Excellent Editors

NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS 1

Excellent Editors

From edits to editions, all the sweet editor tips and tricks you’ll ever need!

2013-2014 Service Year

New York District

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

To the Excellent Editors (Webmasters, PRs, etc.) of the New York District, My name is Christine Retta (or Chrissy) and I am humbled and excited to serve as your District Editor for the 20132014 service year.

Over the past four years, I have been involved in Circle K in many ways: I’ve been a member, my Club’s Vice President, and a twoterm Lieutenant Governor for the Hudson Valley Division; however, no position or place in Circle K has given me the opportunity to exercise my creativity and social skills the way that District Editor has, and it is an opportunity I am thankful to have every single day. I hope that each and every one of you feels the same way as a Club Editor, because it is you that brings the light and fun to your club—you are the ones that encourage and entice members to join, the ones that acknowledge your club’s achievements and members, and the ones that bring color to your club (even if we only have a pallet of ten colors to choose from—see page 12 for the link to the Brand Guide and a further explanation of this)!

As you all know, being an Editor is a tough and underappreciated job: Between making flyers, publicizing events through social media outlets, and designing fabulous newsletters, you barely have a chance to catch your breath! That’s why it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Editor’s Training Package for the 2013-2014 year. In it, you will find ways to streamline your position and be as effective as possible when creating some of the resources, advertisements, and publications your club will grow to love and cherish throughout the year.

Further, this packet will not only help you realize your potential as a Club Editor, but it will instruct you on helpful ways to get involved on your club board and continue to make a difference in the lives of those you serve.

My one word of advice to you before you dive into the glories of your position is that you never forget why you joined Circle K: Whether it was to make friends or to get more involved in serving your local communities, remember that you are a member first and foremost, and that you can make a difference every single day.

Good luck with the service year and please do not ever hesitate to contact me with questions, comments, concerns, or just to talk!

Yours in Service and Friendship, Chrissy

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Table of Contents: Part One – You and Your Club 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Cover Welcome from your District Editor Table of Contents Duties of a Club Editor Your Executive Board: Your Legendary Leadership Team Club Goal Sheet Club Contact Sheet

Part Two – Newsletters 8 9 10 10 11

Parts of a Newsletter Content Layout Distribution Graphic Standard

Part Three – Publicity 9 10 10

Publicity 101 Social Media Networks Flyers and Posters

Part Four – Website 11

Website 101

Part Five – Conclusion 12

Final Remarks

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Special Thanks: Much thanks to all the individuals who reviewed, critiqued, contributed, analyzed and helped finalize this year’s edition of the Excellent Editors Training Package! Your dedication and effort are greatly appreciated!

The 2013-2014 New York District Board Christine Retta, District Editor

Contact Information: Don’t forget to write down the information of other editors who may help you in your future endeavors as club editors! Write down their information below: Name: ___________________________________

Club: ___________________________________

Email: ____________________________________ Name: ___________________________________

Club: ___________________________________

Email: ____________________________________ Name: ___________________________________

Club: ___________________________________

Email: ____________________________________ Name: ___________________________________

Club: ___________________________________

Email: ____________________________________ Name: ___________________________________ Email: ____________________________________

Club: ___________________________________

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Duties of a Club Editor Yearly Duties -

Fulfill any duties delegated to you by the president Attend District Events Recruit new members Help publicize CKI through the creation of posters and flyers.

Promote and publicize annual Circle K events, including district, division and international events Develop a format for your newsletter Develop new leadership o Find a successor

Weekly Duties -

Fulfill any duties delegated to you by the president Talk about past events or encourage your members to talk about past events Encourage members and officers to write articles for your newsletter.

Take pictures at club events and general meetings that you attend (or delegate someone else to take pictures) Update the club website (if you’re the one organizing it) and social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) Communicate with your e-board (socially and about CKI business) Promote CKI on campus by encouraging more members to join!

Make sure that service projects are being organized every week

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Monthly Duties -

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Fulfill any duties delegated to you by the president Communicate with your Lieutenant Governor, District Editor and other members of the New York District Attend Executive Board Meetings Complete a bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly or biannual newsletter to be distributed within your club and throughout your campus o This also continues to help you promote your club! o Gather articles throughout the month on awesome events, interviews with members and much more!

Attend Kiwanis Family events

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Everyday Duties -

Remember to always embody CKI: Whether it’s through serving your community, lending a hand to a stranger, or giving yourself new leadership opportunities, you are a Circle K Member first and foremost. Your everyday duty as an Editor is to remember that

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Your Executive Board

Your Legendary Leadership Team

The Executive Board: The Leadership Team President

The president is the “big cheese” or “face” of the club. Presidents oversee meetings (general and board meetings), represent the club on campus and throughout the New York District, and essentially run the club. It is the responsibility of the President to stay on top of all club activities, no matter how “large” or “small” each task may be.

