Websites
Maryland Federation. This website includes Newsletters of the various chapters within the Maryland Federation. These are good resources to see what other chapters are doing with their Newsletters.
NARFE National. This website includes the Guide for Newsletter Editors published by NARFE.
Other Tools
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There are many teaching books to learn software. You can look on-line at Amazon.com or other bookstores. Search by the name of your software and many selections are to be found. You can buy used books at a very modest price, so you can buy more than one. The chapter should pay for the books if they are reasonable and can be given to the any newsletter editors that will named in the future. If you put the book titles in your Newsletter Process document, you will know what is available as a resource for chapter editors.
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A list of newsletter editors is included on the “Editors” section of this Federation website. Sample newsletters have been requested to be distributed to newsletter editors as well as chapter presidents. This will allow editors to see what other people are doing with their newsletters. If they have questions regarding a newsletter, they can look up the newsletter editors’ phone number on the “Contacts” page. If you can’t find an answer to a question, talking to another editor is helpful.
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Another tool that would be helpful to editors is a written guide for the newsletter process within your chapter. This is discussed in Newsletter Editor’s Duties section of this website. This tool will be very helpful to both newsletter editors and distribution volunteers to understand who is doing what in the process.
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One chapter recommended finding students to help with your newsletter layout and graphics. Many schools have service credits that students need to fulfill before graduation. Contact your local high school or college to see if a student might be interested in helping with your newsletter. Most students have great graphics skills and might be willing to help design your newsletter layout or other documents you use in your chapter such as pamphlets, advertisements, etc. They also may be able to assist you in folding, labeling, and other items in your distribution process.
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Many chapters would like to have their newsletters on the Maryland Federation website. Some chapters do have their newsletters available on their websites, but not all chapters have websites, so having a page dedicated to newsletters would be helpful. We will work with Barbara Jacobs (Federation webmaster) to have the chapter newsletters on the Federation website in the future.
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At the October 2012 Training Session, newsletter editors requested distribution of chapter newsletters to newsletter editors in addition to the distribution of newsletters to chapter Presidents. This might eliminate the need for newsletters to be posted on the website; but other member might like to see what other chapters are doing, so posting newsletters still might be a good thing to do. All editors agreed that it would be helpful to see what other editors were doing with their newsletters. If they saw an article or graphic they would like to use, they could contact the newsletter editor of that publication to obtain the information they wanted to use. They agreed that this method would be easier than going to the Maryland Federation website to see newsletters but would like both options.
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Other editors requested clip art and a discussion followed on how to use Google clip art as well as Microsoft clip art. Some clip art is placed in the “Software, Graphics, and Images” page on this website. If you have other clip art you would like to submit, send to NARFE409@hotmail.com. There was a recommendation to download clip art into Word document to size the clip art before inserting into your newsletter. Some of the clip art comes in a large size, so sizing in a Word document and dragging the clip art in the size you want into your newsletter makes the process much easier for formatting..
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Another request coming from the October 2012 Training Session was a request for graphics for legislative articles in newsletters. A request has been sent to the graphic’s person at NARFE Headquarters. She has helped with other requests, so hopefully she will be willing to help us with this request. Please check our graphics page on our website when it is published. If you have a graphic you would like to offer for use by other chapters, please email the file to narfe409@hotmail.com .
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Articles from other newsletters can enhance your newsletter too. By reading other chapters’ newsletters, you might see something that would be interesting to your chapter; their speakers might be something you want to include in one of your meetings..
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Another request coming out of the October 2012 Training Session was a request for a checklist for the newsletter process. As chapter checklists are developed, they will be published to the Newsletter Editors’ website.