CANDLE

Campus Area Network Development and Local Exchange Program (CANDLE)

Formerly known as the Group Local Area Network program, CANDLE aims to further foster collaboration between campus groups and community organizations. CANDLE takes local alliances one step further by encouraging affiliate groups to become active in their community outside of the movement as well.

CANDLE encourages college students to:

• Collaborate with local organizations associated with the movement
• Have affiliations with other national and international organizations in the movement
• Conduct community service projects
• Have relationships with organizations outside of the movement
• Develop an outreach program for high school students
• Have interactions with local media
• Engage in civic participation

The following handbook will provide, in detail, how your group can utilize the CANDLE program to build relationships with college campuses and high school groups.

CANDLE and Your Organization

Why Have a CANDLE Program?


There are many obvious reasons your organization can benefit from involvement in such a program. You and other participants can jointly host events which allows for sharing of the financial burden, increased attendance, and the possibility of obtaining more well-known speakers. You will also have more people to involve in service projects, a larger pool for donations and membership fees, and many potential members you can recruit.

However, there are far more significant benefits to such a program. The crux of this program is that freethought will spread outward from the local axis. Community freethought groups will participate in an informal recruitment program that will, in essence, spread the seeds of rational thinking to a new generation.

 

One of the biggest challenges that the SSA encounters is the graduation of its leaders. When our students become alumni most disappear from the movement. Your participation in this program will help acclimate college students to the freethought environment outside of academia. By serving as mentors, friends, and cohorts, community members can assist in retention by simply encouraging students to leave the ivory tower and get involved in community action.

How to Implement a CANDLE Program

1. Contact the SSA to find out if there is a campus freethought group nearby
2. Designate one or two individuals to be in charge of the campus outreach program.
3. Call or e-mail student leaders and let them know what you are interested in doing (remember, all current SSA affiliates are also getting a copy of the CANDLE program so they will know what you are talking about).
4. Ask if you can attend a campus meeting
1. Set up a time to meet with campus leaders before or after the meeting.
2. See if you can make a short presentation at their meeting on your organization.
5. Extend the proverbial olive branch by inviting the campus group’s leader(s) to speak at your meeting.
6. Invite all the group’s members to attend an event, talk or discussion that you are holding.
7. In order to establish relationships, attend their meetings, contribute to their discussions, suggest joint projects and show that you are willing to get involved with their organization.
8. Volunteer your time by participating in a community outreach program or service projects that their group is planning.
9. Offer to provide students with a ride.
10. Make a small monetary donation: bring a small snack to the meeting or offer to purchase a small item needed for an event.
11. Once you have established a strong relationship with the local group you can begin to plan joint projects together.

 No Campus Group Near You?
Then Help Start One!

Developing an Outreach Program for High School Students

Do you remember what it was like to be an Atheist/Agnostic/Humanist/Skeptic in high school? The SSA gets requests constantly from students in high schools and even middle schools who feel isolated, frustrated, and lost. It is very difficult for the SSA to get in touch with these students because of legal issues, but we don’t want to leave them high and dry. Your campus group could help out the SSA and these frustrated high school students by participating in a high school outreach program.

What Can You Do?


• Make sure you understand that you cannot go to high school campuses and solicit students. You also cannot flyer schools.
• Word of mouth is extremely useful in this respect. Does anyone in your organization have a younger brother or sister interested in the movement? Does anyone in a local organization have a child, niece, nephew, brother, sister, etc. interested in the movement?
• Advertise on your web site. Have a section that high school students can go to that has a link to the SSA (http://www.secularstudents.org) and our high school email listserv HS_Share (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SSA_HS/ ).
• Flyer local businesses or put ads in the local newspaper.

Then What?


• Invite interested high school students to attend your meetings.
• Put the student in touch with the SSA so we can send them a Group Starting Packet and answer any questions they may have.
• Appoint a High School Chair (an education student is a good choice here) who will serve as an intermediary between your group and the high school group. This person should keep in close contact with the high school group to make sure they don’t collapse and can help plan events and joint projects.
• Invite them to attend events.
• Encourage them to start their own group when they go to college.

