It’s still a new idea for many Junior Leagues, but more are now using their own blogs as an additional communications channel to reach members and their communities.
And why not? Blogs are easy and inexpensive to start up with online website software like WordPress, easy to maintain (if you keep up with it!), and sure to impress.
Do Junior Leagues need a blog? That’s really up to them. On the plus side, blogs give you a home for member-focused content so you don’t have to clog up your website. They complement what you’re doing with social media like Facebook and Twitter. And, with the right control process in place, designated members (think leadership, committee chairs, etc.) can post directly to the blog.
How do Junior Leagues use it?
Well, the Junior League of Syracuse used theirs to talk about how the League is using Twitter and to link to a recent AJLI blog post on a fundraising “flash mob” sponsored by the Junior League of Bryan-College Station.
The Junior League of Sacramento used theirs to promote its Wine & Dine fundraiser, including a link to a local television interview done by Amanda Merz, Vice President of Fundraising.
The Junior League of Lancaster used theirs to promote a members’ tennis round robin and to profile long-time sustainer Dorothy M. (Dottie) Gschwend. (Dottie’s favorite placement as an Active, from 1979 to 1986: Working to develop the Alcohol Awareness Program with the Lancaster County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, now called Compass Mark.)
The Junior League of Jacksonville used theirs to profile board member Margaret Sacks (husband Jon, 2-year-old daughter Mattie, and 80 pound lapdog Bauer) as well as to promote the 2011 SHINDIG for the Sanctuary, an annual fundraising event with partners Sanctuary on 8th Street for Kids in the Kitchen programming.
And the newest Junior League to join the blogosphere is the Junior League of Washington, DC, having officially launched their blog this month.
Other Junior Leagues making their mark in the blogosphere include the Junior Leagues of Boise, Calgary, Fairmont, Fort Wayne, Morristown, Palo Alto • Mid-Peninsula, and Saint Paul.
Sound easy? It is. Happy blogging!
