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A newsletter is the outward face of your engagement with the constituents in your field, and as such should be relevant, timely and address areas of interest to your audience, and most importantly establish a conversation with your readers to further engage them, according to stated goals.

To start with, an frank assessment of the broader aspects of the organization’s communication strategy is in order. To clarify the overall structure, writing style, content and manner of delivery a couple of questions can be asked—for instance, for whom is the newsletter written for? What is the reason for the newsletter, and what are the goals for the organization? In this way we can identify a way to measure the effectiveness of the letter, and evaluate how it’s meeting it’s goals.

A newsletter may have a goal to establish the organization as a thought leader in the field, and establish its leaders as credible resources, thereby elevating the status of the organization in it’s field. If the goal of the newsletter is to create participation, perhaps the stories might be written to show success stories with your constituents or members as vital partners in the meeting of a common goal. If an advocacy component is a key element of the newsletter, it’s instructive to repeat the “call to action” that is requested of the reader. Similarly, if the newsletter’s primary function is development of fundraising resources, success stories may be ended with a monetary or other kind of “ask” – in which the reader is engaged to act by writing a check or clicking on the ‘Donate Now’ button online.

Following the established goals of for the newsletter will inform the method in which it is published and distributed. With a technologically savvy audience, an email newsletter may be the best way to connect— or if a formal presentation is required, a printed newsletter targeted towards your constituents may be the answer. Depending on the amount of information and the timeliness of the material in your publication, the frequency should also be considered. A quarterly publication might work for a organization with longer reports, while an “action alert” email format might work for an organization with an activist goal.

The graphic design of the newsletter should carefully follow the standards set out to define your branding – using illustrations, graphs, colors, fonts and negative space that present your information in a clear and consistent way.

Overall it should be upbeat, written in a style that is easy to read – with pull quotes, and illustrations or graphs as appropriate to present information clearly. Special care should be taken with the front page area—known as “above the fold” in the newspaper world, as a majority of readers may scan this area, and make a split second decision on whether or not they are interested in reading more.

Knowing as much what to exclude, and include as a link or reference back to the organization’s website, or an opportunity to connect with the organization or author directly on a stated subject.

Ultimately, the newsletter is part of a conversation – and by establishing a way for your constituents to ‘talk back’ and have their voice heard can go a long way in making your newsletter an effective tool in the engagement of your constituents and the effectiveness of your organization.