We see a few general requirements for successful parent support activities: they must be free, frequent and fun, must solicit participants' feedback and must offer refreshments. We call these "the five F's." We also suggest that the center, or activity host whether it is a school or library, provide child care and supervision for older children. This might be offered in an adjacent computer center, for example. Offering transportation, if you have a safe service available, is a bonus. It helps to mention transportation and parking options in your announcements whether or not you are able to provide rides for participants.

One way to begin is to schedule three or four get-togethers on the same day of the month for either fall or spring, for example, second Tuesdays, March through June, and get your listing, with time and location, into local newspaper calendars. The key element is continuity, so that parents know they can come back and you always have an up-coming meeting or event to announce.

Ask a local restaurant to donate refreshments --and be sure to mention the restaurant in your press releases-- and ask one or two area museums to donate either day passes or memberships and ask movie theaters and/or live-performance theaters to donate tickets to shows suitable for families as free door prizes for participants. Mention these donors in your publicity, too.

A smart public relations initiative is to ask your city or town's service clubs (Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions) if they would like a leader or participant from your parent peer support effort to speak at one of their meetings. Sometimes the club will donate money to the program or individual business owners in the club may offer gift certificates for you to give as prizes, too. It doesn't hurt to ask! Dress up, show up, stand up, take a deep breath and then speak up. Telling people how parent and family support helps gives you, the speaker, renewed energy and can give your audience valuable new perspectives.

Other ideas include writing a short column (ask what word count is most likely to be published) for your local paper or Chamber of Commerce newsletter and sending public service announcements (keep them brief) to local TV and radio stations, both AM and FM.

Just as you hope business and community organizations will be generous in supporting you, be generous in your thanks and have a letter ready to give to donors and include the tax ID number of your agency or nonprofit (or 'umbrella organization') if the donor requests.

An important caution for any group, and this is surely not news, is to emphasize confidentiality so that your gatherings do not foster gossip. In PARENTS FORUM we open and close each workshop with a reminder that "Our program is confidential but not anonymous. We encourage you to talk with others about parent support and what it means, but always tell only your own story!"

Good luck and let us know how your efforts go!

The above suggestions are excerpted/adapted from "Raising Parents," Chapter 7 of the PARENTS FORUM handbook Where the Heart Listens.

Call us +1-617-864-3802 for more information on how to get started!

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