Using Your Events and Programming to Attract Student Participation

Using Your Events and Programming to Attract Student Participation

Location & Timing


• Hold events in close proximity to campus (or offer rides)
• Do not plan major events during finals or academic breaks
• Saturday and Sunday mornings are bad times to attract students.

Advertise on Campus


• Chalk and Flyer
• Advertise events on the campus radio station or the campus cable network.
• Table

Activities That Will Attract Student Participation


• Volunteer Opportunities
• Political Action (protests, letter writing)
• Community Service Projects
• Online Discussion Groups
• Special Events (such as a winter solstice banquet, Darwin Day party etc.)

Enticements


• Food (see insert)
• Scholarships
• Camperships (to CampQuest)
• Student Membership Rates
• Connections for internships and jobs in the movement

Using Food to Encourage College Student Attendance

College students are perennially hungry and broke. They will flock to free food like moths to a flame. So how do you use food to lure them in without going broke? How do you make sure they aren’t just coming for the free food?
 
Money, Money, Money


• Create a small food budget.
• Take turns bringing in food. Have a sign-up sheet and make sure everyone brings food in for a meeting.
• Have a potluck and make everyone bring something.
• College students love home cooked meals. Invite everyone over for dinner and a discussion. Everyone can chip in or you could make something.
• Go out to dinner together. Plan on meeting up at an inexpensive restaurant.

Are We Recruiting Quality Members?

Remember that you may not be drawing in the most dedicated people when you use food. However, you are advertising your group in a sense. You may expose some one new to your ideas, trigger a latent interest in an unsuspecting student, or at least make a good impression. Maybe someone will remember the meeting they attended and mention it to a friend a year down the road.

Alternate food nights, or do them randomly to make sure you are recruiting quality members. I suggest advertising food when you have a big event planned and want to draw in a lot of people. It is also useful at the very beginning of the academic year when you want to draw in new recruits.

You Started a CANDLE Program Now What Can You Do?

Your organization worked extremely hard and has established a strong relationship with a local campus group. Now, take things a step further.

Community Service

Encourage students to engage in community service. This type of work can solidify bonds among student members as well as between students and local off-campus participants. It is also fulfilling work that can aid with recruitment and improve the image of both your groups and the movement.

Civic Participation

Let students know how important it is to have a voice in local, state and national government.


• Lead by example—share stories of letters to the editor your group has written, letters to politicians your group has written, town hall meetings people within your group have spoken at, visits to politicians you have made.
• Ask them to help—while you’re doing any of the above, ask the students to come along or write their own letter.
• Involvement in the National and International Movment

College does not last forever. Students have to understand that this movement stretches beyond college campuses. Encourage students to seek membership in national/international freethought groups. This will keep them from focusing solely on the campus movement and will help keep students active in the movement after graduation.

Alumni Development

The vast majority of students involved in this movement cease their involvement after graduation. Intervene by talking to juniors and seniors about how they can continue their involvement after graduation.


• Help graduates find a local freethought group in the area they are relocating to. The SSA can help, ask us!
• Encourage students staying in the area to attend your meetings after graduation.
• Offer one free year of membership following graduation
• Send special invitations to alumni
• Give new alumni members important responsibilities. Encourage them to become officers in your organization.
• Encourage alumni members to keep in contact with their former student group.
• Encourage internships with national/international freethought organizations, and tell them about job opportunities in the movement.
In all of your interactions with student leaders, remember to treat them as peers. They are the future of this movement, keep them engaged.

Getting Involved in a Joint Service Project

There are all types of service projects you can do. You can come up with your own or get involved with something that is already going on.

