Once you have planned a program, in order for it to be successful, you must get people to come. Getting the word out about both your group and each particular event is imperative. You want to tell everyone who you are, that you would like others to join you, and what KESHER is all about.
TELEPHONE CALLS
Phone calls are indispensable. They are the most personal
and effective way to reach many people. Even though it is often uncomfortable
to call people blindly, it is probably the most important thing you can
do to build a core group. Create a telephone list and have people call
their group weekly to remind them about upcoming events and services. It
helps if you have friends calling friends, so you do not want to randomly
divide the list. If possible, make your phone calls all at once, at a time
when people are home while your committee is together in a single location.
You might even want to bring snacks and make an event out of it. That way,
you can tell those who you are calling who else is coming (which entices
many to attend). It also builds morale among your callers, and can make
the phone calls seem less tedious.
Alternatively, if your phone list becomes too long, or if you cannot call everyone with a few people on one night, try creating a networking committee. A networking committee can be a useful tool in creating community bonds throughout your campus. The job of this committee is to regularly contact everyone on the mailing list by dividing it up geographically, with representatives coming from each residence hall or general campus area. These representatives are responsible for calling everyone who is on their list, at least once a month to invite them to events and remind them what Kesher is (the number of people who can be contacted each month is highly dependent upon the number of people on the list. One can reasonably be expected to make approximately 15 calls a week). These representatives could also take on the task of putting up flyers around their area, and organizing walking groups from their dorm to Hillel or wherever the event takes place. This helps take away the worry of "I don’t want to go to Kesher alone," or "Will I know anyone there?"
Remember to include a list of your upcoming events not only in the Shabbat announcements of your chavurah, but also for all other groups in Hillel as well.
E-MAIL
E-mail is one of the best and easiest ways to reach your
targeted audience. It is the only consistent way to reach people (while
street addresses often change from year-to-year on campus, e-mail addresses
usually stay the same). Create e-mail lists and send out a steady flow
of e-mails to remind students of all the details of your upcoming events;
perhaps a weekly calendar will work. Also, an e-mail on Thursday reminding
people of the service time for Friday can never hurt. At the same time,
however, don’t inundate your list with too many messages because you don’t
want to lose your credibility and have people instantly hit "delete" upon
seeing your name!
FLYERS
Flyers are one of the most traditional means of communication
on campus. They are the gateway to the entire campus community, and they
can help you reach all of those you do not yet know. Determine all the
different places you should put your flyers. Consider kiosks, doors, bulletin
boards in both residence halls and classroom buildings, and any other area
where traffic is high. Remember those not-so-ordinary places as well, such
as classrooms where Hebrew or Judaic studies classes are held. You might
want to ask a few people to take a stack of flyers and a roll of tape with
them as they go to class and have them put them up along their normal walking
pattern. If your Hillel places tables in a centralized location, make sure
your flyers are among those which your Hillel offers. Also remember to
send your announcements to other groups to pass along to their members.
You never know who might be interested in your specific event! Be sure
to follow your school’s guidelines carefully, or your flyers will be taken
down before anyone has a chance to see them.
OTHER UNCONVENTIONAL PUBLICITY IDEAS