Communication
The primary function of the newsletter is to keep the membership informed of the various activities of ASCE at the local, state, district and national level. The newsletter provides the members with an essential source of information. Newsletters should be generated on a routine basis, such as monthly or following local Board of Direction meetings.
[ Content | Article Sources ]
[ Production & Distribution | Awards | Help ]
[ Newsletter Evaluation Form (PDF Format*) ]
Content
Although each newsletter will be unique, some ideas for content could include the following:
- Names, addresses, and phone numbers of current Board members and committee chairs, if applicable.
- Calendar of local, state, region and national events.
- National Conference information or highlights.
- Multi-Region Leadership Conference information or highlights.
- Region information or highlights.
- Specialty conference or continuing education program announcements.
- Call for papers.
- Scholarship announcements and awards.
- Section, Branch or National award nominations and winners.
Sources For Articles
- Student Chapter activities.
- Highlights of member accomplishments.
- Membership drive information.
- Humor and/or brainteasers.
- Younger Member Contacts & Events.
- President's message.
- Articles regarding professional and/or technical issues.
- National committee vacancies.
- Classified advertisements.
- Employment classified advertisements.
- Photographs of local, state, district or national events.
- Local, state and national ASCE logos.
Newsletter Production and Distribution
Production and distribution of the newsletter will depend largely on the budget.
Advertising revenue can be a means of increasing the budget without increasing dues. This can be done on a small scale with business card advertisements or full newsletter sponsorships. Contacting other similar Sections or Branches regarding their experiences with advertisement sales is recommended.
The cost of the newsletter includes costs relating to preparation, reproduction, and mailing. Mailing costs depend upon the volume of newsletters sent. For large volume mailings, a bulk mail permit may be obtained from the U.S. Postal Service. Contact ASCE National for documentation regarding ASCE's non-profit status. Bulk mailings should be used cautiously, as they are not always delivered in a timely manner. The local post office should be contacted regarding parameters for service.
Newsletter distribution should also be considered. Some Sections/Branches mail only to dues paying members. Other Section/Branches opt to include non-member engineers or engineering companies in an effort to attract new members. Many Sections/Branches send the newsletter via electronic mail, which is quite cost effective.
Geographic Services is offering a new service that will allow Sections and Branches to send broadcast e-mails containing newsletters, meeting announcements and other materials to their members with a reduced risk of having them blocked or undelivered as spam.
The service will use the Section and Branch membership databases to collect names to create lists. The service is free and Sections and Branches can create as many lists as they wish to facilitate the exchange of their different message types. A Section or Branch can participate in the Listserv program by contacting Jennifer Lawrence, Region Administrator, at jlawrence@asce.org or 800-548-2723 ext. 6255.
Currently many Sections/Branches have newsletters posted on their web sites. It is a great way to save on mailing and reproduction costs and provide instantaneous access to members. ASCE's Geographic Services Department should also be included in newsletter distribution so they may stay apprised of your activities.
Newsletter Awards
The American Society of Civil Engineers offers annual newsletter awards in five categories:
| Very Large Section | 2001 members or more |
| Large Section: | 1001 to 2000 members |
| Small Section: | 1000 members or less |
| Large Branch: | 251 members or more |
| Small Branch: | 250 members or less |
The award in each category will be presented to the recipients at the Multi-Region Leadership Conferences each year.
The newsletters are judged by the Committee for Section and Branch Leaders (CSBL). Information on the Newsletter Award and the CSBL may be accessed at http://www.asce.org/inside/newsletter.cfm. Each judge will evaluate one of the above categories. Enter your newsletter by mailing it to the committee members representing your newsletter category.
The newsletters will be comparatively judged as to how well they serve the membership.
Help
If you need help with developing or producing your newsletter, contact the Geographic Services Department at ASCE Headquarters for further information (1-800-548-ASCE, Ext.6010).
Remember, the best source of information can be someone with similar experience. Contact other Sections and Branches that are similar to yours and ask to be placed on their mailing list. Some of the best newsletter ideas can be recycled to fit your local needs
* NOTE: This document is in Portable Document Format (.pdf). You will need Adobe's Acrobat Reader to view this document. You may download the Reader free from Adobe's website.
