NAMI North Carolina Newsletter Policies and Procedures

I consulted with NAMI North Carolina, recommending policies and procedures to improve “Clippings,” a newsletter for members.

Consulting Services

Policies & Procedures for Clippings

Planning Considerations

• Clippings is a key member benefit—especially for members who are not actively involved in local affiliates.
• Readers are at all stages of membership in terms of needs, interests and length of membership.
• Readers include—
  • parents, spouses, siblings and children of people with mental illnesses,
  • people recovering from or with controlled symptoms of mental illnesses
  • people whose illnesses are severe enough to require ongoing mental health care services
  • mental health care providers and other professionals with an interest in mental health issues
• The quality and types of information currently published in Clippings are good. The greatest needs relate to organization and balance of content and graphic design.

Key Organization Goals

• Support and educate people with mental illnesses and their families.
• Educate and advocate among target audiences with the most impact on people with mental illnesses and their families, such as legislators and state government employees.
• Educate and advocate among more general audiences to remove the stigma of mental illnesses.
• Recruit new members, especially among—
  • medical professionals,
  • African Americans,
  • young families and
  • consumers of mental health care services.
• Retain members.

Supporting Newsletter Goals

Make the newsletter worth the price of membership—especially for those who are not active in local affiliates—by:

• Promoting a sense of ownership in and belonging to the organization for all readers, regardless of length of membership or situation.
• Promoting feelings of empowerment among readers.
• Promoting NAMI North Carolina programs and services to readers.
  • Encouraging readers to use services themselves.
  • Encouraging readers to help deliver services to others through active involvement in NAMI programs.
• Providing readers support and information they can use to improve their own quality of life and to educate themselves and others about mental illnesses.
• Informing readers of current and pending government issues and activities and their potential impact on people with mental illnesses and their families.
• Providing readers support and information they can use to advocate for all North Carolina families affected by mental illnesses
• Informing readers about upcoming meetings and events of interest.
• Monitoring other relevant publications on readers’ behalf, summarizing news of interest and directing interested readers to additional information.

Key Messages:

• Support—You are not alone.
• Education—Knowledge is power.
• Advocacy—Together, we can move mountains.

Editorial Balance

• Members of longstanding as well as newcomers
• Members with diverse problems and diseases
  • Schizophrenia
  • Major depression
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Panic disorder
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Severe emotional disorders in children and adolescents
• Young families and families of adults
• Consumers and family members
• Support, education and advocacy
• Clippings’ role in the context of Advocate and affiliate newsletters and other sources of information.

Planning & Production

• Make broad, general plans for the entire volume, in which you focus on achieving editorial balance over the course of the year.
• Plan a lead article for each issue, supported by one or two second leads.
• Consider developing a goal-oriented theme for each issue, in which several articles relate to the same topic.
• When planning the year’s issues, identify opportunities for guest columnists, members with special interests (nurses, for example) and other contributors so you can make assignments well in advance. Ideally, these assignments will generate material you can use fairly flexibly.
• Establish a “tickler file” where you and other staff members collect ideas for each issue.
• Have staff members select and monitor specific publications and/or WWW sites for news of interest to Clippings readers. Clip, print out or photocopy for the tickler file.
• Organize material into clearly identified departments and keep them at the same location every issue. (See next section.)
• After writing an article for the newsletter, when appropriate, try distilling it to highlight only the main points. For readers who want more details, post the full text on the Web site and make it available by mail on request.
• Present new employees and staff reassignments in terms of the members’ interaction with the staff. The more direct contact the typical member has with the staff member involved, the more prominent the article should be.
• Cast development articles in terms of the benefits realized from contributions. Emphasize the meaning and rewards of giving. Specify what programs and acquisitions gifts made possible.
• Interview and quote more members and outside sources.

Editorial Departments

• Directions—A message from our president
• Capital Insider—Legislative updates & advocacy tips
• Recovery—Living with a mental illness
• Coping Skills—Ideas to improve your quality of life
• FYI—News briefs for your information
• Coming Attractions—Events of interest to members
• Giving—Support for NAMI North Carolina
• NAMI Explorer—A guide to programs & services
• NAMI Notables—Profiles of outstanding members
• Discovery—The science of mental illness
• Just the Facts—Talking points for advocates
• Professional Perspectives—Views from mental health care professionals
• Affiliate Workshop—Tips for your affiliate
• Young Families—For families of children with mental illnesses
• Family-to-Family—Support for families by families

The Tickler File

The tickler file provides a central location where staff members can accumulate material for upcoming issues. As staff members encounter information suitable for Clippings, they place it in the appropriate folder. The staff can refer to the tickler file at issue planning meetings.

