public relations & marketing

© 2008 Engineers for a Sustainable World

PUBLIC RELATIONS & MARKETING Updated September 2008

E SW G U I D E BO O K – P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S & M AR K E T I N G i

Foreword

First, thank you for taking this step to use the resources and tools that have been developed to

better your chapter experience. Chapters are the heart of our organization and ESW wouldn’t be

successful without leaders like you. Our chapter leaders and members set an admirable

example – you inspire more and more engineers to have a positive impact on the world, not as

we know it, but as we want it to be.

In this guide you’ll learn about how to develop a successful public relations & marketing plan.

You’ll learn how having a PR&M plan is more than just social events. It is a powerful method

for garnering support for your ESW chapter. By building a strong presence in the minds of your

fellow classmates, professors, department heads, and engineering dean, you position your

chapter for better campus community engagement, and for more community support.

Please use the guide precisely as that – a guide. We want to inspire your creativity, your ideas,

and your enthusiasm for your chapter and for ESW as a whole. When you have a sense of pride

and ownership in what you’re doing, that spirit becomes contagious and you inspire others as

well.

Thank you to the many individuals who developed the content for this guide throughout the

years, including: Leti McNeill, Alexandra Conliffe, Becky Minich, Angela Bourne, Regina

Clewlow, Brad Schmidt and Maria Keyani. We also appreciate the recommendations and

suggestions from chapter leaders as we update this guide from year to year.

I look forward to working with you, the chapter leaders, to help develop and support the

wonderful work you’re doing on behalf of ESW and our fellow citizens around the world.

Benjamin Stewart

Engineers for a Sustainable World

ii E SW G U I D E BO O K – P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S & M AR K E T I N G

E SW G U I D E BO O K – P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S & M AR K E T I N G iii

Table of Contents

FOREWORD......................................................................................................................................................... i

TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................................iii

OVERVIEW......................................................................................................................................................... 1

THE ESW VISUAL IDENTITY.......................................................................................................................... 2

THE ESW LOGO .................................................................................................................................... 2

THE ESW COLOR PALETTE .................................................................................................................... 5

FONTS & TYPEFACE ............................................................................................................................. 6

LETTERHEAD & STATIONERY ............................................................................................................... 6

EVENTS ............................................................................................................................................................... 8

DEVELOPING THE EVENT CONCEPT....................................................................................................... 8

YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE..................................................................................................................... 8

PLANNING THE EVENT.......................................................................................................................... 8

PUBLICIZING THE EVENT ...................................................................................................................... 8

MEDIA RELATIONS........................................................................................................................................ 11

PRESS RELEASES ................................................................................................................................ 11

INTERVIEWS ...................................................................................................................................... 14

OP-EDS & LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................................................................................... 14

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING ........................................................................................................................... 15

MAKING NEW CONTACTS ................................................................................................................... 15

WHO TO CONTACT, WHY, AND HOW TO SELL ESW TO THEM ................................................................ 16

MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS ........................................................................................................... 17

SAMPLE PR & MARKETING IDEAS............................................................................................................. 19

FOR MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT ....................................................................................................... 19

FOR FUNDRAISING ............................................................................................................................. 19

FOR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ....................................................................................................... 20

FOR PROJECTS.................................................................................................................................... 20

DESIGN TEMPLATES ........................................................................................................................... 21

iv E SW G U I D E BO O K – P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S & M AR K E T I N G

Please direct any questions related to this guidebook to ESW at:

[email protected]

E SW G U I D E BO O K – P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S & M AR K E T I N G 1

Overview

You can help build a collective international ESW brand that represents quality, responsibility,

knowledge, and mission, vision, and values. Maintaining a common public image across all

individual ESW chapters in the United States is of the utmost importance to the national

organization. Because there are so many different branches in the organization, our visual

identity often serves as a unifying force.

Even though national and international sponsors and partners are most easily exposed to ESW

at the national level, most of the important interactions between the public and small NGOs

take place in the local level. With every interaction with the general public, university, sponsors

or partners, every local chapter reflects back upon the goals and vision of the national entity.

The importance of an active marketing and public relations (PR) campaign carried out by an

individual student chapter is exemplified by the success of a broad range of chapter activities.

Projects, fundraising, and general events can be most effectively promoted by the use of

marketing to specific audiences in the local and national community. In coordination with

chapters throughout the United States, communities across the nation can start becoming aware

of the work being carried out by volunteers across the globe.