Vice President The Vice President is the “right hand man” (or woman) of the club. Vice Presidents manage meetings when the President is absent or unavailable. Typically, some clubs require that the Vice President also acts as the head of the committee structure and serves as an ex officio member of every committee within the club. Some clubs also have 2 Vice Presidents, such as a Vice President of Service and a Vice President of Administration.

Secretary

The Secretary is the “recorder” of the club. Secretaries have two main responsibilities: taking minutes of general club meetings (and club board meetings) and filling out Monthly Progress Report Forms (that are sent to the District Secretary every month). These duties are necessary so that club members and district officers are aware of what the club is doing!

Treasurer

The Treasurer is the “money manager” of the club. He or she often oversees the budget, cuts reimbursement checks and manages fundraiser. If it has to do with money, it typically has to do with the treasurer! One of the most important duties of the Treasurer is the collection of dues, which occurs in the beginning of every fall semester. If a club doesn’t pay its dues, the club risks losing their charter, so this is crucial!

Editor (That’s you!)

The Editor is often the “publicist” of the club. They are typically responsible with the distribution of newsletters, creation of advertisements and photography during events. Some clubs choose to have a “Public Relations Chair” to help with different promotional ideas while other clubs assign these creative tasks to the editor. Sometimes, they write articles for various publications, other times these responsibilities are delegated to another officer or a committee.

Faculty & Kiwanis Advisor

The Faculty and Kiwanis advisors are the “guides” of the club. Unlike club officers, these two advisors stay the same year after year, so they come with a lot of knowledge about past club officers, events that worked (and didn’t work) and other important tidbits. They also understand the limitations of the campus. Utilize them as a resource for advise, tips and help throughout the CKI year, as they will be invaluable to your during your year as president.

Other Leaders

Committee Chairs

Committee chairs are the “specialists” of the club, overseeing a variety of committees with different specializations, including (but not limited to) fellowship, service projects, specific events, publicity and Kiwanis-Family relations. Not all clubs have committee chairs, but those who do often use them as a way to increase leadership potential in the club.

Mentors

Clubs that have a larger membership may choose to implement a mentor program, also known as a Big/Little system.

Returning members become a Mentor/Big and they get assigned a Mentee/Little. This not only provides a leadership opportunity but it makes the Mentee/Little feel secure about joining the club and transitioning into campus life.

Webmaster (This also might be you!)

The Webmaster is the “tech master” of the club. He or she oversees a club website and the use of various social media, such as Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr and Facebook. These accounts should be updated consistently and maintained year to year. Be sure to save usernames and passwords in a secure location! Sometimes, these responsibilities are delegate to another officer or a committee.

Project Leaders

Project leaders are a great way to get members, especially new ones, involved. Instead of having officers decide on and run all the service projects, some clubs delegate the responsibility to members who are interested in leading an existing project or even implementing a new project. This encourages more members to get involved, and encourages more leadership potential.

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Club Goal Sheet At the start of the 2013-2014 CKI Service Year, setting challenging yet realistic goals is a crucial step in planning how this year will turn out. Beyond the creation of our unified district goals, you should also make personal goals for the year that are related to your position and your success as a CKI leader.

However, setting goals is not enough. One has to set, not just SMART goals, but SMARTER goals in order to have truly useful plans.

S

Specific: Is the goal easy to understand? Does the goal pertain to one aspect of CKI? A good example: Increasing my service hours this year from last year’s service hours.

A bad example: Doing more for Circle K.

M

Measurable: Is the goal quantifiable? Is there a way to gauge how the goal can be met?

A good example: Having 20% more club members than the previous year.

A bad example: Increasing members in the club.

A

Attainable: Is the goal within your capabilities this year? Do you feel that you can reach this goal?

A good example: Organizing at least one service project per week.

A bad example: Organizing eight service projects per week.

R

Relevant: Does the goal pertain to the organization? Does it make sense?

A good example: Work with two other service organizations on campus in the Spring Semester.

A bad example: Increase membership of two other service organizations on campus.

T

Truthful: Is this something you actually want to concentrate on? Do you, personally, want to fulfill this goal?

A good example: Cutting back on caffeine intake to two cups of coffee a day.

A bad example: Never drinking any coffee ever again (at least, I don’t think I can do this J)

E

Ethical: Does this fall within legal boundaries?

A good example: Organizing three more fundraisers for club money A bad example: Making the finance records difficult to understand so that money can be taken out.

