Communication

Communications and Recruitment Annual Planning Checklist

In your role as an Affiliate coordinator, you are an important conduit of information between layers of the program. This page covers the ways that you might consider communicating. Be sure to visit the Data Gathering page for how to build a good data foundation for your program.

The sample Communications and Recruitment Planning Checklist includes things you may want to consider. Select File > Make a Copy to create your copy of the document to edit.

NHD's Director of Communications may have further ideas and can offer suggestions about your current communication platforms and tools. Please email at Communications@NHD.Org.

Audiences

There are several different threads of communication that you can facilitate and nurture throughout the year:

Interested Teachers: A teacher interested in the program may need several exposures to the program before committing to participation. Let them get more information about the program—a follow-up email, information packet, or a meeting/phone call with you—to learn more about the program and imagine how it might work in their classroom. See the section on Teacher Recruitment for ways to engage with this audience.
Participating Teachers: Teachers who are currently participating (in that contest year) have a greater need for timely, relevant, and useful information.
- Fall Welcome: A print or email fall welcome letter to give them program updates, contact information, and contest dates.
  - Minnesota History Day sends a fall welcome "packet" to teachers, linking them to essential materials for the year. Materials are sent electronically and, when possible, in print as well. View materials.
- Contest Registration Information: Before they register, teachers will need to know information on when contest registrations are due, how to register, and how many entries they can bring.
- Contest Participation Information: Once they are registered, teachers will need information on contest logistics. The zFairs online registration system will allow you to communicate this information to registered participants.
Judges: We usually communicate with judges during contest season, getting them to sign up and provide logistical details. Judges may be interested in knowing more about what happens outside of the event. Consider a fall "hello" that introduces them to the theme and asks them to "Save the date" for a contest or a follow-up about student accomplishments at the national contest.
Stakeholders: Stakeholders may be internal to your institution (your director, other education staff) or outside program partners that support the program. Communicating with them throughout the year (theme information, workshop opportunities, curriculum development, contest information, program highlights, and successes) helps to keep them engaged and build their awareness of your hard work.
Regional/District Coordinators (if applicable): Regional/District coordinators will need to know different types of information throughout the year. You will communicate important information from NHD (such as the new rulebook, evaluation rubrics, or theme information). Beyond these messages, think about what your coordinators need to know throughout the year—workshop offerings, new resources, or planning for competitions. See the Region/District Management page for more about this important audience.
Students and Parents: Most Affiliate coordinators do not communicate directly with students and parents outside of the contest season. Outside of contests, communication with these groups is usually done through teachers. During contests, the zFairs registration system offers an easy way to send messages directly to participants and their parents about important contest details. As you communicate with your national contest delegation, you may want to create your mailing list of nationals students, parents, and teachers to communicate Affiliate-specific messages.

Layers of Communication

Consider how the following communication methods may work separately or together in your Affiliate.

Print Mailings

Pros: Print mailings don't get caught in spam filters and can catch attention. You may have contact information from previous year's teachers or could use a mailing list from your department of education to get your information into the hands of more teachers.

Cons: They can be expensive and time-consuming to design, produce, print, and mail. Smaller mailings, like postcards, may end up in the recycling.

Ideas: If your budget allows, consider:

Teachers: A welcome letter to last year's teacher participants in the Fall.
Teachers: A postcard or flyer to a targeted geography or group of new teachers directing them to your website for more information.
Stakeholders/Regional Coordinators: Annual theme or rulebooks so they have them on hand for reference.
Judges: A printed thank you letter.

Email/E-Newsletter

Pros: Low cost and easier to produce than print mailings. You can direct teachers directly to resources. There are many cheap, attractive templates to use. Some programs can track open rates.

Cons: School spam filters are notoriously difficult to navigate. Due to anti-spam rules, it can be hard to reach new audiences.

Ideas:

Teachers: A monthly update is a great option in many programs, but what is a good balance of email communication for your teachers? How does that balance with the email communication of any Regional/District coordinators?
Stakeholders: Consider when you want to communicate about program activities and accomplishments with your institutional leadership and other program partners. What highlights can you share both during and outside of the contest season?
Regional Coordinators: Regularly communicating with your Regional/District coordinators during and outside of contest season will help build their buy-in with the program. Provide relevant updates from the National Office or on your activities.
Judges: Besides the contest sign-up email, consider sending judges an email in the fall (about the new theme and program dates) or after the national contest (letting them know how students from your Affiliate did).

Website

Today, it's not just a good idea but a user expectation to have an up-to-date web presence. Make sure that your website is up-to-date and links to any relevant Regional/District coordinator sites. (Even more user friendly, can all of this be in the same location?)

NHD maintains a page for each Affiliate and will ask you to double-check this information annually.

Most Affiliates maintain their websites through their sponsoring institution. At a minimum, consider including on your website:

Contest Dates: The relevant dates for school, regional/district, Affiliate, and national contests.
Contact Information: Contact information for you and your Regional Coordinators, links to your social media accounts.
A General Program Description: What is NHD and your organization's role?
Key Program Documents: Information on the annual theme, the NHD Contest Rulebook
A Way to Get More Info: If a teacher or judge is new and interested, ask them to sign up through a simple web form for more information. You can follow up with a print informational packet, an email, or a phone call
Libraries, Museums, Universities, and other Historical Institutions: You can connect across your region by sharing a list of places where students and teachers may research, visit, or even hold a contest.
Social Media links
List of sponsors

Be sure to check out other Affiliate websites to see what other kinds of information participants find useful!

Social Media

Depending on your institution, you may be able to have and manage your social media channels for your History Day program or share History Day messages on your larger institutional platforms.

Pros: These platforms have no cost and are easy to use. It's a great way to showcase the hard work that goes into your program year-round, and not just at contest season.

Cons: Each platform (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) has its niche audiences. Not all of your users will be on any one platform. Rules at your institution may restrict your use of these platforms. Building and nurturing audiences on these platforms takes time. Be careful about sharing information/photos of minors unless you have the right permissions.

Ideas:

To get extra support, tag National History Day! They will try to retweet, share, like, or comment on your posts.

Facebook: @nationalhistoryday
Twitter/X: @NationalHistory
Instagram: @nhdcontest
LinkedIn: National History Day

Each year, NHD updates its hashtags for the annual theme (e.g., #RevReactionReform) and year (e.g. #NHD2026).

Coordinating Communication with Regional/District Coordinators

If your Affiliate program has a network of Regional and/or District coordinators that coordinate contests before your Affiliate contest, be sure to work out a communication strategy with them that is clear and complimentary.

Who is tracking teacher contact data? How is that shared between you and Regional/District coordinators?
What messages will each of you send and when? How can you time them to compliment and not overwhelm teachers?
Where is program information living on the web? Are you each maintaining your web presence or working together? Are your websites linked so participants can move easily between program levels?

COORDINATOR TrAINING SESSIONS

Communication NHD
2024 Coordinator Conference Session

Social Media and Brand Kits
2024 Coordinator Training Session

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