You represent the ESW brand. First, understand that the brand is more than just a logo or set of

colors. It’s more than a slogan. It is every part of the organization. It’s everything the world sees

or hears about us. It’s how the world perceives our organization based on smaller things – like

how we answer emails, how we give presentations, how we partner with organizations, how

we respond to questions, the quality of our projects, the quality of our members, the consistency

of our visual identity – that add up to a much larger impression. The ESW brand is the world’s

impression of us. The power of making a good impression is a stepping stone to building a

powerful network of support for your chapter and for ESW.

Our mission, vision, and values should be conveyed in everything you do on behalf of ESW.

Whether conveyed explicitly by presenting the actual words, or implicitly by embodying their

deeper meaning, our charter should be visible in every aspect of your work. Convey clear

images and messages, consistent with all other chapters in the nation. As ESW grows and name

recognition increases, the continued use of a common national logo and visual identity will

inevitably lead to overall improved results for all chapters. This growth in reputation will make

partnerships, membership, funding, and resources increasingly available to ESW chapters.

2 E SW G U I D E BO O K – P U B L I C R E L A T I O N S & M AR K E T I N G

The ESW Visual Identity

A number of materials are available for use by chapters. This section describes the guidelines

for use of logos and letterhead, as well as information about standard fonts and colors used by

ESW.

THE ESW LOGO

In order to maintain a consistent visual identity, we offer the following guidelines for the usage

of our logo. In the examples given, the national ESW logo is shown, however, for chapter

specific materials, you should use the chapter logo that was designed for you, that includes

your campus’ name. The files for the logos are available for download in the Chapter Resource

Center.

Dos and Don’ts

• DO use your chapter specific ESW logo or national ESW logo on your website, posters,

and t-shirts.

• DO make sure to use the appropriate file type for your marketing design: .gif for web

and electronic display; .tif for print.

• DO design your materials around the ESW color palette. Of course you don’t need to

restrict yourself to four colors only, but they should be the dominant colors in all your

materials. The one instance in which you should restrict yourself to the palette is your

chapter website.

• DO let us know if you prefer a logo with a different school nickname or abbreviation.

• DON’T try to alter the logo in any way. The only change allowed is size. Make sure that

for print, the logo is no smaller than 0.75” high and no smaller than 45 pixels high for

web/electronic use.

• DON’T use files that are intended for web use (.gif) on print materials. These images are

not rendered at an acceptable resolution for printed material.

• DON’T ever separate the typeface (the text) from the insignia (the graphic). The ESW

Logo consists of both the graphic and the text together, not just the insignia or just the

text.


For Print Publications

ESW National logo files are available in .tif format while chapter logos have been provided in

.png for use in Microsoft Office® applications. Three colors are available: The ESW Green,

White, and Black. Transparency is built in to allow versatility of use.

ESW Green White Black

Small

(0.75”h x 2.938”w)

Small

(0.75”h x 2.938”w)

Small

(0.75”h x 2.938”w)

Medium

(1.50”h x 5.875”w)

Medium

(1.50”h x 5.875”w)

Medium

(1.50”h x 5.875”w)

Large

(3”h x 11.75”w)

Large

(3”h x 11.75”w)

Large

(3”h x 11.75”w)

ESW Green White Black

Small

(0.75”h x 1.78”w)

Small

(0.75”h x 1.78”w)

Small

(0.75”h x 1.78”w)

Medium

(1.50”h x 3.563”w)

Medium

(1.50”h x 3.563”w)

Medium

(1.50”h x 3.563”w)

Large

(3”h x 7.125”w)

Large

(3”h x 7.125”w)

Large

(3”h x 7.125”w)


For Web & Electronic Publications

Web appropriate logos are available for use in your website design and electronic documents.

These are for electronic display only and are not intended for print use.

In this format the logo is restricted to two color combinations: in ESW Green on white, in white

on the ESW Green. Do not alter these files. They are intended to be displayed in the colors

presented and no others.

Dimensions shown are measured in pixels.

Small 45w x 179h

Medium 75w x 294h

Large 150w x 582h

Small 45w x 128h

Medium 75w x 179h

Large 150w x 355h


THE ESW COLOR PALETTE

Below are the four colors of ESW. You will find their precise values for RGB, CMYK, Pantone,

and Hexadecimal use.

When designing your marketing materials, choose ONE type of color value. For instance, when

using RGB values to define the ESW Green, use RGB values to define the orange - don’t use

CMYK or Pantone (PMS) values.


