Communication is an essential pillar for any association wishing to stand out and achieve its objectives. In an age dominated by digital technology, it's crucial to diversify your communication tools and media to optimize them and reach a wide audience, while remaining true to your association's values and identity.
Printed flyers and posters
The digital world may have a major impact on the way we communicate, but the importance of printed tools like flyers and posters remains significant for your association's presence in the physical environment. They are indispensable, especially for promoting events.
Here are some essential tools for your printed communication:
- A flyer: an A5-format document featuring images, the association's logo, contacts and links to the website and social networks. Using tools such as Inkscape or Canva can facilitate the creation of these flyers. It's important to comply with legislation by reminding the document of the importance of waste sorting, with the message "Do not litter".
- A poster: use a format larger than A4, with information similar to the flyer, and if necessary, include partner logos in line with their graphic guidelines.
Hiring a graphic designer to develop a strong visual identity and attractive layout is advisable to increase the impact of your printed materials.
The annual report as a versatile communication tool
The annual report is an effective communication tool for associations, both internally and externally. It can be used for a variety of purposes, as well as replacing other documents such as presentation brochures.
For a complete annual report, certain elements must be included:
- An editorial written by the association's president,
- A presentation of the association's current and future projects, achievements and values,
- Testimonials from the various players involved,
- Partner presentation,
- Financial and accounting information to ensure transparency.
Every association, whatever its size, should consider producing an annual report. It may vary in complexity and quantity, but will always serve to clearly inform all the association's stakeholders.
The current trend favors digital versions of the annual report, often available in PDF format on websites for easy access and downloading.
The newsletter: an essential internal communication tool
Quality internal communication is one of the cornerstones of a successful association. Among the tools available, the newsletter is essential for regularly sharing news and progress with your members and interested parties. It can be simple and distributed online, or more elaborate for greater impact.
Whatever your approach, using the digital PDF format for your newsletters is recommended to preserve the layout and make the document less easy to modify after sending. PDF documents guarantee reliable preservation of the original layout and are ideal for sharing professional, secure information.
Considering the creation of an association magazine, although more demanding in terms of resources, can represent added value for the association by enabling more in-depth and analytical coverage of your activities and associative themes.
It's essential to maintain a regularity of publication to set up a rendez-vous awaited by readers, while imposing a production discipline on the association's managers.