How to Be a

T-O Club EditorTashrima Hossain, District

Editor

Editor Duties

Official Duties1 Attend all general and board meetings.

2 For each general meeting, create event flyers to match every event in the club agenda. Event flyers need to include the following information:• Explanation of the event• Important details to know• Date and time• Location• Contact information for the officer in charge

3 Post signs, posters, and flyers announcing meeting dates, projects, and any other event that is noteworthy.

4 Produce and publish a monthly or bimonthly newsletter for members.

5 Send articles to the Tex-O-Key magazine regarding projects and new ideas that are relevant to the the article assignments for the next publication. Each new theme will be announced on the T-O website on the 15th of the preceding month.

6 Document fun events or significant volunteer projects in articles. Send those articles to local online and print publications (i.e. Houston Chronicle, Cypress Creek Mirror, etc.)

7 Make school announcements and contact local press when appropriate. It is your responsibility to take the initiative to do this on your own! (Your club president should not have to constantly remind you.)

7 Submit any editor-related bulletins to the District Editor by the 5th of every month.

***If your club doesn’t have a historian, the editor should create a club scrapbook for DCON.

Weekly Checklist• Attend all meetings within the club and club

officer-training conferences (FTC) with the Lieutenant Governor.

• Make morning announcements regarding upcoming deadlines and events for the club.

Monthly Checklist• Attend club board meetings. • Attend Kiwanis club meetings and provide

updates on club happenings.• Provide the Webmaster with materials to update

the club website.• Produce a bimonthly or monthly newsletter.• Submit monthly articles and bulletins to the

District Editor.• Take pictures at all events and meetings for the

scrapbook (if a historian is not elected).

Yearly Checklist• Set up a training date with the incoming editor.• Save all published newsletters, signs, calendars,

and flyers as hard and soft copies (save them on a computer folder and also print out a copy to be stored in a binder).

• Set up a filing system for the incoming club editor.

• If a historian is not present, create a scrapbook for DCON.

Newsletters

New Newsletter Policy• Maximum of 1 monthly newsletter, to be graded by the District

Editor

• Newsletter due on the 5th of every month

• 50 points per newsletter as long as it meets the following requirements (partial credit may be earned): – Quality content

– Adherence to graphic standards

– Promotion of Key Club/Major Emphasis Program

– DCON Advertising

– Club Officer/LTG/District Staff Contact Information

– Attached to an e-mail in PDF format

• ***Remind clubs to submit their newsletters to both the District Editor and Secretary. Starting in August, if we we both don’t receive them, clubs won’t earn points

What to Include• Important dates• Upcoming events (i.e. projects, socials, meetings, etc.)• Officer contact information (i.e. phone, position, e-

mail)• Meeting schedule (try making an actual calendar)• Service project dates and information• Review of completed projects• Committee reports• President’s message• Major Emphasis Program information• District Project information• Reminders• Dues update (list members that need to pay/have

paid)

STAGE 1 DraftingCreate a title headline for the front page of every issue. Include:• Name of the bulletin• Volume and issue number• Month and year• Name of your district and/or division numberConsider also including:• District logo• Key Club International logo• Key Club International mission, vision, and core

valuesSet a consistent format, and stick with it for the first year

STAGE 2 Production• Before beginning, have an idea of everything you

would like to include• Take timeliness into consideration when deciding the

contents• Create a table of contents to organize a multi-page

newsletter• Make sure there’s a balance of both pictures and text • Give credit where it’s due• Edit writing for flow, spelling style, grammar length,

incorrect information, and misquotes (try reading aloud or having someone else read for most effective proofreading)

• Before running copies or publishing online, make sure the first printed copy looks okay

STAGE 3 Final• Check for errors and readability• Decide whether you want to publish the

newsletter online or print copies of it for distribution

• If you would like to distribute digital copies, use an online publication source (i.e. Scribd, Issuu)

• If you would like to distribute physical copies, staple and fold, address and stamp the bulletins, and deliver them promptly

Other Things to Consider• Make the newsletter’s name an attention

grabber• Write the articles objectively, and attribute

quotes to the speakers when including opinions• Keep your writing casual, non-technical, and

conversational• Use the front page to spark the audience’s

interest • Use at least one graphic per page to provide

visual breaks from solid blocks of text• Sharpen photos via image-editing software• Proofread, revise, and rewrite• Save, save, save!