FONTS & TYPEFACE

ESW uses three standard fonts for all print and electronic publications; chapters should use

them to maintain a consistent look and feel for ESW’s communications to the larger global

community.

Official Typeface Appropriate Usage

Trebuchet MS Use for titles and headers. Color: ESW Green

Palatino Use for body text in formal correspondence (e.g.

invitations to speakers). Size: 10pt for print, 11pt for

email. Color: Black

Verdana Use for body text on websites. Color: #66666

LETTERHEAD & STATIONERY

Standard ESW stationery is available to all chapters for all ESW print correspondence. To use,

simply substitute your chapter’s logo (.tif version) and contact information in the letterhead. An

example with safety zone guidelines is on the next page.

Dos and Don’ts

• DO print formal letters on high quality white paper.

• DO use recycled paper as much as possible.

• DO use your university’s formal letterhead if it makes more sense for your chapter.

• DO use the letterhead as designed, maintaining the safety zones (white space) built in to

the file.

• DO abide by the precise guidelines as outline in the body of the sample.

• DON’T use any other logo besides your ESW chapter logo provided.

• DON’T change margins

For electronic correspondence, please use the following as a standard signature, typed in

Trebuchet MS, 11pt font: (1) Name, (2) Position (ESW- University Name President, Member,

etc.), (3) Chapter (4) Phone (optional) (5) E-mail address (if provided with an ESW address, use

that one), (6) Web site address.

It should look like this:

First Lastname ESW Title

ESW-ChapterName p: (XXX) XXX-XXXX e: [email protected] w: websiteedu


December 1, 2008

Addressee Name

Company Name

Department Name

Street Address

City, ST 12345-6789

Dear Mr. Lastname,

This is the design for ESW’s new letterhead. You’ll notice that we are standardizing

the use of our materials to give them a more unified and professional look. This

document serves as a template to show what the precise guidelines are.

To start, the logo is 0.5” to the right of the page and 0.375” below the top edge of the

page. The logo is 1.3” high.

The body text font is Palatino Linotype at a 10pt size. The top margin to the

beginning of the text is 2” which also corresponds to 0.5” below the logo. The left

margin is 2” and right margin is 1.25”. The text is flush left, ragged right. Paragraphs

are indicated with one line space with no indentation. After the complimentary close,

allow three line spaces for signature.

The ESW address line is in the footer of the letter with a 0.5” margin from the edge of

the page, centered. This footer text is Palatino, 6pt font. Bullets in between contact

information details are a lower case letter “v” in font Wingdings. Font color for the

footer is 50% grey (as defined in Microsoft Word), R=128 G=128 B=128. All other text

is black.

If additional pages are needed, the logo header is not to be repeated, though the left

and right margins remain the same. The text may begin 1” from the top of the page

and the footer is to be repeated.

Complimentary close,

Name

Title of the Author

1611 Telegraph Ave., Suite 924, Oakland, CA 94612 � Phone: (510) 893-5500 � Email: [email protected] � Web: www.eswusa.org


Events

As mentioned earlier, everything you do affects the value of the ESW brand. One of the best

ways to build it up is to have successful events where the attendees can learn more about ESW,

your chapter, and your accomplishments & activities. Nationally, the majority of ESW’s support

is the result of someone attending an ESW event.

The development of an active Public Relations campaign is necessary to develop a successful

reputation, and it opens up opportunities for more resources to support your chapter. It is of the

utmost importance to establish a strong presence within the university and local community as

your collegiate chapter grows and matures.

DEVELOPING THE EVENT CONCEPT

Every event should have a specific purpose – more specific than “raising awareness.” Perhaps

you want to recruit members, project volunteers, or perhaps you’re looking for sponsorship.

Know what your specific goal is for the event and have it drive how you develop the format for

the event as well.

YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Just like with written communications, you want to know who you’re speaking to in oral

communication during your events. A targeted audience must be identified for your event to be

most successful. If they are students, use your first hand experience in knowing what kind of

events you would attend and why. Put yourself in their shoes and image you received an

invitation to your own event. Would you go? Imagine attending the event, would you find the

event compelling enough to inspire you to act? For other types of invitees, you can ask your

faculty advisor to do the same exercise so you can gauge whether professors, deans, or

professionals would be interested in your event.