How to Come Up With a Service Project:


• What is your organization’s mission? What types of activities can you do to strengthen that mission?
• Determine if there is a need in your community that is not being met.
• What do you have money for? Can you do something that costs nothing?
• Survey your members during meetings to see what they would be interested in doing.
• What have other groups successfully done in the past?
• Is your membership aware of any projects going on in the community?
• Put it up to vote so that representatives from both groups are involved in the decision-making process.

Hints:


• Make sure that you choose something that everyone is interested in doing so you can be assured that people will show up, not just sign up.
• The SSA always encourages our affiliates to take on controversial issues, however, when you’re participating in an outreach project it is sometimes best to pick something neutral that almost everyone can support. Remember you are trying to establish relationships with the community. Therefore you are trying to appeal to the greatest number of people. If you choose something controversial you may turn people off and the message will get lost.
• Make sure both groups have equal say and have a vocal representative
• Keep in mind time constraints for student participants. Make sure the service project is not during finals or breaks.
• Offer students rides
• Always remember that you do not have to come up with something on your own. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in your community that already exist. There are organizations you could get involved with, projects you can do, or volunteer opportunities to take advantage of.

Civic Participation

This movement stretches beyond college campuses, crossing state boundaries and international borders. Therefore, student political participation can affect your community, the country, and the entire world. The SSA wants you to realize that our mission goes beyond college campuses. What can you do to make a difference?

Encourage Students to Get Involved By:


• Organizing protests and encouraging them to learn their protest rights
• Organizing events on campus that advertise their organization’s mission or address a current issue that your groups find important
• Educating Themselves
• Are there any local issues that involve separation of church and state? What can both groups do to influence the decisions made? What can you do to challenge current issues that threaten this right?
• Voting and encouraging others to vote
• Jointly host a voter registration drive
• Get volunteers to chalk, table, or flyer to advertise the upcoming elections.
• Host a debate between campus candidates or even local candidates.
• Host a debate between professors that addresses a hot political topic.
• Getting involved in local politics.
• Supportting candidates by volunteering or working for their campaigns.
• Volunteering their time at your party’s headquarters

Membership in Other National and International Organizations in the Movement

Students won’t be in college forever and those who are more deeply involved in the movement tend to continue their activities after graduation. Therefore, it is a good idea to encourage them to become members of other organizations in the movement.

Many offer internships and job opportunities that may be very appealing after graduation. Some also offer reduced or free memberships for college students and alumni. Some of these organizations provide students with grant opportunities, speakers, legal assistance, useful materials, personal assistance, and guidance. Many also hold annual conference and retreats, and send out newsletters and/or magazines to their affiliate groups.
 
American Humanist Association (AHA) actively educates the public about Humanism, brings Humanists together for mutual support and action, defends the civil liberties and constitutional freedoms of Humanists—indeed of all peoples—and leads both local and national Humanist organizations toward progressive societal change. Through a strong network of over 80 grassroots organizations, appearances in national media, an advanced Internet presence, regular public appearances, and a broad spectrum of publications, the AHA is the VOICE OF HUMANISM.
http://www.americanhumanist.org


American Atheists (AA) Now in its fourth decade, American Atheists is dedicated to working for the civil rights of Atheists, promoting separation of state and church, and providing information about Atheism.
http://www.atheists.org


American Ethical Union (AEU) a federation of Ethical Cultural societies, which are congregationally structured communities. Congregations support Youth of Ethical Scoieties programs, which educate Ethical Culture youth.
http://www.aeu.org


Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) Established in 1978 to promote freethought and defend the constitutional principle of the separation of state and church.
http://www.ffrf.org


Institute for Humanist Studies (IHS) a think tank whose mission is to promote greater public awareness, understanding, and support for humanism. The Institute specializes in pioneering new technology and methods for the advancement of humanism.
http://humaniststudies.org

Atheist Alliance International (AAI) is an organization of independent religion-free groups and individuals in the United States and around the world. Their primary goals are to help democratic, atheistic societies become established and grow and to work in coalition with like-minded groups to advance rational thinking through educational processes.
http://www.atheistalliance.org

