public awareness
Soroptimist
Renaissance
Campaign
Member Testimonials
Best for Women March/April/May 2011
W
20
hen someone is paspurposes, please be sure the question
sionate about someis repeated in the response. For examthing, they love to talk
ple, “What I like most about
about it and share why
Soroptimist is…” or “To me, the phrase
they feel the way they do.
Best for Women means …”)
Soroptimist members are passionate about their organization, and
• What do you like most about
when given the chance, love to talk
Soroptimist?
about the mission and projects their
• What does “Best for Women” mean
clubs do to help women and girls in
to you?
their communities.
• Why did you join Soroptimist?
SIA recently created a testimoni• Why do you stay a member?
President-elect Patricia Donohue shares why she loves
• What women- and girl-focused
als page to enable members to share
being a Soroptimist in her member testimonial at
<Soroptimist.org/getinvolved/testmonials.html>.
projects does your club work on?
their thoughts about Soroptimist.
is
plenty
of
general
informaThere
tion on the website at <Soroptimist.org> for the public and
The video can be recorded in any file format because it will
potential members to figure out what Soroptimist does. But the
need to be uploaded to YouTube, which accepts most file fortestimonial page provides information from another perspecmats. Visit <Google.com/support/YouTube/> for more information.
tive—the members’ perspective. Members work first-hand to
Follow these tips when recording the video:
improve the lives of women and girls; therefore, they talk about
Find a quiet location with good lighting. Use a contrasting backSoroptimist in a way that really intrigues and interests the public
or potential members.
ground so the subject stands out and is the main focus. Also
make sure the background is uncluttered and free from distracHear what members have to say about Soroptimist by visiting
tions. Lastly, members should avoid wearing clothes with busy
the new testimonial page at <Soroptimist.org/getinvolved/testipatterns, as they can appear to “dance” on the screen.
monials.html>. This page is also accessible from the Join Us/Get
Involved section of the website. The page includes testimonials
Step 2: Upload to YouTube
from members all over the world, which truly showcases the
international aspect of Soroptimist. The Spanish, Portuguese and After creating a short video testimonial, upload it to YouTube.
Clubs should open a YouTube account if they don’t have one
Japanese testimonials are also posted on the landing pages for
those respective languages. Clubs can use this page as a recruitalready. Simply visit YouTube.com and click on “Create Account”
ment tactic to spark interest from potential members.
to get started.
Headquarters would really like to expand the testimonial
Step 3: Submit to SIA!
page. Staff would like to use the testimonials in different ways,
Email the link to the video on YouTube to <kamali@
such as featuring a video testimonial a week on the
soroptimist.org> for the opportunity to be included on SIA’s
Facebook page or incorporating them into other videos headquarters creates.
member testimonial page. This is an opportunity for members to
Between board and leadership meetings and conventions,
share how they feel about Soroptimist.
headquarters staff only sees members a few times a year.
Therefore, it would be difficult to obtain a variety of member
These videos are a great way to show potential members
testimonial videos from members around the world. That’s
what Soroptimist does. They also serve as a motivational tool to
why headquarters is asking clubs and members for their help.
remind current members why they are Soroptimists! Here’s how:
Step 1: Shoot video
Shoot a short (one minute or less) video testimonial about
Soroptimist where members answer how long they’ve been a
member and at least one of the following questions. (For editing
By Kamali Brooks
Public Relations Manager
Email: [email protected]