PLANNING THE EVENT

Having a plan written down and handed out to everyone involved in planning the event will

help make it go as smoothly as possible. The more events you host, the easier the planning

process will be. Once you have developed a concept for the event, determined your goals and

your audience, you can use the ESW Event Planning Guide to help execute your event.

PUBLICIZING THE EVENT

There is no such thing as too much publicity or publicizing too early. Advertise the event at

least one week before it takes place. For bigger events (a high profile speaker or a large

fundraiser), begin advertising four to six weeks prior to the event. The earlier people know

about your event, the more likely they will be able to attend.


Add your event to university calendars, send emails to other groups and ask them to include it

in their announcement emails & calendars, send personal invitations if it makes sense for the

event, and whenever possible, ask for RSVPs. It will commit invitees to attend your event, and

it will help you get a sense of how many people will be attending. Loose invitations that don’t

ask for confirmation of attendance are less likely to be responded to, however taking RSVPs can

be time intensive so gauge which is better for your format of event.

Advertise your event on ESW’s national website. You can post your chapter events there so

those perusing the site will know about your event. This is also a good way to share event ideas

with other chapters.

Make sure advertisements include all of the important event information (who, what, when,

where, why). Consider the message that you are hoping to deliver in your advertising and who

your audience will be. Make visual ads appealing and when making verbal announcements

make sure they are catchy and succinct. The following are a few methods for advertising your

events:

Class

Announcements

Announce events in lectures

through overhead slides, a note

on the chalkboard, or verbal

announcement. Ask permission

of instructor.

Great way to spread ESW's

name quickly to large number of

students, particularly if your

chapter is new. Free but can be

time consuming – target classes

with large numbers of students.

Email Listings

and Web pages

Add a description of your event

to mass emails sent out by your

faculty or student societies. Send

event info out through your

chapter membership list. Post

the even on your chapter or

affiliated organization web

pages.

You will need to find out which

electronic mailing lists exist,

who runs them, when you must

submit your ad, how often mass

email is distributed. Many

students ignore these emails but

you'll grab a few people and it's

easy to do.

Postering Make attractive, eye-catching

posters advertising your event

and post them on campus and in

the community.

Most universities have rules as

to where posters can be put up –

many require that you get them

approved first. Find out what

regulations exist. If you want to

involve community members in

your events, try putting up

posters in local coffee shops,

office buildings or other venues.


Newspapers Create an ad and send it to an

on-campus or local newspaper.

Also, write a press release about

your event (see page 11).

It usually costs money to place

ads in newspapers, though some

local papers will post meeting

announcements for free. Find

out what the costs are for

different sizes of ads. Inquire

about non-profit discounts.

Make sure that you send the ad

in the format required by the

newspaper.

Radio Stations Write a short event description

to be announced on your

campus or local radio station.

Find out how far in advance you

must submit an announcement,

what length it must be, cost

associated, etc.

Television Some local television stations

have community event bulletins.

Submit your event information

for inclusion in the bulletin.

Find out how much in advance

you must submit an

announcement, and the format

in which you must submit the

announcement.


Media Relations

Having a relationship with media sources on your campus is a good way to get a lot of people

to find out about your chapter at once. Gaining media attention for your chapter is a great way

to promote your activities to the public. Whether talking about an event, a project that your

chapter is undertaking, or a new partnership that you have forged, media coverage helps to

expose your activities to the general public. Recall that every time you talk to the media, what

you say reflects not only your chapter, but all of ESW. As such, what you say when speaking on

behalf of ESW should reflect ESW’s mission, vision, and values.

Your campus newspaper will reach thousands of readers in one day. Your local newspaper will

reach even more. Have someone in your chapter be responsible for feeding press releases to

journalists at these publications on a regular basis.

Most forms of media divide their reporters into areas of coverage known as "beats". The beats

that are likely most relevant to ESW chapters are universities, technology, and development.

Each chapter's communications person should call all of the local & campus media to obtain

contact information for the reporters responsible for these three beats.

Remember, there are different kinds of media out there. Don’t limit yourself to newspapers.

Reach out to radio and TV stations on your campus and in the community.

PRESS RELEASES

How to write a press release

By definition a press release is simply a statement prepared for distribution to the media. The

purpose of a press release is to give journalists information that is useful, accurate and

interesting.

Writing a press release is actually pretty easy! You don’t have to be a journalist or know much

about media relations if you just follow the guidelines below. Press releases are in all actuality

'cookie cutter'. Once you get the hang of writing them, all you have to do is fill in the blanks.

