It can be difficult in the competitive, fast paced 24-hour news cycle to find ways to grab the attention of people in order to get the word out about ARCS Foundation. ARCS Northern California Chapter (NCC) has recently gained traction in the Bay Area this past year using a number of effective strategies to highlight members and scholars.

“We paid for full double-page spreads in the Giving Guides for two different [news]papers,” said Chris Simpson Brent, President of ARCS NCC. “The pages are also ‘evergreened’ online on the papers’ websites.” ARCS NCC plans to run ads for its Spring Scholar Symposium in addition to ads for the Scholar Awards Celebration. Evergreening content is a great strategy for chapters to get the most impact possible from their communication strategies without having to rewrite content. Avoiding specific numbers and dates can extend the shelf life of advertisements and communications while maintaining a high level, professional feel. Chapters can also use a press release template to make writing press releases easier. ARCS National has a small number of press release templates available for use by chapters.

Often communications momentum leads to more features and exposure, as has been proved by ARCS NCC. The Nob Hill Gazette recently ran a feature story on ARCS NCC after publisher interest, and plans to do a follow up in the future.  Simpson Brent credits the work of other ARCS NCC leaders, saying “There is lots of work to do but we are gaining momentum. I’m grateful to our Communications Team!”

“ARCS Foundation is the best kept secret in town,” says ARCS Foundation National Communications and Marketing Chair Beth Wainwright. “It is imperative that we spread the word about our support for basic research, the critical work which can lead to a cure for a disease or an innovative new technology. Targeted, local communications benefit ARCS Chapters, ARCS National, and ultimately, ARCS Scholars.”

ARCS Foundation National provides toolkits and press release templates for chapter leaders, which can be accessed by contacting National.