The file should include—

• A folder for the current volume, containing tentative story lists for the year’s issues.
• A folder for each issue in the current volume to contain more detailed story lists for features or departments to be included in that issue.
• A folder for each editorial department containing ideas suitable for any issue.
• A folder titled “Next Issue” for feature material to be used in the next issue.
• A folder titled “Any Issue” for feature material suitable for any upcoming issue.

Design Specifications

• Clippings is based on a six-column/12-row grid in Microsoft Publisher. Top and side margins are set at a half inch. The bottom margin is .7 inch.
• Body copy is set in 10 point Clearly Gothic Light, flush left, ragged right.
• Headlines are set in 18 point Clearly Gothic.
• Headlines are set flush right when on the left half of a page and flush left when on the right half of a page.
• Headlines are set the same width as the story’s body copy.
• New paragraphs are indented three spaces.
• Sentences are separated by a single space.
• Subheads within stories are set in 12 point Clearly Gothic italic.
• Bylines are set in 10 point Clearly Gothic italic.
• Photo captions are set in 9 point Clearly Gothic Light italic.
• Dropped caps are three lines deep and set in Clearly Gothic.
• Text columns are two or three of six columns wide.
• Columns align across the top based on the grid. Columns need not align horizontally across the bottom.
• “Filler” space of a grid box or more should be left open and adjacent to an outer margin. White space should not be trapped within a page or spread by surrounding text or other design elements.
• Photographs are cropped and sized to the design grid when possible. Captions are set to the grid and placed beneath or beside the photograph.
• Hairline ruled boxes set on grid lines between column margins may be used (sparingly) to emphasize a story.
• Column widths may be mixed on a single page but not within a single story.
• Horizontal hairline rules separate story heads from body copy. Bylines, when included, fall below the rule.
• Heavier horizontal rules (1.5 points) separate stories on a page.
• Editorial department logos are available in two- and three-column formats. Stories not assigned to an editorial department may run without a logo.
• When possible, keep editorial departments in the same location from issue to issue.
• When possible, place the entire story on a page. If a story must be continued, start the remaining portion at the top left of the following page at the same column width as the story’s beginning.

Notes on Style

Style guidelines are meant primarily to promote consistency within the publication. Other usages may be equally correct, but it is helpful to readers when the editor follows the same style conventions throughout a publication.

Here are some recommended style conventions—

• When referring to our organization, use “NAMI North Carolina.” Do not abbreviate the state name.
• Refer to our national organization as “NAMI.”
• When referring to a person, use the full name without a title in the first reference. In subsequent references, refer to the person by surname with the appropriate title—
  • Mr. for any adult male
  • Ms. for any adult femail
  • Mrs. for any married female (Please note: Since “Mrs.” means “the wife of,” do not use Mrs. as a title with a woman’s first name.)
  • The Rev. for clergy
  • Dr. for any medical doctor—that is, someone who has an M.D. degree.
• Other advanced degrees and professional designations may be indicated following the full name in the first reference. (First reference: Jane Doe, Ph.D. Subsequent references: Ms. Doe.)
• Include job titles and/or affiliate offices, when appropriate. (“John Doe, president of NAMI Piedmont” or “Jane Doe, Ph.D., director of the Official Mental Health Agency.”)
• When referring to a city or town outside North Carolina, include the two-letter state abbreviation used by the U.S. Postal Service.  North Carolina cities and towns can be referenced without a state designation.
• When referring to numbers, write out numbers one through nine and use Arabic numbers 10 and above.