International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU) an international NGO with Special Consultative Status with the UN (New York, Geneva, Vienna), General Consultative Status at UNICEF (New York) and the Council of Europe (Strasbourg), and maintains operational relations with UNESCO.
http://www.iheu.org/modules/news

The International Humanist and Ethical Youth Organisation (IHEYO) is devoted to promoting the spread of humanism among young people and to promoting greater cooperation amongst those already involved with humanism around the world.
http://www.iheyo.org

The Brights an international Internet constituency of individuals with a naturalistic world view.
http://www.the-brights.net

Sustaining Your CANDLE Relationship

Three of the biggest problems that student groups encounter are change in leadership, summer vacation, and membership recruitment and retention problems. These problems threaten to collapse a student group and to dissolve your CANDLE relationship.

Change in Leadership


• Encourage current officers to explain the CANDLE relationship to their replacements.
• Contact new officers immediately to introduce yourself.
• Attend the first meeting of the year to re-introduce your organization and to re-establish relations with officers.
• Allow new officers to run the organization the way they see fit. Do not expect them to be the same kind of leader as the former officer.

Summer Vacation


• Develop a listserv so that members of both groups can keep in touch during the summer.
• Get new contact information from officers before they leave for summer break.
• Plan a big joint event to kick off the school year. Designate one or two individuals from each organization who will be in charge of planning it over the summer. This will keep everyone engaged and ensure continued contact over break.

Membership Retention and Recruitment


• Ask students how many members they have, and if they are having problems with recruitment and retention. Be sure to ask them if they would like you to help out.
• Encourage students to constantly recruit, even if they currently have 500 members.
• If numbers start to fall put them in touch with the SSA. We have a packet specifically designed to combat membership recruitment and retention problems.
• Help the group throw a big event or bring in a well-known speaker. Events that get big publicity bring in big numbers. In the long run this means more publicity for the group and more individuals who are exposed to the movement.

You Can Also


• Designate one or two people in your organization to be in charge of the CANDLE outreach program. Or, create an entire committee to help facilitate it.
• Engage in fundraising specifically for your youth programs.
• Let your members know how they can help out.

How to Start a Campus Group

1. Decide which school(s) to focus your energies on
         1. Colleges are easier than High Schools
         2. Find a school that is nearby
         3. Four year schools are easier than two year schools
         4. Residential schools tend to have more clubs and involved students than commuter schools
         5. Larger schools are easier than smaller schools
         6. Public schools should be prioritized over private, private over parochial.
2. Go to http://secularstudents.org and fill out the Group Starting Packet request form. We will send you all the flyers you need, plus thumbtacks and information you can hand out to students.
3. Find interested students
         1. Flyer or chalk the campuses near you (see the insert on flyering strategies).
         2. Table (see insert on tabling strategies)
         3. Word-of-mouth
4. A new campus group will need two things: members and ideas. Put them in touch with the SSA and we will provide them with activity packets, travel and project grants and speakers. We also have information on events and membership recruitment.
5. Now move on to the CANDLE implementation phase detailed on the previous page.

Flyering College Campuses 101

As Campus Organizer of the SSA I do quite a bit of flyering. Throughout my flyering adventures I have learned from trial and error.

Choosing a School to Flyer


• Find a school that is in close proximity to you--this will encourage more effective collaboration.
• The best response rates typically come from large, public institutions
• Avoid flyering:
• Community Colleges
• Extremely religious schools. You can usually determine if a school is very religious by listening to word-of-mouth and by visiting their web site.
• Schools that have less than 1,000 students
  
Deciding When to Flyer

Fall is the best time of year to flyer. However, the beginning of spring semester is also good.
Do not flyer around finals week
The best days of the week to flyer are Sunday evenings or Monday afternoons. Fridays are bad because the janitorial staff usually cleans over the weekend and may take down signs or carousers may rip them down. Also, many students leave on weekends.
 
