Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Newsletter topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Monona media committee reviews newsletter survey, considers second mailing and volunteer features
Summary
The Community Media Committee reviewed results of a recent newsletter survey that drew 50 responses from about 1,109 subscribers (about 4%). Members discussed a second mailing, linking newsletter items to the city website, shorter item text with “read more” links, and a recurring volunteer feature to promote local opportunities.
The Monona Community Media Committee on March 13 reviewed results from a newsletter survey and discussed follow-up steps including a possible second mailing, a push to drive readers to the city website for more detail, and adding a recurring volunteer feature.
The committee’s interim figures showed 50 survey responses out of roughly 1,109 newsletter subscribers — about 4 percent of recipients. Will (committee member) described the respondent profile as weighted to older residents: “The majority is 65 plus,” he said, and noted that the 55–64 bracket made up a sizable minority. Committee members said that while the response rate is small, several suggestions worth pursuing surfaced in the free-text answers.
Committee members debated whether to send a second blast to increase responses. “If we want to see if we want to get more, we could certainly do that,” Will said. Members also discussed design and content changes: shorten newsletter copy with “read more” links that point to the website, make use of existing city web pages (for example the public works construction page), and check the newsletter platform’s responsiveness across devices. Anita and Amanda, who currently assemble the newsletter, said they will review layout and length to balance readability and depth.
One recurrent content idea was a volunteer-focused piece: several members suggested featuring volunteers and listing how residents can sign up for opportunities tied to city events (for example, the summer beer gardens). Dave Brunner proposed a regular “Volunteer Corner” to both highlight volunteers’ work and advertise openings. The committee suggested adding a contact name and calendar timing for seasonal volunteer needs (for example, recruit in May for summer events), and agreed linking to the website would allow longer, dynamic content while keeping the newsletter compact.
Members also flagged items that are time-sensitive and difficult to pin to a monthly newsletter — notably road work and other weather-dependent projects. The committee recommended using WVMO (the city radio station) and the city website for immediate updates, and reserving the newsletter for summaries and links to more current pages.
No formal decision to send a second mailing was recorded; committee members left the idea on the table for future meetings and asked staff to consider follow-up timing and messaging.
