Developing a strong Citizen Corps Council will require significant proactive communication with residents of your community. Identifying creative ways to get the message out about opportunities available through Citizen Corps, as well as calling your citizens to action and communicating success, will require an ongoing communications strategy that can include media coverage, events, and presentations.

You may want to consider forming a communications committee within your council that includes local media representatives, public relations and marketing executives, and talented spokespersons who will help you to effectively recruit and educate the members of your community.

The communications committee may want to consider:

• Developing a presentation about Citizen Corps in your community that can be shared at meetings held by groups within your community. Once a presentation has been developed, council members can fan out to present Citizen Corps to community groups, local parent/teacher associations, volunteer clubs and other groups that are interested in Citizen Corps.
• Planning a media outreach strategy that will tap into and develop relationships with your community’s local media to educate them on Citizen Corps. Media opportunities might include interviews with participants active in Neighborhood Watch, coverage of your local government’s proclamation of Citizen Corps week, letters to the editor, or meeting with the editorial board about Citizen Corps. Local media could also sponsor a regular newspaper or television spot to feature volunteer opportunities and Citizen Corps activities/success stories.
• Designating contacts for speaking to the media and working with these contacts to develop a consistent message for promoting Citizen Corps within your community.
• Incorporating Citizen Corps into newsletters and other publications developed by your community’s local government, Chamber of Commerce, or neighborhood associations.
• Planning a community Citizen Corps fair to bring together specific volunteer opportunities in your community with citizens interested in contributing. By inviting a local radio station to sponsor it, they could also provide public service announcements in advance to promote the fair and broadcasting live from the fair on the day of the event. Your local volunteer center may be able to help arrange such an event.
• Contacting members of Congress and their local staff to help promote Citizen Corps activities within your community.

You may also want to create a recognition committee to provide support and recognition to Citizen Corps volunteers. Your local volunteer center can assist you with ideas for appropriate public recognition.