Press releases conform to an established format.

Press releases should be printed on ESW letterhead. Your chapter’s name, web address, mailing

address and phone number should be printed clearly at the top of the page. PRESS RELEASE

should be spelled out in all CAPS and centered in bold. The press release contact person’s name

should be underneath the wording and all contact numbers printed clearly underneath. Write

IMMEDIATE RELEASE on the left margin directly above the title in all caps.

The next essential component of the press release is the Headline or Title. It should be centered,

in caps, and in bold. The headline should capture the journalist’s attention. Remember, they get


hundreds of press releases. The title of the press release should be short and snappy, and

hopefully grab the attention of the journalist, impressing them enough to read on.

The body of the press release begins with the date and city from which the press release

originated. The body of the press release is very basic; who, what, where, when and why. The

first paragraph of the press release should contain in brief detail what the press release is about.

The next paragraph or two explains, in detail: who cares; why you should care; where one can

find it; when it will happen. Also, included in the second 'informative' paragraph is generally a

quote that gives the release a personal touch. “Touchy-feelies” go a long way with journalists.

Press releases and news stories are boring to journalists without a 'human interest' component

to the story.

The third and generally final paragraph is a summation of the release and further information

about ESW and your chapter, with contact information clearly spelled out.

The content of the press release, beginning with the date and city of origin, should be typed in

the standard ESW font (Palatino, 11pt) and should be contained to one page. However, if your

press release exceeds one page, the second page should indicate ' Page Two' in the upper right

hand corner. Journalistic standards have set basic parameters to define the end of a press

release: ###. Three # symbols, centered directly underneath the last line of the release indicate

the end of a press release.

Press Release Checklist

• Company Letterhead, Name, Address, Phone Number, Web Address

• PRESS RELEASE in all caps

• Contact Person's Name

• Immediate Release or Release Date(all caps)

• HEADLINE or TITLE in BOLD/CAPS

• BODY-Date/City-who,what,when,where and why.

• Catchy Text

• Sum it up...

• Basic Font, Page Numbers, and ###

Following the press release equation, you should have no problem writing a press release. The

press release on the next page is a real example from the ESW National Office.


PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Leti McNeill, Director of External Relations

Phone: (607) 255-8996

Direct Line: (607) 339-1345

Email: [email protected]

ENGINEERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE WORLD ANNOUNCES

2006 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

ITHACA, New York, June 17, 2006 – Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) has announced

its 2006 National Annual Conference: “Envisioning Sustainability: A new generation of thinking for

the next generation of living.” Hosted by The University of Iowa ESW Collegiate Chapter, this

year’s event expects over 500 students, academics, and professionals from around the country.

The event will be held September 27-30 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Brendan Owens, Director of LEED Design and Construction from the US Green Building

Council, will be opening the conference with his plenary session on the green design movement

in the US. As a capstone to the conference, keynote speaker Lester Brown, founder and director

of the Earth Policy Institute, described as “one of the world’s most influential thinkers” by the

Washington Post, will engage conference participants in building the roadmap towards a

sustainable global eco-economy.

As a special treat for conference goers, the African Children’s Choir will raise their voices in joy

and celebration of hope for the future. Each child has lost one or both parents to poverty or

AIDS, yet they maintain a vision of a better tomorrow in each performance where they both

entertain and educate audiences around the world.

Daily themes are Developed World, Developing World, and Global Collaboration and Action. Session

tracks are Business Solutions for a Sustainable World, Critical Issues in International Development,

Technology Benefiting Humanity, Education & Curriculum Change, Outreach & Practical Action, and

Living and Working Sustainably.

Early registration at discounted rates closes August 1st for professionals and September 1st for

students. ESW is a national organization that mobilizes engineering students and professionals

to volunteer for sustainable development projects around the country and the world. For more

information visit www.esustainableworld.org.

###


Don’t Be Discouraged - Go the Extra Mile

Not every press release will be published. In fact, many of them won’t. However, by

continuously submitting them to your media contacts, you build a presence in journalists’

minds and increase the likelihood that you will be able to attain media coverage of your

chapter.

In addition to submitting press releases on a regular basis, for special events, contact journalists

BEFORE you submit the press release. It is not enough to send a press release and hope that it

will be read -- the media receives too many press releases to follow up on every single one. Call

the journalist, pitch your story, THEN follow up with the press release and other supporting

documents (photos, endorsements, etc).

