Submission Criteria: Weekly Bulletin and Monthly Newsletter

1. Submission criteria for the Weekly Bulletin/Announcements

2. Submission Criteria for the Monthly Newsletter

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1. Weekly Bulletin/Announcements: Print and Web Format

Purpose:

The Web announcements highlight events and other messages of interest to the congregation from Friday to the Saturday of the following week, the Sermon and Forum topics of the following Sunday and additional announcements and dates to keep in mind. This final section also includes acknowledgment of past events, activities, and programs of interest. The Sunday Bulletin is the same except that the information begins on Sunday instead of Friday.

Information included:

Events and Activities sponsored by church groups, committees, all church functions happening at the church as well as similar events happening outside the church. News of church members that others would want to know: births, birthdays, anniversaries, marriages, deaths. We do not include non-church community events.

Format:

All submissions should be sent to Linda Taylorʼs email  in New Times Roman 12 pt black font. Please do not send all caps, use other colors in your text or use different fonts or font sizes other than New Times Roman 12 pt black. If you have a special request concerning the formatting of your submission, by all means, include this with your submission and every attempt will be made to accommodate your request.

Announcement and Bulletin submissions should be as brief as possible. If you are submitting a future event this may be longer to include pertinent information. The material will be shortened if necessary.

Deadline:

All submissions should be sent to Linda Taylorʼs email  by noon on Wednesday to be included in that weekʼs Friday announcements and Sunday Bulletin.

Questions/Suggestions:

Please direct any questions or ideas to Linda Taylor by phone 452 6168 ext 301 or email . Please include email and telephone number with your submission so she can contact you if there are questions that need to be addressed.

Special Announcements:
1. Class announcements and other events that have already been advertised elsewhere will not be sent out in special announcements.
2. If there has been a death of a First UU member, a special announcement will be sent out if it was not included in the regular announcements or Sunday Bulletin.
3. Special Announcements are cleared by the minister if there is any question concerning the appropriate nature of the announcement.

Tips:

  • Include your contact information
  • Do not put “contact the office for more information” unless you have first gotten explicit permission from Natalie Freeburg at .
  • Priority will be given to well written submissions
  • Avoid insider references, acronyms and jargon. A first time visitor should be able to understand what you are writing about.

Last updated: June 14, 2010

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2. Monthly Newsletter Submission Criteria and Process

Purpose:

The church newsletter is to educate, build community, create institutional loyalties, and focus on people as well as events.  The primary focus of the newsletter is future driven, highlighting the important things we want everyone to know at the beginning of each month.

Information included:

Events and activities sponsored by church groups, committees, and departments happening within the church or in the community will be included in the newsletter.  Newsworthy information concerning individual members of our congregation will also be included.  We do not include non-church community events unless directed to do so by the minister.

Format:
All newsletter submissions should be sent to Linda Taylor’s email  in New Times Roman 12 pt black font.  Please do not send all caps, use other colors in your text or use different fonts or font sizes other than New Times Roman 12 pt black.  If you have a special request concerning the formatting of your submission, by all means, include this with your submission and every attempt will be made to accommodate your request.
Photos are welcome and should be submitted as jpeg files when possible.  If your photos are not jpeg, please send them anyway and we will do our best to get them converted.

Any clip art you want included with your submission is welcome.

Deadline:

All submissions MUST be sent to Linda Taylor’s email  by 5 p.m. on the 15thday of the month to be included in the following newsletter.  Anyone needing an extension of the deadline must notify the editor prior to the deadline.  The newsletter goes to final print on the 25th of that month.

The Editor:

Linda Taylor is currently the editor of the newsletter. She makes decisions concerning what goes where, how it will look, and what is included.  The editor falls under the authority of the minister.  The editor will contact the minister for advice and guidance.  The ultimate responsibility is with the editor.  If anyone has suggestions, questions, concerns or ideas regarding the newsletter please notify the editor at  or call (512) 452-6168 Ext. 301 . The editor may change these guidelines at anytime.

Tips for Newsletter submissions:

• Priority is given to articles that provide new, exciting and relevant information to members and visitors.

  • Avoid insider references, acronyms and jargon.  A first time visitor should be able to understand what you are writing about.
  • Use active headlines.

• Put important information (WHAT, WHY, WHO and WHEN) in the lead sentence.

  • Write your submission by answering “What matters to the people with whom we are communicating?”  not with “What do I want to tell people?”
  • If your submission was in a prior newsletter- make sure you are including new information.

• Spell check and proofread your submission for accuracy and correct grammar.

• Submit your work on time.