25 / 132
25
Revised 8/2016
Areas of Concern
Standing Committees of a Ruritan Club
(continued)
Public Relations Committee
Purpose: To establish an effective internal and external pub-
lic relations program involving the club and the community,
to promote fellowship and goodwill, and to be responsible for
planning and securing meals for each meeting.
The Public Relations Committee has the responsibility of
implementing the first object of Ruritan, which is to promote
fellowship and goodwill, not only among the members, but
throughout the community. More detailed information appears
in the
Ruritan Public Relations Manual
and in the Pub-
lic Relations Committee brochure available from your club
president.
Ruritans in
The News
1) Membership drive. Consider advertising to create
interest in joining your club.
2) Donate Rudy Ruritan bears to a local fire, rescue, or
children’s agency. Make sure you get photographs.
3) Foundation Grants. Let your community know what
your club is doing to promote education.
4) Ruritan Founders’ Day and Ruritan Sunday bulletin
inserts are available from Ruritan Supply.
5) Patriotic celebrations such as an Independence Day
celebration.
6) Donations to a local charitable agency. Be sure to
explain to media what the donation will accomplish
for either your country or for your community.
7) Holiday project (toy donation, food donation, etc.).
Publicize your efforts through the local media.
Public Relations:
A Year of Ruritan Awareness
Each of the events below can be used to promote Ruritan
awareness in your community. Send press releases and
photographs to your local media.
1. Relationships with local newspaper executives, and
radio and television station officials should be estab-
lished.
2. News media personnel should be invited to attend a
regular or special meeting as a guest.
3. The appointed club reporter should observe the follow-
ing rules of good journalism:
a. The lead or first paragraph of the story should answer
the following questions: WHO, WHAT, WHEN,
and WHERE? The remaining paragraphs should fill
in the other facts - HOW and WHY? (Figures are
always impressive.)
b. The names of persons and places should be spelled
correctly. Publicity can do more harm than good
when names are incorrectly spelled. It also takes
pressure off the editor.
c. The highlights of a speech should be summarized.
Never take a copy of a speech and send it to the
newspaper verbatim.
d. Good photographs provide good publicity. The news
media will advise you of their requirements.
e. A story should not carry details on who read the
minutes, gave the treasurer’s report, or pronounced
the invocation. It is not necessary to mention salutes
to the flag, etc. These are trivial incidents and occur
at every club meeting, regardless of where it may
occur.
f. The story should be neatly typed and double-spaced.
Use club stationery or make certain that your club’s
name is prominently featured on the first page.
g. Submission requirements for articles and photo-
graphs should be checked.
4. The chair or another member of the committee should
be at the meeting place early to greet all members and
guests as they arrive.
5. Visitors should be introduced to other club members and
properly seated for the meal.
6. Speakers and entertainment should be welcomed and
then introduced to the program chair.
7. Visiting Ruritan officials should be welcomed and
directed to the head table.
8. Last, but certainly not least, well-planned events are
particularly important in promoting fellowship and
goodwill.
1. The committee chair should appoint a member to keep a written
record of committee meetings and activities.
2. A member of the committee should be designated to serve as
club reporter.
3. The Ruritan Public Relations Manual from Ruritan Supply
should be obtained.
4. The committee, at its first meeting, should set tentative objec-
tives for the coming year and present estimated costs of projects
to the Budget and Finance Committee before the club’s annual
budget is approved.
5. A written report of each project completed should be presented
to the club secretary.
6. The records of committee’s activities and recommendations
should be turned over to the new chair at the end of the year.
Suggestions
Club