Before You Flyer:


1. Contact the SSA to make sure there is not a student group at that school already.
1. Request a flyering packet by filling out the form located at: http://www.secularstudents.org (Allow 2 weeks for delivery).
2.  Visit the school’s web site to:
1. Determine if students are on a break of any kind
2. Find out where you can park
3. Read up on the school’s posting policy
4. Print out a campus map
3.  Put together a flyering kit including:
1. A backpack or bag
2. A staplegun
3. A roll of tape
4. Business cards (optional)
 
Flyering Strategies

• Aim for high-traffic areas
• Instead of hanging one flyer, hang four. People are much more likely to notice a lot of flyers than one
• If a bulletin board states that you should only hang one then do it. Otherwise they will all be ripped down.
• Concentrate flyers in one area rather than spreading 100 flyers all over campus.
• Fill up an entire kiosk with flyers. Students may cover them up in no time but they will garner a lot of attention while they are there.
• Aim for eye-level when hanging flyers
• If there is little room on the bulletin board aim for up high or over to the side. Let the flyers hang off the board a bit…they’ll stick out like a sore thumb and people will be more likely to notice them.
• Aim for high traffic areas.
• The more staples you use the harder it is to tear your flyer down.

Use A Roll of Tape To Get:


• Doors of buildings-this method is very “in-your-face.” Everyone has to use the door to get in and they can’t miss your flyer if it is staring right at them.
• Stairwells and Elevators
• Over Drinking Fountains
• Bathroom stalls and over bathroom sinks
• Over copying machines
• Snack machines
• Doors of lecture halls-they are usually large for a reason
• Outdoor benches
• Lamp posts
Flyering Hints:

• Short on time? Just flyer the first floors of buildings
• Most of the students who contact us are majoring in the arts or sciences. Try flyering the science building, and the performing arts centers, and foregoing the recreation center and the education building.
• Do not flyer something that does not look like it has been flyered before. You do not want to be the first to break a rule. The best rule of thumb is to post your flyers where other individuals have posted theirs.
• If there are remnants of tape on the front door of a building go ahead and flyer it.
• Do not stick tape, staples, or thumbtacks on nice walls. Also do not use tape on paint, it will sometimes rip it right off.
• Do not put your flyers close to trash cans
• Unless the church/chapel is non-denominational do not flyer it.
• Do not put your flyers over other flyers unless the event has already passed.
• Classrooms are great because students are trapped there indefinitely and are usually bored out of their wits.
• Put flyers on the tables, end tables, and coffee tables in lounges, unions and cafeterias. Take it one step further and make table-tents.

Tips on Tabling

Main Goal: Recruit as many interested individuals as possible.


• It is vital that any interested person be encouraged to provide you with a way to contact them further by signing the information sign up list
• If they don’t want to give you their information—make sure they have yours so they can contact you later (e.g., brochure, biz card, etc.)
Initial Contact

When someone walks by, smile, make eye contact and attempt to engage them in conversation. This is most easily accomplished by saying, “Hello.” When you say hello, they will either keep moving or slow because they are interested. Before they have a chance to get away, ask them something to the effect of, “Are you familiar with humanism/atheism/agnosticism?”


• Note: Some will be familiar, but most will have only a sketchy understanding, or no knowledge at all. Based on their response—you will likely want to provide a quick overview of the philosophy.
• If they already consider themselves an atheist/agnostic/humanist/skeptic, then strongly encourage them to join your organization by signing the info sheet.
• Be sure to explain who you are and what you mission
• It is very important to get THEM to talk. LISTEN to what they have to say. You are trying to find out what their interests and concerns are so you can relate their interests back to specific issues and activities you are working on.
Get them to sign your mailing list

Ask them to sign up for more information—if you don’t ask, they won’t sign up.

