Relay Walk Talk Newsletter: Inspire your Relayers with Customized Inserts

Lori Neumann312.279.7380

Lori.Neumann@cancer.org

Mary Gilliam815.260.3463

Mary.Gilliam@cancer.org

FY2008 Walk Talk Schedule

Volume In Home Date Customized Insert? Recipients 1. January 15, 2008 None FY06, FY07 & FY08 Team Captains,

Team Members, Survivors, Committees

2. 90 Days prior Yes FY07 & FY08 Team Captains, Team to Relay event date Members, Survivors, Committees

3. 45 Days prior Yes FY07 & FY08 Team Captains, Team to Relay event Members, Survivors, Committees

4. September 15, 2008 None FY08 Team Captains, Team Members, Survivors, Committees

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Customization – What’s the Big Deal?

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Why customize? • Customization = building bridges and nurturing relationships.

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Which do you prefer?

• USA Today or your local newspaper?• mail addressed to “Resident” or addressed to you?• an insert promoting a Relay in your community or one in a different state?

Overheard at this year’s Relay Leadership Summit:

“These personalized inserts are “absolute gold”!

“When I see an insert and recognize my Relay or a member of my community, I feel so proud and excited to be a part of Relay. It inspires me to keep going!”

“I love reading information specific to my Relay – seeing a letter or note from the Relay Chair makes me feel like I’m making a difference.”

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Personalize / regionalize whenever possible. • Letters from event chairs or quotes from Relayers add a personal touch

Greetings From Your 2007 RFL Event Chair:My name is Lynda Solin and I just wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful job that was done in 2006. It really sets the bar high for the 2007 Relay For Life here in Bartonville.

Our committee meets at the US Army Reserve Center on Thursday nights – anyone is welcome to attend. If you’re interested please contact me for exact dates.

I hope to see you at the Relay For Life in Bartonville. Our theme this year is “Relay Strong” – Relay supporters have a special kind of strength. Together we CAN make a difference!

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Top Tips for Inserts

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What makes a good insert? 8

Make the insert easy to read with:• shorter paragraphs• two to three sentences maximum

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A. While it’s true that the number one way to fundraise is by writing letters to family and friends, why not make it as easy as possible?

Log on to your Relay For Life Website and you can e-mail everyone in your address book from your own personal Webpage. This allows your friends and family to donate with a simple click over to your Website.

They’ll just need to enter their donation information and a credit card number and that’s it – they’re done. And the best part is you can see your thermometer grow toward your goal!

B.While it’s true that the number one way to fundraise is by writing letters to family and friends, why not make it as easy as possible? Log on to your Relay For Life Website and you can e-mail everyone in your address book from your own personal Webpage. This allows your friends and family to donate with a simple click over to your website. They’ll just need to enter their donation information and a credit card number and that’s it – they’re done! And the best part is you can see your thermometer grow closer to your goal! Give it a try today. We promise your return will be well worth the few minutes it takes to send the email. Remember, every penny counts in the fight against cancer!

Is A. or B. easier to follow?10

Break up large copy blocks:• use bullet points for variety

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B.Patient Navigation Services from the American Cancer SocietyThe American Cancer Society provides 24-hour services to cancer patients and their families. Through our partnerships with area healthcare providers and volunteers, we offer the following:

• 1.800.ACS.2345 – Access to cancer information, treatment options, clinical trials and free or reduced cost local services, 24-hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – in any language.

• Road to Recovery – Free transportation for cancer patients to and from treatment.

Is A. or B. easier to read?A.Patient Navigation Services from the American Cancer SocietyThe American Cancer Society provides 24-hour services to cancer patients and their families. Through our partnerships with area healthcare providers and volunteers, we offer the following: 1.800.ACS.2345 – Access to cancer information, treatment options, clinical trials, and free/reduced cost local services 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – in any language. Road to Recovery – Free transportation for cancer patients to/from treatment.

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Add visual interest by using the template ads provided. Create variety with different ads for front and back.

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If you have a block of white space (three lines or more), use a filler.

Does this slide look unfinished to you?

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If you have a block of white space (three lines or more), use a filler. • Fill the extra space, but so wisely.• You have the space and opportunity for free publicity to promote your Relay, so use it!

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Use exclamation points sparingly.

Which looks more professional:

Attention Relayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or

Attention Relayers!

It’s so easy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

or

It’s so easy!

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Be consistent.Choose a style and stick with it, especially when listing items. Use no more than two fonts at a time within the same document.

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Pay attention to word breaks and hyphen usage. • Avoid too many hyphenations in any paragraph and break lines sensibly.

Consider how these inappropriate word breaks unintentionally change the meaning of the message:• scarcity vs. scar-city• therapist vs. the-rapist• legends vs. leg-ends• preached vs. pre-ached• weeknights vs. wee-knights

(Did you notice that none of these words would appear as a misspelling in the Spellchecker?)

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Avoid using uppercase characters for emphasis:19

Remember these rules for numbers:

• Spell out numbers below 10, use figures for 10 and above.

• Rather than start a sentence with a number, rewrite the sentence.

• Spell out % (percent).

• Use $ sign, include commas and omit “cents” portion (.00) if it’s 0 (i.e. $1,000).

• Omit “minutes” (:00) if there are none (i.e. 7 p.m. – and it’s p.m., not pm.)

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Double (even triple) check yourself.• Before you hit “submit,” have two or three different proofreaders help you spot grammar, spelling and spacing errors that detract from your insert’s message.

Five Ways to Raise

Attentione Relayers!

Are You Ready to Realy?

Are You Ready to Relay???????

and our personal favorite….

Insert Headline One Line Across

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Walk Talk Q & A:

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Lori Neumann312.279.7380

Lori.Neumann@cancer.org

Mary Gilliam815.260.3463

Mary.Gilliam@cancer.org

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