Volume Checklist

• Covers needs and interests of new, intermediate and long-term members
• Covers a full range of severe and persistent mental illnesses
• Includes information of interest to—
  • Family members of adults with mental illnesses
  • Parents of children and adolescents with mental illnesses
  • Consumers of mental health care services
• Clearly articulates NAMI North Carolina’s position on issues
• Promotes a full range of programs, services and resources available from the state and national organizations

Issue Checklist

• Lead story
• Second lead
• Departments

Article Checklist

• Stated in terms of the readers’ needs and interests
• Clearly articulates how the reader can benefit from the information
• Explains how issues affect the reader and his or her family
• Includes specific action(s) the reader can take

Writers’ Guidelines

Thank you for your interest in writing for Clippings.

We welcome articles written for Clippings by NAMI North Carolina members, mental health care professionals, legislators and other contributors. You may submit a feature story of general interest to our readers, or you may submit material to any of the following editorial departments—

• FYI—News briefs for your information. Maximum 150 words.
• Coming Attractions—Events of interest to members. Maximum 50 words.
• Recovery—Living with a mental illness. Maximum 400 words.
• Coping Skills—Ideas to improve your quality of life. Maximum 400 words.
• Giving—Support for NAMI North Carolina. Maximum 250 words.
• NAMI Notables—Profiles of outstanding members. Maximum 400 words.
• Affiliate Workshop—Tips for your affiliate. Maximum 250 words.
• Young Families—For families of children with mental illnesses. Maximum 400 words.
• Family-to-Family—Support for families by families. Maximum 400 words.

We encourage mental health care professionals to submit materials to these departments—

• Discovery—The science of mental illness. Maximum 500 words.
• Professional Perspectives—Views from mental health care professionals. Maximum 400 words.

If your topic doesn’t fit into a department, please feel free to submit your article anyway. We are always looking for feature stories to further NAMI North Carolina’s mission to support, educate and advocate on behalf of people with mental illnesses and their families. If your article relates to our organization’s mission and supports our editorial goals, we would welcome an opportunity to consider publishing it.

If you’d like to write for Clippings, please keep in mind—

• While we read all submissions to determine if they are suitable for publication, we are not able to publish every article we receive.
• Of those articles we do publish, whether written by staff or outside contributors, we edit as needed for length, style, clarity and content.
• We may ask you to write an article for us or to revise an article you’ve submitted on your own. While we’ll make every effort to publish your assigned or revised manuscript, we cannot guarantee publication.
• Please observe our recommended maximum word counts.
• Once our editorial staff determines whether or not your article is right for Clippings, we will notify you by mail or email.
• As a not-for-profit organization, we are unable to pay for editorial contributions, but we are happy to send you, on request, a few extra copies of the issue in which your story appears.
• We accept submissions by mail, fax and email.
• When submitting a story on paper, please double-space so we’ll have room to mark any needed revisions.
• When submitting a story on disk, please save the document as an ASCII text file and save it on a 3.5” disk formatted for a PC.
• When submitting a photograph, please send a print suitable for scanning or a computer file saved in TIFF, EPS or WMF format. Please attach a caption to each photograph in which you identify people, places and events shown.
• If you want us to return your manuscript and/or illustrations you submit, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your submission. Please do not send us materials that cannot be replaced.

If you have questions or would like to discuss your story idea, please call the state office.

Writers’ Guidelines for Health Care Professionals

Thank you for your interest in writing for Clippings.

We encourage professionals—doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, hospital and agency administrators and others who work with people with mental illnesses and their families—to submit articles to these departments—

• Discovery—The science of mental illness. Maximum 500 words.
• Professional Perspectives—Views from mental health care professionals. Maximum 400 words.

If your topic doesn’t fit into either of these departments, please feel free to submit your article anyway. We are always looking for feature stories to further NAMI North Carolina’s mission to support, educate and advocate on behalf of people with mental illnesses and their families. If your article relates to our organization’s mission and supports our editorial goals, we would welcome an opportunity to consider publishing it.

