Ten reasons chapters should have bulletins
By W. Grant Carson, VP-BE
- Bulletins save business time at meetings, and members hate business at meetings. The time, location (with map if necessary), date and uniform for the next sing is right there in the bulletin. What the board of directors decided is right there in the bulletin. The schedule of coming events is right there in the bulletin. Why discuss these things during chapter meetings? They're right there in the bulletin!
- Bulletins provide an opportunity for the chapter leadership to tell their aspirations and plans for the chapter and to build support for those aspirations and plans.
- Bulletins sent to division and district officials and other chapters tell the barbershop world that your chapter is still alive and vibrant.
- Bulletins sent to friends of the chapter, such as former members who have moved away, widows of deceased members and so on are treasured by them.
- Bulletins are a great recruiting tool. Give a bulletin to a prospective guest to show him what might happen if he visits. Give a bulletin to a guest to show him what a variety of things happen with the chapter, not just on the one night he visits. Mail a bulletin to every guest so he can see his name and his sponsor's and know that the chapter appreciated the visit. [Send him a bulletin for three months so he knows you are interested in him and he sees what the chapter is doing. -Ed.]
- Bulletins make the members feel their contributions to the chapter activities are important. When a photograph of a chorus sing is included, don't tell me that every member doesn't look for himself in that photograph and feel proud he was at the sing! Or regret his absence if he weren't there.
- Chapter bulletins inform members of division activities, district activities and Society activities, tailored to the interest of the members, not scatter-gunned throughout other publications.
- Bulletins give the individual chapter member, the Joe Barbershopper, an opportunity to express an opinion that will be read by all chapter members.
- Bulletins remind and educate members about service projects, helping to foster understanding and support for the projects. What is Heartspring, and why should you save Campbell's Labels for Education? Just read the bulletin!
- Chapters that publish worthy bulletins are proud they publish worthy bulletins, just as chapters that sing well are proud they sing well. That's just one more mark of a successful chapter.
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