Send the information by fax or by email directly to the reporter. Then follow up once more with

a phone call "to offer more information." (This is better than a call asking if the reporter if they

will be coming to the event or the activity that the press release is announcing, and never call

just to ask if they received it.)

You’ll ultimately be most successful in your public relations plan by ensuring you have

continuous contact with the public, your professors, dean, media contacts, and potential

donors/sponsors.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews are usually conducted when a journalist is interested in gathering material for a

specific article. When chosen by a journalist to provide an interview, one must be careful in

releasing information, for it can be possible for one to be misquoted or for the meaning to be

distorted, depending on the specific angle desired. Most articles involving ESW might be

focused on projects or individuals, and thus are likely to be positive in nature. However, when

speaking about a project it is important to not prematurely release information on possible

projects, for if they fall through it might damage the reputation of the chapter or its partner

organizations.

OP-EDS & LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

An Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor can be an effective way to promote personal views in

development, education, appropriate technology, or service. However, use your best judgment

about representing ESW. If your title or membership in ESW is referenced, care must be taken

to adequately represent the views of the national organization to the public.


RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

MAKING NEW CONTACTS

Your first introduction to an individual or group who is unfamiliar with ESW is an important

one. Whether the contact is in-person, by phone, email, or in a letter, you want to sound

professional and confident, being succinct while telling them enough about ESW so they will

want to find out more about the organization and become involved in some way.

Before making contact with a party that is external to ESW, try to do some background research,

including information on their company or organization. If contacting a professor, take the time

to find out about their research. If contacting a project team at a local non-profit organization,

find out about the organization, the projects that they have undertaken, and the project team

members themselves. This will show that you are serious in contacting them as you have taken

the time to do your research.

When introducing yourself to an individual or group, give a brief description of yourself and

your role in ESW (e.g., a 3rd year engineering student at MIT, and VP of Public Relations/

Marketing for the MIT chapter of ESW). Briefly explain what ESW is, describing our mission,

vision, and values statements. Having documentation you can pass along is often useful as well.

When possible, have brochures and business cards handy, or if corresponding by email, attach

the electronic version along with your message.

Following this, explain why you are contacting the individual or group. Also mention how this

contact could be beneficial to the individual or group that you are contacting. Let's say that you

are contacting the executive director of a local non-profit organization whom you were

recommended to contact by another one of your chapter’s partners. Explain to this individual

that you are contacting them because your partner said that they have great experience working

with various development organizations overseas and that your chapter would be very

enthusiastic to hear about these experiences. Then mention that this would be a wonderful

opportunity for the individual to engage with and inspire university students and engineers

who want to learn more about development.

Finally, tell them that you look forward to hearing from them and be sure to include your

contact information (you can give them a business card, or include it in a letter).

When contacting individuals who have positions of authority within a company or

organization, you will likely end up introducing yourself to his or her assistant. Your first

impression with a assistant is important; the assistant is the one who will speak highly or with

disinterest when relaying your message to his or her boss, so leaving the right impression will

increase your chances of contacting the individual with whom you are hoping to communicate.


WHO TO CONTACT, WHY, AND HOW TO SELL ESW TO THEM

The Dean of Engineering

One of the first people within your faculty that you will want to meet is the Dean of

Engineering. The Dean is a powerful resource for several reasons: he or she will know all of the

professors in the faculty, the kind of research they are conducting, and which ones might be

interested in helping your chapter. The Dean also has control over faculty funds and may be

able to allocate funds for specific chapter activities. Finally, the Dean will have a large amount

of contacts within, and often outside, of the university; as a result, he or she will likely be able to

provide or guide you to many useful resources.

When introducing ESW to the Dean, be sure to mention how your chapter can offer an

opportunity to actively engage students who seek to apply their technical education in a global

context. The multidisciplinary nature of most development projects and the community impact

that a student chapter offers can provide significant publicity to the university, and thus be an

attractive organization within the college of engineering.

You may also wish to consider contacting other Deans within the university, such as the Dean

of International Development or the Dean of Environmental Studies if they exist.

Professors

It is likely that several of the professors within the Faculty of Engineering or in the Faculty of

Arts (or of International Development if you have one) may be conducting research that is

relevant to sustainability or sustainable development. They may be good speakers for events, or

have contacts or resources that may be very useful to you. Other professors may simply be

interested in Engineers for a Sustainable World and willing to offer support.