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Reviewed: Review your goals often, so you know if you’re on track.

A good example: Reporting to the club how close you are to your service hour goals once a month.

A bad example: Reviewing your goals only at the end of each semester.

Club Goals 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Club Contact Sheet Communication is essential to a productive, energized and fantastic year. Keeping in touch with officers will allow you to delegate the appropriate tasks, and communicating with members will make sure you have amazing attendance at all of your events (after all, how are members supposed to know when there are service projects?

Use this sheet to keep a record of all the relevant contact information. Fill it out (sorry I only have 6 slots!), keep it save and check often when you need to email an officer or make a call to your Kiwanis club.

Club Website: _____________________________

Club Email: _____________________

Club Mailing List: ___________________________________________

Officers Information

Position

Name

Phone Number

Kiwanis Advisor

Faculty Advisor

Don’t forget your District Board Information!

District Governor: Kelly Chan — kelly.chan@nycirclek.org District Secretary: Sharmila Samwaru — sharmila.samwaru@nycirclek.org District Treasurer: Kristina Cotroneo — Kristina.cotroneo@nycki.org District Editor: Christine Retta — Christine.retta@nycirclek.org

Email Address

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Parts of a Newsletter •

There should be seven key parts to a well-organized newsletter. What follows is a simple list and description of these parts: 1. Stripes/Banner: This is your header, it should occur at the front or top of your newsletter.

You might wish to include the title of the newsletter, publication information, or a logo.

2. Table of contents: Should occur at the front or near the front of the newsletter. The table of contents should be accompanied with numbered pages or sections.

3. Headers and Titles: These should be used to clearly identify what the article or section is about. They should be done in a prominent or bold face text.

4. Body: This is the bulk of the newsletter. It includes your articles and decorative add-ons.

A cool idea for the body of your newsletter could be to allow members to contribute articles! You can also add in fun things like a crossword puzzle, game, or quiz.

5. Pull Quotes: Used to attract attention in articles. A pull quote is section of the article pulled out and quoted. It can also be used to highlight or give further examples.

This is an example of a pull quote 6. Photos or illustrations: This may include pictures of your club at work, of organizations you are helping and many other things. This is a great way to involve your club and have them submit photos.

7. Decorations: This is anything that enhances the look of your newsletter, such as the border of this page. This is the part of the newsletter where you can have the most fun and be the most creative •

Depending on the size and content of your newsletter, you may choose to include all or some of these parts.

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Try and think creatively when using these sections.

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Above all, we want members to read our newsletters! Make your publication visually appealing and easy to read by following the Brand Guide.

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Content

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The content of your newsletter is very important because it is the bulk of what is found in your newsletter.

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You should strive to include things that your members or school would like to read.

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Your articles do not need to be long, but they should be interesting and practical for your club and members.

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Make sure to publicize upcoming club, division or district events. This may include DCON, New York Speaking, DLSSP, or a major club event.

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To lighten your load, you should encourage members to contribute articles for the newsletter.

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There is a wide array of topics that you could cover in your newsletter:

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Member spotlight: Highlight a member or groups of members who deserve particular recognition

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Service Spotlight: Recap an interesting event or project so all members can share in the experience

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Committee Chair Columns: Give your club committee chairs a chance to explain their work or get members interested in a project

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Logistical information: Here you may include information members need to do to complete a project or register for an event, like Relay for Life

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Upcoming events: Keep members interested in the club by publicizing upcoming service projects

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Games: Put in games to encourage members to read your newsletter

Be creative! Have Fun! Your newsletter is what you make of it.

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Layout

Layouts are critical as they help organize your newsletters / flyers / publications and allow your reader/viewer to get the very most from the resource or publication. Without a good layout, members and officers will get lost in your newsletter. Here are some things that will help you out as you create a layout for your publication(s): 1) Have a consistent layout. For example, all of our training packages follow the same layout. Similarly, your newsletters should have the same layout in your time as Editor. This will allow you to avoid having to make a new layout every time you have a new publication. This will also make life easier for the readers of your publication.

2) Make sure you have a table of content for all your materials 3) Never use more than 3-4 colors per page 4) Separate your heading font (like American Typewriter) from your main text font (like Century Gothic) a. Try not to have more than 3 fonts per page either b. Print materials will use serif fonts (either Garamond Premier Pro, Myriad Pro or Goudy Old Style) c. Online materials will use sans serif fonts (either Century Gothic, Verdana or Myriad Pro) 5) Balance words and graphics on each page.

6) Alternate between left, right and center headings.

