Rotary publicity in full swing

 

 

The NZ Rotary publicity campaign starts on Friday 15 February.  The aim is to raise general awareness that Rotary is going great things in the community and that Rotary welcomes the support of like-minded people.  The campaign is supported by a number of high profile people in the community.  Campaign information is at www.facebook.com/rotarynz ... when there please support Rotary by "Like" the page.

 

 

This increased awareness among the public is a perfect time to suggest to friends and colleagues they might like to find out more about what Rotary can offer them and suggest the best way is to visit a club and meet some Rotarians with no pressure or obligation.  A call to 0800 4 ROTARY will assist getting people to a club most suited to them.

Rotary PR event with a fellowship spinoff

For the past 15 years, the Otahuhu shopping area in South Auckland, NZ has not had a Santa parade, as during that time it was deemed culturally insensitive. However, in 2013 the Otahuhu Mainstreet Association decided that it was time to bring back the parade which turned out to be a magnificent event with 25 groups putting in entries or floats.

The Rotary Club of Otahuhu decided to support this celebration event, using it as a PR exercise to inform the local community that Rotary is still alive and well in Otahuhu. We were indeed a colourful group in our new hi-viz vests, and our usual Panama hats, plus we had fun and fellowship filling the blue and yellow Rotary balloons with helium so that they could be handed out to the children lining the route.

The Rotary entry was fronted by Adrienne Davies and Sue Fitzpatrick who carried the Rotary banner, followed by Rotarians Alex Rohde who drove his magnificent homemade MG replica, and Merv Ah Chee who towed the Rotary Wheel trailer.

The turn out from the public on December 7 was most encouraging. New murals added a refreshing look to the town and there appeared to be a real sense of community and revival.

The Otahuhu Santa Parade was a great community event, enjoyable for our 20 members and partners who were there on the day, and it resulted in excellent Rotary PR.

By DGN Jennie Herring, Rotary Club of Otahuhu

Being Golf Mad Brings Life to a Great Idea

Rotary Club of Porirua Sundown Club’s golf-mad president, Gordon Beattie had an idea. The club had been visited by the local Wellington Free Ambulance representative Andrew Dunning, who had talked about their community initiative, Operation HeartBeat, designed to make Wellington the leading Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) -survival city in the southern hemisphere.

Life-saving Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being placed all around the city, and Gordon’s idea was to run a Golf Competition to raise money to fund three AEDs – one at each of the golf courses in Porirua – Titahi, Pauatahanui and Judgeford. Teams of four were invited to enter the competition, and sponsors were found for each of the 18 holes (6 at each club).  This sort of competition had never been held before – with all three courses involved, so there was a lot of interest from local golfers.

A project manager, David Stewart,  from the Rotary Porirua Sundown club was appointed to co-ordinate all of the activities, from catering, sponsors’ signage and communications to rostering of volunteers.  The local newspaper, Kapi Mana News, came to the party with sponsorship, by providing full page adverts and editorial coverage over several weeks. Noel Leeming kindly matched the Club’s contribution to a prize table.

Seventeen teams entered the competition, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all who participated. Most of the club’s members were involved in some way – either on the day at the registration desk, scoring, running the sausage sizzle or co-ordinating logistics with the sponsors and the groundsmen; other tasks included the design of the advertising, website pages and an online newsletter to participants.

Tom Campbell, father of Michael Campbell (who won the 2005 US Open) said, “It was the most well-organised competition that I’ve ever been involved in!”

The three AED’s are located so that they serve not only members and visitors of the golf courses, but are available to the local community, in case of an emergency – supporting a wide range of people.

Website: www.poriruasundown.rotarysouthpacific.org

Lowdown

The Rotary recreational fellowships include the International Fellowship of Golfing Rotarians with the closest 'chapter' being in Australia (see http://agfr.org/ )  With so many NZ Rotarians golfing and so many Rotary clubs holding golfing events why is there not a NZ 'Chapter"??

For more about Rotary Fellowships go to: HERE

The Pillow Fight was immense fun and great publicity for Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC)

The 'Pillow Fight' was a huge success in terms of the publicity for Rotary and ROMAC.

As a first time event in Auckland, the 'Pillow Fight' was a total success in almost every possible aspect, from the planning and organisation, the team building (3 Rotaracters, 2 ROMAC Committee members and a marketing friend of one of them), the enjoyment of the participants and the positive feedback from all quarters.

 

Everyone went home happy and the stage has been set to make this an annual event. In fact, with the resources developed this year, the ROMAC organisers believe they can run next year's event at almost no cost!

It established a platform established for this to be an annual Pupuke Rotaract event to raise funds for ROMAC and promote ROMAC, Rotary and Rotaract. They will be looking to stage this elsewhere in NZ, with local Rotary and Rotaract Clubs to run it from the template developed.

So Kiwi Rotarians - pencil in Sat 5th April 2014.

 

Additional Information:

ROMAC is a humanitarian program that provides urgent, life changing medical treatment to children who need it the most. We have changed the lives of more than 300 children from 20 countries, since 1988.

www.romac.org.nz

Also for hints on doing good publicity in Rotary go to http://public-image-action.blogspot.co.nz/

 

 

Rotary on the Radio in November

A national radio campaign starts again for the weeks commencing  12, 19 and 26  November 2012 and uses same commercial read by a female voice (MM -3) and a male voice (MM – 4).

Two gender voices were recorded to appeal to different targets. The different gender intonations will create interest and add some intrigue…a tactic not many use.

The communications all air during Larry Williams Drive 16:00 – 19:00 on Newstalk ZB (internet: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/shows/drive/ ).  ZB is rated number one against all national radio stations with a weekly audience of 146,200 listeners aged 20 years plus.  In addition, there is likely to be an on-air interview with Larry Williams focussing on 'Rotary in your community' with a Rotarian, one who is savvy and has good skills.  These spots will be broadcast across Wellington, Christchurch, Waikato, Dunedin, BOP, Taranaki, Hawkes Bay, Southland, Northland, Manawatu, Nelson, Rotorua and Auckland.

Clip 1 Voice A  Clip: "Do you want to make your community a better place to live in ..."
Clip 1 Voice B

Clip 2 Voice A  Clip:  "Did you know that Rotary played a leading role in setting up ..."
Clip 2 Voice B

These are also on the PR CDs currently being distributed to clubs and there are some tips for clubs at www.radio2012.rotarysouthpacific.org
Listeners wanting more information about Rotary and / or wanting to contact a club local to them are encouraged to call 0800 4 ROTARY or go to www.rotarysouthpacific.org (the Rotary New Zealand and Pacific Islands website)