Be the Wall - Wednesday's Tips - 7/29/09
"Be the Wall - Wednesday's Tips" - July 29, 2009
Author: Amity Chandler, Director of Drug Free Charlotte County
email: Amity_Chandler@ccps.k12.fl.us
Gear up for Back to School!
If you’ve been on auto-pilot for your campaign over the summer, now is the time to gear up for back to school!
Open houses and student orientations are one of the few times during the year when you are able to REALLY capture the attention of parents.
But don’t fall into the “old information table” habit.
If you are hosting tables at open houses, remember that there is a lot of other information competing for a parent’s attention. Here are a few tips to make your time at open house count the most.
Put together a “Be the Wall” prize basket. Use a t-shirt or polo, other donations or coalition items you may have. Ask parents to provide their name and e-mail for notification if they win! Or, ask parents to complete a three question survey on their perceptions of underage drinking in their community. (I can help you with this)
By collecting email addresses, you can establish a data base to send your own personalize wall messages or newsletters out to parents throughout the year. By collecting data, you merely strengthen the knowledge base you already have.
Ask parents to sign pledges. Better yet, have teenagers circulate through the open house even with clipboards asking parents to sign a brick.
Out of pledges? Utilize an internet connection to do on-line pledges instead!
If you ordered sidewalk stencils or adhesives, this would be a great time to use them!
And don’t forget a traveling display – what an opportunity to send a quick message to parents as they enter a building.
T-shirt walk. Place a group of parents or other adults, school staff, etc in the Wall t-shirts or give them buttons to wear. They will be traveling billbaords all night long.
Remember, the behavior that you are asking parents to buy into – Be Clear, Be Firm, Be Consistent…….
And never never miss the opportunity to remind your audience that most teens choose NOT to drink!
And last but not least - SEND ME YOUR PICTURES of what your campaign has been up to.