An effective marketing plan attracts participants and tells the community why your after school program exists and what it accomplishes. Consider the following tips for marketing your program in the local community.

Marketing is an essential component of every quality program. An effective marketing plan attracts participants and tells the community why your after school program exists and what it accomplishes. Marketing can also help you find human and financial resources for your program. People in your community won’t become educated about the value of after school education unless you do your part.

You are unlikely to build visibility or gain support for your program without a structured plan. Consider the following tips for marketing your program in the local community:

• Toot your horn. Tell your story by routinely taking pictures and videos and embedding them in web-based communications sent to parents, business partners, school personnel and your colleagues and peers.
• Provide information. Create brochures, fact sheets, testimonials, research updates, newsletters, websites and other forms of visual information that can be distributed throughout the community.
• Share stories. Collect testimonials from participants in your program. Those you share with will help spread your message through word of mouth.
• Seek help. If you don’t have marketing experience, seek those in the field who have demonstrated that they do. Gather ideas and ask for samples of their newsletters, brochures and annual reports.

For more resources, visit www.afterschoolalliance.org/marketing.cfm.