7) Borders make your publication look fancy! J 8) Learn to take full advantage of programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Publisher a. Microsoft Word: Good for letters, speeches and other “word processing” files b. Microsoft Publisher: Good for newsletters, flyers, brochures and programs

Distribution

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Once the newsletter is complete, our objective is to get our members to read it! Here are some tips on distributing your newsletter.

The simplest way is to print out your newsletter o This may become expensive if you have a large club so look for alternatives, or try to get your school or Kiwanis Club to sponsor the printing of your newsletter. o Try printing out one or two and passing them around Another easy way is to email your newsletter as an attachment o This saves tress, money and ink o If your newsletter is too big to mass email to your club, there are many file sharing websites you can upload your newsletter too. § In this case you send out a link to your newsletter § There many good sights to do this with. Good ones include: • Box.net • Dropbox o Other ways to send the newsletter is through upload programs such as issu, which are newsletter/publication-specific and can provide a link for you to send out via email § Issuu is particularly good for newsletters because it can be viewed directly from the website and members won’t have to download files

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Brand Guide •

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What is the Brand Guide? o

These are CKI’s “trademarks” for reproducing graphics and elements on all CKI related products, whether online or in print. It is a brand that adapts to new technology, trends and inspirations.

o

They relate to color, font, location and size of various elements of your work.

o

You can find it here: http://www.circlek.org/Resources/Marketing/brandguide.aspx

Why is branding important? o

Branding ensures that no matter what you make, your publication will look neat and professional.

o

They also help create a universal brand that everyone can recognize. The CKI Brand Guide is just like all other logos or brands. It helps ensure that no matter where one is, they can recognize CKI.

Images o

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All images should be energetic, reflect CKI core values, and promote service

Color o

Be sure to use colors that are not overpowering

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Background colors should not distract the reader. You may also use textures as background images to enhance your work

CKI Logo and Word mark o

The logo must always look proportional and be no larger than 1.5 inches

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The best colors to use are black or white, or the traditional colors of the logo (blue, white, yellow)

o

Make sure they are placed on neutral backgrounds

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Try not to place the logo or watermark in a place that is cluttered with other things

Font o

For headers and titles use American Typewriter or Archer

o For regular text use Myriad Pro or Century Gothic •

Layout

o Tops of pages or the front of a newsletter should contain stripes o Headers and titles can go on/near the stripes, but is not necessary

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Publicity 101 o As editor, one of your main jobs is to publicize your club or your clubs events o Create catchy phrases and posters that will catch people’s attention and spark their interest o There are many ways to do this: o Use word of mouth. Invite a friend and have them invite someone o Dorm-storm to spread awareness of an event o Have sign up tables at your schools “club day” or in a well-traveled area §

Make sure to take their names and emails to email them later

o Send out a mass email to your club, perspective members or other clubs/faculty o Create and pass out fliers o Hang posters around campus o Target classes and majors that require service hours o Hang your banner on campus o Publicize through the school newspaper or website o Partner with other groups on campus to spread the word o Change it up! If you consistently use one method it may become boring for the campus and your club o Try to be cost efficient. Club money should be allocated for running the service project or the club. Remember, we can always successfully publicize on a dime!

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Social Media Networks • • •

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Think of the power social media has had on societies. It has helped spark democratic revolutions in the Middle East and promote awareness of projects.

Social media is a great way to spread the word and promote your club or your clubs events.

Here are some general guidelines for using social media: o Assess your goals: who do you want to reach? What will be the best way to reach these people? One social media site may be better than others. o Post updates: It doesn’t help to have social media accounts for your members without using them. Post frequently so people know that this is a place for relevant and important information o Make sure you are friends with as many people as possible, both in and outside your club. Make friends with other clubs online to maximize the effect of social media o Purpose: Keep the bigger picture in mind. Know what you need to accomplish with social media and do it. Do not needlessly waste time with social media if it will take away from doing other useful projects. o Think outside the box. Social media allows you to meet and talk to limitless numbers of people, do not isolate yourself or your club. Try and reach as many people as possible through social media, not just your friends.

Remember, at the end of the day it is not as complicated as it seems. We use social media sites every day; let’s do what we do best!

Flyers and Posters •

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As editor, helping to creating effective flyers and posters is an integral part of your job.

Posters and flyers can be used to promote your club, an event or a fundraising project that your club is putting on.