Articles

New Article Policy• New maximum of 20 articles (100 points total), to be graded by

the District Editor; additional 10 points will be earned if it’s published in the Tex-O-Key

• Article assignments released at T-O website on the 15th of every month and articles due on the 5th of every month

• 5 points per article as long as it meets the following requirements (partial credit may be earned):– Descriptively highlights the event

– JPG pictures included as part of the file

– 400+ words

– Includes title/school/name

– All of the school’s articles are attached in a compressed file to one e-mail (spend a few minutes at your next PCM clarifying how to create a compressed file)

– Microsoft Word format

• ***Remind clubs to submit their articles to both the District Editor and Secretary. Starting in August, if we we both don’t receive them, clubs won’t earn points

How-To Write an ArticleSTEP 1 Visit the T-O website on the 15th of every month to view the most recent article assignments.

STEP 2 Pick one of the four topics, and choose an event that is relevant to that assignment.

STEP 3 Write a 400+ word journalistic article about the event. Be sure to include personality, voice, and professionalism in your writing!

STEP 4 After proofreading and adding final touches, make sure that your article includes a title, your name, and your school name. Save your article in Microsoft Word format.

STEP 5 Be sure to attach an additional photo in JPG format before submitting it.

STEP 6 Send the article as well as a maximum of 19 others (no more than 20 total articles) in an e-mail to the District Editor.

Questions to Ask Yourself • Has it addressed the topic appropriately?• Did it truly inform and educate the reader?• Does it have enough background information?• Is the word usage too complex or too simple?• Is the article targeted toward the appropriate

audience?• Are the grammar, word usage, and spelling correct?• Have you proofread or looked over it?• Has someone else looked over it?• Have you sent any photos to accompany the article?• If so, does the photo have a caption?• Have you included a title, your name, and your

school name?

Important Info to Know• Tex-O-Key articles should be sent

to:Tashrima HossainTexas-Oklahoma District Editoreditor@tokeyclub.com(713) 505-2252

• Each submitted article can earn a maximum of 5 points (if your article is published, you’ll earn an additional 10 points)

• Key Club Magazine articles should be sent to: keyclubnews@kiwanis.org

Brand Guide

Why Graphic Standards?Graphic standards…

• Unify Key Club International• Transcend new technology, trends, and

inspirations• Are a timeless representation of our organization• Improve the quality of all Key Club publications

by acting as a basic, clean guideline

Logo1 The logo is available as either a black wordmark on a white background OR a white reverse wordmark on a black background (both downloadable as eps, jpg, or png)

The preferred color options are black, blue, or white

2 The Key Club seal is available in either black on white, blue on white, blue/gold on white, OR white on black (all downloadable as eps, jpg, or png)

The preferred color options are black, blue, blue/gold, or white

3 Don’t crowd the wordmark. Leave K space around every logo, meaning you should take the height of the letter K and allow “K space” all around the logo.

4 The same is true for the seal. Take the width of the outer circle and allow that amount of space all around the logo.

5 Don’t squish, stretch, or shrink the wordmark. To do this: 1 Select the object and hold down SHIFT

2 Move the mouse pointer over one of the corner handles and then click and drag the mouse

3 Release the mouse button before you release shift

6 Don’t make up new logos by combining logos or graphics.

7 Add the Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs logo to your publications, but make sure it is less prominent than the Key Club logo (smaller, bottom of newsletter footer, backside of brochure). The logo is available in blue on white, black on white, OR white on black. (All downloadable as eps, jpg, or png)

The preferred color options are black, blue, or white

Co-BrandingThe Kiwanis Service Leadership Programs logo works well with other logos– use the joint product in your publications.