Mention to professors that speaking at events will enable them to talk about their work to

students, professionals, and members of the community who are interested in development

issues, providing a great opportunity for exposure. This is also a great opportunity for

professors to meet with students who might make great summer students.

Other organizations at the university

Your chapter may wish to find out more about other organizations that are active at your

university, such as Greenpeace, Habitat for Humanity, or Amnesty International. These

organizations are likely involved in activities or working towards goals that are similar to those

of your chapter; collaboration on events or sharing of resources could be mutually beneficial.

University alumni

University alumni can be a great resource for a number of reasons:

• They have work experience and can offer advice and support to chapters

• They have a lot of contacts that may be of use to the chapter

• They may be able to support the chapter financially.


The best way to communicate with university alumni is to go to the university alumni office

(usually within the university development office) and explain to them who you are. Explain

why you wish to get in touch with alumni (for instance, you are looking for a mentor for a

project), and try to work on a plan with the alumni office.

Alumni are often tired of always getting requests for money. It may be best to start off with a

relationship that has nothing to do with funding; if the alum is really interested in your chapter,

he/she may choose to make a donation once he/she knows more about the organization and

your chapter.

Departments

Numerous departments within your university may offer bursaries for a variety of activities.

There may be memorial bursaries to bring in speakers for a lecture series, project funds, etc. You

will need to do some research into the types of bursaries available at your university. Usually

there are standard application forms for bursaries as well as set requirements and deadlines.

Research the bursaries carefully and maintain a formal level of communication when applying.

Potential Sponsors/Companies

Your sponsors will be a great financial resource for your chapter’s numerous initiatives, and are

not necessarily confined to project funding. In targeting new sponsors, an ideal time to

distribute sponsor packages for industry will be during the fourth quarter of their fiscal year

(usually starting October 1) when they are setting their philanthropic budgets for the next fiscal

year (usually starting January 1). The best thing you can do is to build up the relationship

throughout the year before that time. Personally contact them via phone to introduce yourself

and invite them to events. Further information on corporate relations and sponsorship

development is provided in the Fundraising Guide.

Potential Project Partners

Your partners will provide a great resource in the development of projects in the field. Partners’

expertise of the community and technology development is useful in first establishing the ties

necessary for a project. In targeting potential project partners, it is important to establish a

relationship between individuals in the organizations, as well as learning as much as possible

about the organization’s goals and mission. During the process of establishing partners,

professionalism must be maintained in all correspondences and information must be provided

in the initial contacts to provide a mutual understanding of our purpose. In targeting a potential

partner, care must be taken to not make any explicit promises on a potential project until all the

resources to successfully achieve the project have been identified.

MAINTAINING RELATIONSHIPS

As important as building new connections is the need to maintain existing relationships. It is

much easier to gain support from those who have supported your chapter in the past than it is


to get support from brand new sources. This is true for all kinds of support, be it volunteers,

speakers, members, or sponsors.

Follow up, follow up, follow up

Too often, once what we get what we want, we forget to follow up those who helped us get

there. It’s important to go the extra step beyond just sending a thank you message. If a donor

supported a specific project, make sure to send progress reports along the way or at least a final

report once the project is complete. Include hand written thank you cards, pictures, and any

other compelling evidence showing how the donor’s money was spent.

Use the same compelling materials you would send to the donor to your Dean and Department

Heads so they can know about all the wonderful work you’re doing. The more you keep your

stakeholders in the loop of what you’re doing, the more supportive they will be over time.


Sample PR & Marketing Ideas

Here are some ideas that you can use to promote a variety of initiatives frequently encountered

by collegiate chapter.

FOR MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT

Promoting Fundraising Initiatives

Having something that has a big visual and emotional impact, such as a large-scale contraption,

can draw people in and instantly make them interested in what you have to say. Visit

http://www.oxfamamerica.org/pdfs/marble_machine.pdf for description of a marble-machine

that drops a marble for every time another child dies from hunger.

Tying in the emotional component is the best way to draw interest in your cause. Another

strong draw is a tie to people’s everyday lives. What do students care about on a regular basis?

Free food is definitely one of them. Draw people in with food and signs saying “Do you like

pizza?” and then explain to them what a luxury it is to receive free food like this since billions of

people around the world don’t have access to food or water. You can then start a more formal

presentation about how they can help change that and get involved by becoming a member of

ESW and your chapter.

