Raising awareness locally of your branch/group and what you and the Association can offer is key to ensuring that people affected get referred to us and go on to receive the vital information and support they will need.
As an Association, we are committed to doing everything we can to support people with MND, their families and carers. Nationally and locally we need to raise awareness and ensure that everyone diagnosed is aware of us and the services that we and other organisations provide.
More and more people now use the internet as their first port of call for researching information. We are therefore actively working to increase our network of branch and group websites in order that anyone wanting to know more about MND, the local support that is available, or even how they can get involved and contribute in some way can find the information at any time of day convenient to them.
We have a range of guidance to help you develop an online and/or social media presence.
Websites
Websites provide an opportunity to publicise your branch or group to a wide audience, most of who will have specifically searched for local information.
You have the opportunity to host a webpage within this site, or hosting your own externally.
- Getting started (Setting up your new webpage editing account and guidance on how to update your page)
- Website guidelines (Setting up an external branch/group website)
Social media
Social media is increasingly becoming part of our everyday lives and is the number one reason we use the internet. For many people, more than a quarter of the time spent online is spent checking and updating social media profiles.
Using social media increases your presence on the web, giving people more ways of finding out about your branch or group.
Our Template centre includes social media post templates
Awareness raising
There are many ways your branch/group can raise awareness and most can be incorporated into the activities and events you do, or through the contacts you have.
For example:
- through a branch/group leaflet, which can be given out to local HSCPs/GPs/care providers to ensure they are aware of you and can pass accurate information on
- giving short talks to local community or business groups which may encourage more sponsors and donors to give their time and/or money
- articles in the branch/group newsletter, webpage or social media page giving information on the work being done locally to help people living with MND.
Guidance
- Raising awareness of your branch or group
- Raising awareness of what you do
- Guidelines for working with external media
Our Template centre includes a leaflet template, and social media post templates to promote your branch/group
Newsletters
- Newsletter Guidelines
- Back issues of The News
- Access our Template Centre which includes a 4 page newsletter template you can use to create a simple newsletter.
Forms and resources
- Materials order form
- Pop up banner order form
- Our key messages - includes key facts about MND and our reach
- Our brand guidelines
- Blank Press Release Template
- Using images
Our Template centre includes leaflets, social media posts, posters and more
Photography
Please use this poster at your events. This will allow you to take photographs and video without asking for separate permission from each attendee.
If anyone tells you they do not want to be photographed, please avoid taking pictures of them and check your photos afterwards, deleting any on which they appear. You may wish to give anyone who does not want their photograph taken a coloured sticker or badge, just to make it easy to identify them.
If you need to obtain photography consent from individuals, you can use these consent forms for adults and children.
Photos and videos must be stored securely. Electronic copies must be in stored on a password protected device (including mobile phones) and hard copies stored in lockable storage.
When deleting photos ensure they are completely deleted from device recycle bins and online storage. Shred paper copies of photos.