The preferred color options are black, 295 blue, and cyan

FontsIf you don’t have the fonts on your computer, try downloading them online. Walk Around the Block can be found for free at: www.dafont.com/walk-around-the-block.font. You can also purchase other fonts at: www.myfonts.comwww.adobe.com/typewww.fonts.comwww.linotype.comwww.veer.com

ColorsThe PMS, CMYK, RGB, and HEX are codes to help you match the item’s color to the specific Key Club brand colors. You should use different codes based on the medium in which you are publishing.• PMS Pantone Color Matching System: for

screen printing (banners, merchandise, T-shirts) and other professional printing (letterhead, business cards)

• CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black (K): for professional desktop printing (brochures, posters, newsletters)

• RGB Red, Green, Blue: for online use (web, video, television, multimedia, electronic slide presentations)

• HEX Hexidecimal: for specifying color in code <body bgcolor=“E6E6FA”>

Brand Guide Color Codes

Brand Guide Color Code How-To

1 2 3

4 5 6

Graphic ElementsUse Key Club graphics to spruce up your publications!

Pencil available in eight colors

Examples

Photography• Quality, high-resolution photos can make a

good publication great.• Follow the four steps to a perfect picture:

1 Plan ahead. Don’t wait for the right image to come to you– create it. Consider your location, props, and composition.

2 Keep the background simple. Make sure the background doesn’t distract from the subject, and that nothing behind the subject affects the image.3 Think about your lighting. Make sure your subject stands in the best light– it might be bright out, but the sun can cast shadows on a face.4 Capture faces. Expressions, reactions, moments, emotions and action make great photos. The best way to get them: concentrate on people’s faces when taking photos. Avoid mugshots.

Importance of Photos• Photos are the key to an

aesthetically-pleasing Tex-O-Key issue

• Constantly take photos and submit them to editor@tokeyclub.com

Sample Photographs

Copy• It’s imperative that Key Club-related productions be

written in a professional and precise fashion. When writing, remember:1 Be consistent. It never hurts to have a guide. For writing style, Key Club follows “The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook,” 45th edition (2010).2 Be concise. The fewer words you use, the better your message sinks in. Make your writing easy to follow and fun to read. In fact, reread what you write– then revise. You might me surprised what you can do without.3 Go easy on the eye. When it comes to visual appeal, the copy is important too. Don’t make people feel overwhelmed by words. Got a series of items or instructions? Use a “bullet-pointed” or numbered list. Got a key point? Try subheads in bold type. Some people skim– so make it skimmable.

Helpful Links• Brand Guide

www.keyclub.org/brandguide

• New Key Club marketing tools www.keyclub.org/newtools

• Style guide for the written word

www.KiwanisOne.org/styleguide

Contests & Awards

Club Newsletter AwardA Description: This competition is intended to reward the club which presents the most informative, creative, and original newsletters to its members throughout the year.

B Entry Requirements: To enter this competition, submit all applicable newsletters for the year in a 3-ring binder with fixed labels. Registrant must also register for the contest through the convention registration process.

C Rules: All newsletter entries must be actual club newsletters, dated during the current Key Club administrative year. The newsletters must be created by a Key Club member(s).

D Scoring/Judging: Judging will be based upon the following criteria:

Awards will be presented for first, second, and third place. This contest shall be judged by the District Editor.

Linda & Gary Hicks Outstanding Club

Editor Award A Description: This competition is intended to recognize the district’s most outstanding club editor based on a variety of variables.

B Entry Requirements: A ringed binder must be submitted with the following sections:• Evaluation- A statement from the club president, faculty or Kiwanis advisor, and

school principal/administrator in reference to the following areas: – 1 Question: How has the nominee’s performance been outstanding in his/her role

as editor? – 2 Question: How is the nominee outstanding as a member of Key Club?

• Duties- A statement listing the duties given the club editor from the club.• Meetings- A statement listing the number of general meetings and board meetings

held per month. Indicate which (if not all) meetings in which the editor attended.• Miscellaneous- A section that can include, but is not limited to, a listing of other

activity involvement, a self-bio, awards, and all other materials displaying the quality of the candidate.

The registrant must register for the contest through the convention registration process.

C. Rules: Only one entrant per club is allowed. The club president and/or faculty or Kiwanis advisor must nominate the editor for this award.

D. Scoring/Judging: Judging will be based upon the following criteria: An award will be presented for first place only. This contest shall be judged by the District Editor.

Tex-O-Key Reporting AwardAny club who has submitted pictures, articles, etc. to the District Editor is eligible for this award. Judging will be based on the quantity and quality of submissions. No entry form need be completed, as the District Editor will judge based on the submissions received during the year. An award will be presented for first place only.

Good luck throughout

the upcoming

year!