FOR FUNDRAISING

Sponsorship Package

A sponsorship package gives an overview of ESW and your chapter, as well as a description of

why donors should contribute to the organization. It can include brochures, copies of news

clippings, or any other promotional materials you create. What it MUST contain is a

promotional piece that describes the benefits a company receives for sponsoring you chapter or

event.

This package should be distributed when chapters need to raise funds for projects, or to support

large events (such as bringing in a high profile speaker). As described in the ESW Fundraising

Guide, sponsorship packages can vary, but should generally contain some essential content such

as the budget, benefits of sponsorship, timeline, and description of the project or event to be

sponsored in addition to basic information about the national organization and the local

chapter. In the creation of the sponsorship package, the partnership between the VP of Public

Relations, and the VPs of Finance and/or Fundraising is important so all relevant information

may be included in the package.

Fundraising events

As described in the ESW Event Planning Guide, fundraising events can be an effective form of

raising money for the developing projects, supporting charities, or simply funding day-to-day

operations of the chapter in the community. Co-sponsoring larger fundraising events with


several student organizations can allow bands, comedians, or speakers to be hosted who would

attract a larger fraction of the local community, raising sufficient funds to cover related

expenses and providing some fruitful rewards for the chapter’s initiatives. Ads and posters can

be most effective if released several weeks in advance in highly frequented areas; in this respect,

the extra cost of graphic posters can make a big difference in drawing a great turnout.

FOR EDUCATION AND OUTREACH

Promoting educational events

Whereas fundraising activities are usually targeted to members of the general community,

educational events are often significant to members of ESW itself. Thus, in addition to

traditional forms of publicity, the use of newsletters, email announcements, and bulletin boards

can attract interested individuals of the student chapter. Additional tactics to use in the

promotion of specific events are as follows:

• Make an announcement a day or two before the event in a large introductory course to

attract underclassmen

• Leave chalk announcements on the corner of the boards with a “DO NOT ERASE” tag

underneath

• Send emails to list-serves. In addition to mass e-mailings, it is be important to contact

departmental or university staff to deliver more personal messages to specific groups of

students

• Provided adequate weather, it would help to advertise events with chalkings on high

traffic paths

• Provide quarter flyers in classes or general body meetings with synopsis of talk and key

facts

• Provide additional incentives to students, such as free food

These usually underutilized forms of publicity can be effective, gaining the attention of a large

number of students who would have otherwise passed over traditional flyers.

FOR PROJECTS

Project Coordinator Recruitment

Pamphlets/brochures are an effective means of communicating a chapter’s needs for

professionals or professors to provide technical expertise in the development of projects.

Depending on the specific operation of a chapter, this form of marketing can be used to attract

individuals to ongoing chapter projects or draw interested individuals to assist any emerging

projects in their fields of interest.

Basic Introduction Packet for Potential Partners

When describing ESW to possible partners in projects, it is important to deliver a standard

mission statement, goals, and vision of the organization to all stakeholders. Conveying the

values of ESW to potential partners through presentations, letters, pamphlets and other media

forms is essential for an introductory meeting. These marketing/PR tools are also relevant in

conveying important organizational information to volunteers and sponsors. ESW has


developed tools and packages that can be used at the national and local level by chapters to use

for possible partners and can be accessed in the chapter resource center. Any questions on

establishing a partnership with community organizations can be addressed to

[email protected].

Project Publicity

A chapter’s ability to draw out volunteers, sponsors, and partners is often dependent on the

recognition that it has in the local community. University administration will often support

chapters that are clearly undertaking major initiatives; marketing project outcomes is often an

effective tool to achieve this end. Addressing the public media in the local community or

university can provide greater recognition of specific communities in need or pressing problems

in development. Furthermore, publicity can help leverage the previous work of a student

chapter to draw out even greater resources, support, and community awareness.

DESIGN TEMPLATES

A variety of templates have been designed for your use in a variety of needs. They can be found

in the Chapter Resource Center on the ESW website, and many are available on the

accompanying CD.

Templates included can be used for:

• eNewsletters

• Flyers

• PowerPoint Presentations

• Brochures

• Faxes

• Letters

• Business Cards

• Invitation Cards

• Gift Acknowledgement Letters

• Gift Thank You text

• Thank You Cards

• Quarter Cards

• Member Welcome Postcard

1611 Telegraph Ave., Suite 924, Oakland, CA 94612 � Phone: (510) 893-5500 � Email: [email protected] � Web: www.eswusa.org

public relations & marketing

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