The Junior League Asks: Did You Check Out Our Blogs Yet?

Oct. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- New York – It’s still a new idea for many Junior Leagues, but more are now using their own blogs as an additional communications channel to reach members and their communities.

And why not? With 292 individual Leagues in four countries with more than 155,000 members, Junior Leagues are ideal candidates for utilizing the community impact inherent in blogs and other social media. Run by volunteers for volunteers, Junior Leagues using social media tools benefit from the rapid adoption of technology by our affluent, educated and committed membership. And, as effective brand maintenance tools, blogs are easy and inexpensive to start up with online website software like WordPress and easy to maintain.

“The Junior League as an organization may be 110 years old, but evolving social media technology is perfect for communicating with our members while also speaking to wider audiences on how we achieve community impact,” says Delly Beekman, President of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. “Blogs also complement what individual Leagues are doing with other social media like Facebook and Twitter.”

How do Junior Leagues use blogs?

Well, the Junior League of Syracuse used theirs to talk about how the League is using Twitter and to link to a recent AJLI blog post on a fundraising “flash mob” sponsored by the Junior League of Bryan-College Station.

The Junior League of Sacramento used theirs to promote its Wine & Dine fundraiser, including a link to a local television interview done by Amanda Merz, Vice President of Fundraising.

The Junior League of Lancaster used theirs to promote a members’ tennis round robin and to profile long-time sustainer Dorothy M. (Dottie) Gschwend. (Dottie’s favorite placement as an Active, from 1979 to 1986:  Working to develop the Alcohol Awareness Program with the Lancaster County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, now called Compass Mark.)

The Junior League of Jacksonville used theirs to profile board member Margaret Sacks (husband Jon, 2-year-old daughter Mattie, and 80 pound lapdog Bauer) as well as to promote the 2011 SHINDIG for the Sanctuary, an annual fundraising event with partners Sanctuary on 8th Street for Kids in the Kitchen programming.

And the newest Junior League to join the blogosphere is the Junior League of Washington, DC, having officially launched their blog this month.

Other Junior Leagues making their mark in the blogosphere include the Junior Leagues of Boise, Calgary, Fairmont, Fort Wayne, Morristown, Palo Alto • Mid-Peninsula, and Saint Paul.

About The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.
Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.  For More information, please visit http://www.ajli.org/.

Media Contact:
Tracy Van Buskirk
Marketcom PR
Main: (212) 537-5177 Ext. 8
Mobile: (203) 246-6165
tvanbuskirk@marketcomPR.com

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The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.