Here are some tips for creating posters: o Know your audience: Who will read it and where? Will it be on a crowded bulletin or in the campus coffee shop? What will make it stand out to your target group? o Make your words count: Do not use so many words that people will not want to read your poster. Be succinct as possible o Who, What, When, Where and Why: this should all be included on your poster in some form or another o Pictures should serve the purpose of catching people’s attention o Remember to place your posters and flyers in heavily traveled areas You should take care to avoid common mistakes. If your poster looks professional, people may be more likely to show up! o Only use one font on a page. If needed another font may be used to accent the other font or for stylist reasons. o For important details do not use a fancy or harder to read font. o Keep the background neutral. o Be careful with logos. Before using a logo of another group or charity be sure to have permission. o Do not use too many logos on a page.

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Website 101 •

Creating a club website can be fun and easy! If you have no experience with website creation there are many sites out there that can help you create an easy-to-use and visually-appealing website.

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One of the easiest ways to use a website is through your schools club website page. o Example: University at Albany has my-involvement. A site where all clubs have a page to post information and upload documents.

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A step up from your school site is using Google reflector. o By creating a group name like “SUNYCKI” you can create a spot online to upload documents and information for people to contact and see. o You can add people and their emails to the group so every time you email the group or message on it the message is sent to everyone in the group. o It is easy to upload documents.

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Another great way to have a simple and easy website is to use Google sites. o Google sites allow you to create a simple website that you can easily update. o It allows you to create and print calendars. This is great for announcing upcoming events for members.

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Running a regular website (for the adventurous ones) o There are many sights that are free and allow you to easily design a website. § Ex: yola.com. o If you find this daunting or too time consuming you may wish to appoint a webmaster to handle the website. o Keep it simple, keep it organized. § The beauty of the previous simple sights is that they are easy to navigate.

While you may want to make your sites look nice, at the end of the day people should be able to locate information easily on the website.

Update regularly o Nothing can be more frustrating to a member if you tell them the information is online, but you forgot to post it. o Set a designated time in the week to update the website, like right before/after the meeting or every Sunday. o Make sure you put the most important information on the site.

Content o Your website is an important piece for current and perspective members to find information o Have your club and/or CKI’s mission statement o Include examples of your regular service projects o Have contact information for all existing club officers o Have a list of past and upcoming events o If possible, try to include a calendar of events

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NEW YORK DISTRICT OF CIRCLE K INTERNATIONAL – EXCELLENT EDITORS

Concluding Remarks As club editors, you are now responsible for the management of your club’s newsletter and general promotion. This is critical to the promotion of your club on your campus and in your community. This is not a responsibility you should take lightly: the Editor is responsible for much of the recruitment and retention of members throughout the year.

But you are not alone. As club editor, you are part of a team of leaders, within your club and within the New York District. Not only are you an executive officer of your club board, but you are amongst friends, a community of club editors who are here to help you on the 2013-2014 year.

Congratulations on your election! Don’t forget that while you are a club officer, you are a servant leader to your members, and a role model to those who will be entering Circle K! Lead with your head high because you are a leader in the New York District!

I wish you the very best in your year as Club Editor. The New York District of Circle K International is lucky to have you on our team!

Yours in Service, Leadership & Fellowship,

Chrissy Retta District Editor

I, __________________ of the __________________ CKI club, am prepared to fulfill all the duties set forth for me as CLUB EDITOR in the 2013-2014 term.

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Advice from Past Editors “Be creative, even if you're not a ‘creative’ person. Think outside the box because sometimes the most outrageous ideas are effective ideas and always remember you're part of the board so do use that to your advantage.” – Jia Xing Shi, Adelphi University, 2011-2012, 2012-2013 “Don’t be afraid to think outside the box! There are so many crazy, creative ideas out there that you all have the chance to make your own. Is there a silly theme you want to make your issue? Make it! Is there a scandalous article you want to publish? Publish it! Is there a unique idea you want to try? TRY IT! People get tired of seeing the same thing. Be different. Be creative. Be YOU!” Shivam Patel, Rutgers University, New Jersey District Secretary 2012-2013 “Set deadlines for yourself, and make sure your board knows about them. This works especially well for newsletter deadlines and making sure you post on Facebook regularly.”

– Sophia Conti, Adelphi University, 2012-2013 “Distributing newsletters or having them available at major club events is a good way to increase readership, and lets people outside your club see what you are all about.” – Sophia Conti, Adelphi University, 2012-2013 “You have the power to bring back so many memories of the amazing events that your clubs have taken part in. You have the power to show the world the hard work and dedication that members put into making a difference. Through your newsletter, you provide a window for the world to see what Circle K is all about. All it takes is some creativity, inspiration and pure love for CKI and what you do to create an amazing newsletter. Don't be shy to play around with different color schemes and formatting. Let your imagination go wild! You can create anything.” – Chandanie Persaud, Queens College, 2011-2013

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New York District of Circle K International | Christine Retta | 516.974.2844 | Christine.retta@nycirclek.org