Kin Blog

Keeping in touch is so important - whether it’s with donors, members of an organization or club like Kin Canada, and especially friends and family.  Here at Kin Canada, one of our values is inclusiveness. We seek involvement from our diverse communities, and to do so, we cannot rely on social media and email alone. It is true that people from across generations are online; according to Franco Public Relations Group, 43 percent of people 65 and older were using social media in 2013, compared to just 1 percent in February 2005. Their study also found that nearly two-thirds of people age 50 to 64 are on social media. While those numbers continue to climb, even in 2014 it’s important to make sure engaged members of a club or community who have limited access to a computer or smart phone still feel included.

If you have an important message or event and are hoping to reach all groups in your community, it is potentially harmful to assume everyone will view it online. There are many reasons someone may not have internet access: for example, some of our clubs in more remote areas across Canada, service isn’t always reliable.  For new Canadians, they may not have a computer at home, or language may still be a barrier. There are families who may not be able to afford a computer or the latest gadgets, but still want to be a part of a particular group or their community in general.

Here are just few ways you can extend your reach beyond social media, to those who may not use or have regular access to email and social media.

• If you have a monthly bulletin or newsletter, print a few copies.  Keep a few at the office and bring them to meetings so that anyone who needs a hardcopy has access to one.  Even better, survey your club members and ask how they would like to keep in contact, and update your list regularly.
  
  
• Online community listings are a great way to promote your club or event, just be sure to pair that with onsite community bulletin boards found in libraries, community centres and other popular meeting spots throughout your town or city.
  
  
• For local events, radio is still very relevant.  Connect with local stations to see if they have a program for community non-profit advertisements.