One winner from each of the above categories will be awarded in each area. Special RecognitionIn addition to the Benjamin award, recognition may be given on the spot. Recipients are identified through news clips and information we receive. This recognition is, of course, unscheduled. There are no nomination forms, no time limits, and no minimum or maximum requirements. This recognition is a personal acknowledgement of special efforts. Program AdministrationPublic Affairs and Communications will administer and monitor the program and provide updates through the Postal Bulletin and/or Area Update. The program will be evaluated each year and is subject to revisions. District managers will be notified of all winners prior to individual notification. All decisions will be made by Public Affairs and Communications pending approval from the appropriate district manager. If you have questions or need clarification, please write to Benjamin Award Coordinator at the Good News address provided on page 11 of this Postal Bulletin. Good News Recognition Program Submission TipsTo ensure that we are able to track your points accurately in our database, please note the following tips: Always include a submission cover sheet. You may photocopy the one in this Postal Bulletin on page 11 (before or after filling in your Post Office information), or obtain a Microsoft Word version by sending a cc:MaiI request to your Area Public Affairs and Communications Center. You may also create your own computer version as long as it includes all the information contained on the submission cover sheet on page 11. Use one submission cover sheet for multiple entries. It is much easier for us to tabulate your entries when you submit a single page of information - the submission cover sheet - for each packet of materials. If there is not enough room to summarize your activities on one submission cover sheet, include a summary sheet behind the submission cover sheet, with numbered and dated entries divided into the different categories. Your submissions must be timely (received within 2 weeks of the event or activity). Summarize your activities on your submission sheet. It is difficult for us to determine what is to be counted when there is only a number placed beside a category. To summarize events on your cover sheet, number and date each activity and include a very brief description. Get in a weekly reporting habit. Sending in a submission sheet every week keeps your entries timely. It also helps you to look at your outreach projects in a series of steps so that you won't forget to report them. Alert us to any ZIP Code changes. We use your ZIP Code as your reference number in our database and changes can disrupt our tracking capability. Always notify us of changes to your address and position but mark your old ZIP Code on the top of your submission sheet so we can transfer your points to your new ZIP Code. Write your name as you would like it to appear on any official correspondence. We take your name directly from your submission sheets for official correspondence. Please be sure you write your name exactly as you would like it to appear on each submission sheet. If your name changes, write your old name on your submission sheets and clearly mark your new name on each one. Submitting News ClipsYou play an important role in creating a positive media environment for the Postal Service, and the news clippings you generate are important to us. Each workday, examples of national and local news efforts are reflected in the Daily News Digest, which is distributed to the postmaster general, officers, and board of governors, among others. Though only a fraction of our news coverage (good, bad, and indifferent) appears in the Daily News Digest, the clip you send us from your local newspaper could be there for all to see. To give your clip the best possible chance of making it, please follow these simple tips. Keep it timely. There's little value in "old news." As soon as you see your article or letter to the editor, clip it out and send it to: GOOD NEWS Tell us where it came from. At a minimum, we need the name of the newspaper, the city where the paper is published, the date the article appeared, and the page number and section where it was found. Other information, such as your name, title, and Post Office are appreciated. Paste it up. Newspaper clips are easier to handle if you cut them out of your paper and attach them to a sheet or sheets of regular bond paper, typing or printing the necessary information (see "Tell us where it came from" above) at the top of each page. To attach the clips, use regular adhesive tape on the top and bottom edges, or on the corners. Make clear copies. If you must send a copy, please make sure it is a clear copy. Some newsprint and most newspaper photos do not copy well unless adjustments are made in resolution. If you can't make a clear copy with available equipment, please send us an original. Send us everything. Though only positive, locally generated news counts toward the Benjamin, we appreciate being kept