• Once they appear interested or have expressed some solidarity with your views, encourage them to sign up for the mailing list: “We’d like to send you more information. Would you please provide your contact information?” or “we are interested in starting a campus group at this university. Is that something you would be interested in?” etc.
• If they do not want to sign your list, thank them and make sure they have a brochure and direct them to your website for more information.
• Once they have completed their contact information, look at it and clarify any ambiguous information. (This is critical since without accurate information, you will not be unable to contact them, and handwriting is often indecipherable.)

Helpful Hints

It is vital you do not to talk too long to any one person. Again—your goal is to meet as many NEW people as possible and to get them to sign your info sign up sheet.


• Oftentimes someone is very eager to keep talking with you. Don’t let this interfere with meeting as many new people as possible. Most lingerers are generally interested in your organization and are supportive and will understand that you need to talk to other people. Continue to smile and acknowledge the statements made by the lingerer, while you also politely continue to meet new people as well. Once you are engaged in a new conversation, the lingerer will eventually move on.
• If someone else arrives at the table, politely thank the person(s) you’re speaking to and say either, “We’ll be in touch,” or “We hope you’ll check out our website.”
Tabling is a great opportunity to meet like-minded volunteers and you will want to get to know them. At the same time, do not get so caught up in a conversation with each other that you miss out on talking to NEW people.


• The best way to avoid this is to be aware of people passing your table and start initial contacts when someone walks close by, regardless of how interesting your conversation is at that moment. This requires you divide your attention, but it is essential for a successful tabling experience. After all, it is very easy to pick up the thread of a dropped conversation, but impossible to bring back a lost opportunity to meet someone new.

*The SSA would like to thank Jennifer Hancock, Executive Director of the Humanists of Florida, for allowing us to use her materials.

Interacting with the Local Media

The media is not interested in who you are or what you do, but rather, how you impact your surroundings.  The media wants to see results.

What You Can Do:

• Find out if anyone in your organization knows any local reporters. If you do not have any contacts then make some.
• When you read the local newspaper make note of which reporters cover what topics.
• Cold call them.  It is not as hard as you may think, honestly. Simply call and mention your organization, that you are a student, and that you appreciate the article he/she wrote on _fill in the blank_.  You could also drop the individual a note saying that you saw his/her article on __fill in the blank__ the other day and really enjoyed it.  Then mention who you are and what organization you are associated with.
• Now you’ve made a contact.
• When something is coming up, like a community service project you are doing a week from Thursday, call up the contact you already made and tell him/her what you are doing and what the impact will be.  Be sure to emphasize the impact you are making.  For example:  The College Atheist Coalition (CAC) is participating in an AIDS walk and has raised an astronomical sum of money.
When contacting the media keep in mind these four TIPS:


• Timeliness-make sure stories you suggest are relevant now.  Hit the media at the peak of an issue’s popularity.  Also keep in mind a controversial or current issue that is of interest to the community. 
• Impact-The media wants to cover projects that impact a large group of people.  Be able to extrapolate what you are doing out to the greater community.  “We did __blank__ which is saving the city __blank__ amount of money.”
• Proximity-keep in mind that the proximity of the event is import.
• Stories-don’t just give them information and raw facts, provide them with stories about real people.  Be creative, come up with an unusual human-interest story.


The following paragraphs contain detailed information on how to interact with the media effectively and examples of Op-Eds, Letters to the Editor, etc.  The SSA would like to thank Jennifer Hancock, Executive Director of the Humanists of Florida for allowing us to use her materials.

***

How to Write a Letter to the Editor

It is reported that 80-85% of newspaper readers read the “Letters to the Editor” section, so this is an excellent opportunity to get your message out.

Letters to the Editor should be kept short – no more then 2 small paragraphs. If you must write something longer, consider an op-ed piece.

Know the publication’s publishing and submission guidelines. Depending on the publication, they may require an email, hardcopy letter, information to include, word count). If this is part of an overall campaign, it is best to submit several letters over time instead of submitting many in a short period (e.g., 100 letters in one day).

