of editorial and financial planning, obtaining ads from a specific group of advertisers who pay a flat fee in exchange for publication in each issue throughout a fraternal year is more efficient than trying to sell individual ads on a monthly basis. When soliciting advertising for your publication, keep in mind the following resolution adopted by the Knights of Columbus Board of Directors in 1985:

“VOTED, that the Board of Directors reaffirms its position that fraternal publications, (state, chapter, council assembly or corporations) are prohibited from accepting advertisements and news items relating directly or indirectly to the sale or servicing of life or health insurance other than advertisements and news items promoting the Order’s insurance program, and that a violation of this rule by any publication will constitute cause to prohibit the further use of the name and emblem of the Order by said publication.”

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