informed about the not-so-positive stories also. If we hear about bad news brewing, we often can work with local management to calm the situation. There's nothing we can't fix together, if we know about it soon enough. Suggestions for Generating PublicityNational radio and television networks, wire services, and big city newspapers rarely run stories about the every day contributions Postal Service employees make to the communities that they serve. But what's not news in major media outlets may indeed be news in media covering the suburbs, medium-sized cities, and small towns. Some of the contributions of your employees that could be news in your community include: · Service anniversaries. · Beautification of office or grounds by employees. · Safety Award winners. · New hires. · Promotions (both inside and outside your office). · "Employee of the Month" (consider starting a program in your Post Office to recognize employee contributions and increase public awareness). · Customer compliments. · Heroic acts. · Volunteer service (consider giving "Volunteer of the Year" recognition to an employee who volunteers time to make your community a better place to live. If you have several outstanding volunteers, make this a semiannual, quarterly, or monthly recognition). · Successful blood drives. · Completed training, continuing education efforts, conferred degrees. · First aid/CPR training completed by employees. · Holiday or NALC-sponsored food drives. · Environmental efforts. · Involvement in "Career Day" at local schools. · Book donations to the local library. · Talks at schools on preventing dog bites. · Employees who respond to Santa letters. · Wee DeliverŽ program participants. · Youth educational packages. Don't be shy. Tell the world, or at least your neighborhood, about your heroes and hard workers. Good news - the "people" stories - are important to community newspapers and local radio stations. The key is to develop a relationship with your local media. Ways to Notify the MediaWrite a News ReleaseLet's say this week an employee at your office has a 25-year service anniversary. Write a short note on your Post Office letterhead to your local newspaper about this event and include as many of the elements of a news story as possible (who, what, when, where, and why). At the top of the page type the following: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Mail the release to your local newspaper. Address it to the person at the newspaper responsible for reviewing news releases. If you don't know who that would be, call the paper and ask. If it's a local weekly paper, address it to the editor. A news release is a good way to let your local paper know about safety award winners, promotions, and your employee of the month. To increase the likelihood of your release being used, be sure the information will still be news if it gets published a week after you mail the release. For example, write a release the week or so before you make a presentation so the news will be fresh when it is printed. This is especially important for weekly newspapers. Send a News TipNot everyone can find time to write a news release during a hectic business day. There is nothing wrong with sending a newspaper editor or a reporter a handwritten note with a news tip, or a copy of a memo you wrote complimenting some one of your staff. Just put it in the mail and address it to the person to whom you'd send a news release. Call the EditorSometimes a news story is so timely and important that an editor will want it immediately - for example, a story about a letter carrier or other employee who has helped a family escape from a burning building or has revived someone who stopped breathing by administering CPR. Your local media will want this kind of story immediately, not the day after tomorrow or next week. In this case, just pick up the phone and call the editor of the newspaper or newspapers that are read by residents of your community. Tell the editor what happened. Chances are that before you hang up the phone, the editor will assign a reporter to cover the story.
SAMPLE FACT SHEET FACT SHEET Post Office: Year Established: Postmaster: Annual Mail Volume: Annual Revenue: Total Number of Employees: Supervisors: Clerks: City Letter Carriers: Rural Letter Carriers: Mail Handlers: Maintenance: Others: Number of Delivery Routes: Number of Delivery Stops: Number of Post Office Boxes: Amount of Supplies and Services Purchased from Local Businesses:
TALKING POINTS FOR SPEECH TO A Good (MORNING/AFTERNOON/EVENING): I want to thank (NAME OF PERSON WHO INVITED/INTRODUCED YOU) for including me on the program. It's natural for people to feel that they know all there is to know about the Postal Service because you've grown up with it. Moreover, you use it every day, several times a day - sending and receiving mail. You may know that the U.S. Postal Service is a $67 billion-a-year business that processes and delivers 208 billion - that's with a "b" - pieces of mail annually. You may also know that we handle more than 40 percent of the world's mail and that we do not use tax dollars to finance our operations. But how many of you are aware that the Postal Service does a lot more than just deliver the mail? Today I'm going to talk about another side of the Postal Service - about the people side of our business. For example, through the Combined Federal Campaign, Postal Service employees donate more money than any other corporation in America. Those contributions help local charities and community organizations like the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, and others. ADVO's Inc. America's Looking For Its Missing ChildrenŽ Program. Every week thousands of letter carriers deliver ADVO's "Have You Seen Me" direct mail cards to approximately 79 million households. Distributing these cards helps to safely recover missing children. Likewise, Postal Service employees donate more blood than any other group in the nation. But how many of you remember that Postal Service employees, working in thousands of communities across the nation, help senior citizens through Carrier Alert Programs and children through Safe Haven Programs? Almost every day Postal Service employees come to the rescue of hundreds of citizens by helping them escape fires, by administering CPR or other lifesaving first aid, and by preventing robberies and assaults. How many of you know of the thousands of pounds of food Postal Service employees collect during the National Association of Letter Carriers annual food drive? In May 2001, in a one-day effort, 70.1 million pounds - again, that's with an "m" were collected. Tons of food are collected to help food banks and shelters provide for the less fortunate in communities across the nation. Community responsibility is one of our guiding principles as a business-like public service. Right here in (TOWN, COUNTY, PARISH, SECTION OF STATE) our employees are part of this tradition. Last year they donated (AMOUNT) to local charities through the Combined Federal Campaign. They donated more than (AMOUNT) gallons of blood to (NAME THE ORGANIZATION, SUCH AS THE RED CROSS, OR GIVE THE NAME OF A LOCAL BLOOD DRIVE). (IF APPLICABLE, MENTION EMPLOYEES LAUDED FOR HEROIC ACTS. FOR EXAMPLE:) They collected (AMOUNT) pounds of food through (THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF LETTER CARRIERS FOOD DRIVE OR HOLIDAY FOOD DRIVES). Last (MONTH, YEAR) (NAME OF EMPLOYEE, JOB TITLE) received a (TITLE OF AWARD) from (ORGANIZATION GIVING AWARD) for (DESCRIBE THE HEROIC ACT SUCH AS HELPING THE SMITH FAMILY ESCAPE A HOUSE FIRE, OR ADMINISTERING THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER, OR HELPING POLICE ARREST A BURGLAR). (IF APPLICABLE, MENTION VOLUNTEER WORK DONE BY YOU OR YOUR EMPLOYEES. FOR EXAMPLE:) I am a (MEMBER OR TITLE OF OFFICE) of the (YOUR TOWN) (COMMUNITY SERVICE ORGANIZATION SUCH AS THE LIONS CLUB, ROTARY CLUB, OR JAYCEES). (NAME AND JOB TITLE OF EMPLOYEE) serves on the (NAME OR NAME OF TOWN) school board. (NAME AND JOB TITLE OF EMPLOYEE) volunteered as a coach for the (NAME OF ORGANIZATION SUCH AS LITTLE LEAGUE, YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION, OR POP WARNER FOOTBALL). (NAME AND JOB TITLE OF EMPLOYEE) volunteers on the Crisis Center Hotline/at the community hospital/with Habitat for Humanity. The Wee DeliverŽ program (IF APPLICABLE, NAME THE SCHOOLS INVOLVED) promotes literacy through an in-school Postal Service. Teachers say that their students' enthusiasm for reading and writing letters to brothers, sisters, and friends in other classes has improved. Student postmasters, clerks, and carriers link the classes in a school. They enjoy the appreciation they get from other pupils for delivering the mail. The Postal Service has helped link the communities of America together for more than 200 years. We have a long tradition of service to our country - always have, always will. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to tell you how we are working with you to make our communities a better place to live and work. As you have heard, I am proud to be part of the organization that delivers the mail and more to our community. Now, I would like to answer any questions you may have about the Postal Service. Who has the first one? - Community Relations, Public Affairs and Communications, 7-12-01
Good News Recognition Program MAIL TO: GOOD NEWS Name: ZIP Code: -9998 Street/PO Box: District: City & State: Area: Title & Level: Phone #: Total Points:
Newspaper ClippingsInclude clips with the following information: name of newspaper, city and state where published, page numbers and section where the story is found. Public AppearancesInclude documentation if possible. Give dates, number of people present. Radio InterviewsInclude documentation if possible. Give dates, station, and purpose of interview. Television InterviewsInclude documentation if possible. Give dates, station, and purpose of interview. Community Project or OtherInclude documentation if possible. Give dates, brief explanation of what you and/or your employees accomplished.
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