If you’d like to write for Clippings, please keep in mind—

• While we read all submissions to determine if they are suitable for publication, we are not able to publish every article we receive.
• Of those articles we do publish, whether written by staff or outside contributors, we edit as needed for length, style, clarity and content. If we make substantial revisions, we will ask you to review your edited article for accuracy before publication.
• We may ask you to write an article for us or to revise an article you’ve submitted on your own. While we’ll make every effort to publish your assigned or revised manuscript, we cannot guarantee publication.
• Please use our recommended maximum word counts as guidelines. We may ask you to edit your article for length, or we may consider publishing longer articles as features.
• Once our editorial staff determines whether or not your article is right for Clippings, we will notify you by mail or email.
• As a not-for-profit organization, we are unable to pay for editorial contributions, but we are happy to send you, on request, a few extra copies of the issue in which your story appears.
• We accept submissions by mail, fax and email.
• When submitting a story on paper, please double-space so we’ll have room to mark any needed revisions.
• When submitting a story on disk, please save the document as an ASCII text file and save it on a 3.5” disk formatted for a PC.
• When submitting a photograph, please send a print suitable for scanning or a computer file saved in TIFF, EPS or WMF format. Please attach a caption to each photograph in which you identify people, places and events shown.
• If you want us to return your manuscript and/or illustrations you submit, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your submission. Please do not send us materials that cannot be replaced.

If you have questions or would like to discuss your story idea, please call the state office.

Letter to Accept Manuscript as Written

Thank you for your recent submission to Clippings. Based on a review of your manuscript, our editorial staff would like to publish it in [our next/an upcoming] issue.

While we may edit for length, clarity, style or content, we plan to run your article substantially as written. Please let us know if you would like for us to send you a few extra copies of the newsletter in which it appears.

Please feel free to submit additional manuscripts in the future, and do not hesitate to call our office if you’d like to discuss a story idea with someone from our staff.

Sincerely,

Staff Member

Editor

P.S. If you’d like us to return your manuscript and any accompanying illustrations, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope within the next two weeks. Otherwise, we will dispose of your materials.

Letter to Accept Manuscript with Revisions

Thank you for your recent submission to Clippings. Based on a review of your manuscript, our editorial staff would like to publish it in an upcoming issue, provided you make the following revisions:

[List revisions requested.]

Once you have made these changes, please re-submit your manuscript for our consideration, keeping in mind we cannot guarantee publication of your revised manuscript until we’ve had a chance to review it. We may also make edits beyond those we’ve requested for length, clarity, style or content.

Please do not hesitate to call our office if you’d like to discuss these revisions with someone from our staff. Otherwise, we will contact you after we receive your revised manuscript.

Sincerely,

Staff Member

Editor

P.S. If you’d like us to return your manuscript and any accompanying illustrations, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope within the next two weeks. Otherwise, we will dispose of your materials.

Letter to Decline Manuscript

Dear Ms. Doe:

Thank you for your recent submission to Clippings.

Upon reviewing your manuscript, we found the article does not fit our editorial needs and we will not be able to publish it. Please keep in mind, our decision is not meant to indicate the quality of your writing or the merit of your ideas. It simply means your submission isn’t right for the upcoming issues of Clippings we’re planning.

Please feel free to submit manuscripts in the future, and do not hesitate to call our office if you’d like to discuss a story idea with someone from our staff.

Sincerely,

Staff Member

Editor

P.S. If you’d like us to return your manuscript and any accompanying illustrations, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope within the next two weeks. Otherwise, we will dispose of your materials.

NAMI Notables Guidelines

Member profiles are intended to recognize outstanding achievements and contributions of selected NAMI North Carolina members. Interview questions might include—

• When did you join NAMI North Carolina?
• Are you a member of a local affiliate? If so, which one?
• Do you hold or have you held any local or state offices? What other programs and activities are you involved in?
• Why did you join?
• Are others in your family members of NAMI also?
• What has meant the most to you, personally, from your membership in NAMI?
• If appropriate, ask if the NAMI membership has helped the subject professionally. (For example, a registered nurse might find it easier to work with patients who have a history of mental illness as a result of NAMI membership.)
• What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in working with NAMI North Carolina?
• Currently, what do you consider the most pressing needs for support, education and/or advocacy by NAMI North Carolina?

Ask additional questions as needed to expand on the general questions that elicit the most interesting responses.

Other details to cover—

• Check the spelling of even the most common names, and ask the subject how he or she prefers to be identified. (“William” or “Bill,” for example)
• Ask for a recent photograph—ideally a “mug shot” or candid portrait.

Contact another NAMI member—perhaps an affiliate officer or state office staff member—to comment on the impact the featured member has had on the organization.