Always try to reference the article you are responding to on a separate line, above the text of your letter. State your position in both paragraphs.

Be concise – stick to the point – and make sure you are only trying to make 1 point. (Again, if you have several points to make, write an op-ed piece.)

Always be polite – do not call people names or get nasty in anyway. Simply state your point – eloquently, if possible.

Use humor sparingly. If you have a good phrase or quote, feel free to use it - but remember to keep it short – you will have the best chance at publication if you keep your letter to 2 short paragraphs.

Unless you have permission to do so – do not write or speak on behalf on any organization you are a member of.

Sample Outline of a Letter to the Editor (2 paragraphs)

Paragraph 1 (2 sentences)

“As a humanist/atheist/agnostic [or your specific affiliation, etc.—but only if you have your group’s permission], I am writing regarding [the article, event, etc. you are responding to]…

“I agree/disagree with [the article, event, etc. you are responding to]…”

Paragraph 2

Provide 2 “proofs” or supporting ideas and restate your position.



How to Write an Op-Ed Piece

What is an Op-Ed Piece?

An “Op-Ed piece” is an opinion or editorial article that may take the form of a small essay. They are usually printed on the “Opinions” page of the paper and the columnist may have a photo byline supplied.

Op-Ed pieces are useful when what you want to say will take more than 2 paragraphs (the limit of a typical "letter to the editor"). If you have several points you want to make about a particular topic, consider writing an Op-Ed piece. Most papers set aside certain days to print columns from local writers.
 
Publishing an Op-Ed Piece
•    Decide that what you want to write is appropriate as an Op-Ed piece.
•    Contact the editor of the “Opinions” page and obtain their op-ed submission requirements. The paper may often have a word count limit or other limitations. The following questions are critical:
a) Will they accept an Op-Ed piece?
            and
b) What are their requirements? You need to know their requirements so that you can adapt your article to their specification. (Note: Only submit an Opinion piece if you are given permission to do so)
•    Write the piece. Reference the article, etc. you’re submitting your response to. Remember to be factual and interesting and to state your case clearly. Do not get nasty and call people names as your piece may not get printed. Double check your spelling and word count to ensure it is within the limitations specified by the editor.

•    Send the Op-Ed to the editor with a cover letter explaining a bit about yourself, why you are qualified to write this opinion, and request that that letter be published. Be sure to thank the Editor for taking the time to consider your opinion for publication.
 
Things to include in your cover letter:
•    your profession
•    education
•    town where you live
•    if you are speaking on behalf of a group, what your position is within that group. (Note: Only mention your affiliation with a group if you have permission to speak on their behalf about the particular issue you have written an opinion about. Otherwise, do not mention it.)
•    Include a recent black and white photograph of yourself for the paper to use as part of your byline.

•    Call the Editor a few days after you mailed your opinion to ensure they have received it, ask if they have had a chance to read it, and if they plan to print it. Always be polite to the editor, even if they decide not to print your opinion. There are many factors that effect their print decision and do not allow 1 rejection to tarnish your relationship with this editor. The better your relationship with the editor, the better your chances of being published. People like to do business with nice people, so be nice! And, regardless of the outcome, thank them for their time.

•    If they say they will publish your article, ask them on what day, that way you can pick up sufficient copies for yourself, friends, and family. (Note: Buy one copy to verify your opinion is in the paper before you spend more money on extra copies.)

•    Ruthlessly edit your piece. Read it aloud. Ask a friend to read it for clarity and conciseness.


Sample Outline for an Op-Ed Piece

Paragraph 1:
Who you are
Why you’re writing (reference what you’re responding to)
State your position
Paragraph 2:
Supporting evidence/argument
Paragraph 3:
    Supporting evidence/argument
Paragraph 4:
    Supporting evidence/argument
Paragraph 5:
    State your conclusion/restate your position