Growing Your Grassroots:

Engaging Stakeholders through Key Communicator Networks

Workshop Description:

Good communication is like good gardening. You wouldn’t expect to grow a healthy lawn by watering it once a year. It takes steady maintenance and attention to get the root structure to grow deep. The same holds true for schools in their relationships with their communities. A drip irrigation system of public information and contact can keep the community leaders that influence public opinion and attitudes in support of your schools. A key communicator network helps you create a powerful reservoir of supporters that can be mobilized to support school policies and actions. They are critical during crisis situations as well. In this workshop we cover –

• Mapping your community connections
• Creating a key communicator database
• Developing effective e-newsletters, print materials and media kits
• Connecting the community to your strategic plan through planned listening, surveys, and advisory systems
• Power of third party endorsements to convince the press and politicians
• Using a Speakers Bureau and Ambassador Program to lock in support
• Principal for a Day and Realtor Tour programs
• Grassroots lobbying techniques, using Internet social networking
• Laying the groundwork for bond and tax elections
• Building two-way partnerships