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Documentation toolkit info card: leaflets
A leaflet is a documentation and communication product that provides an introduction to and an overview of an organisation or a project.
A leaflet:
- Can be used to promote an NGO/CBO and its work, publicise services or events, and communicate specific messages.
- Contains brief and clear information to provide a clear and simple overview rather than a detailed description.
- Can target very broad audiences (such as the general public) or very specific audiences (such as donors).
- Is short - usually no more than two sides of A4 paper (the size of this page).
Key questions
Key questions to ask before developing a leaflet are:
? Is the audience for the leaflet general or specific? How does this affect the type of information you need to include?
? What image or "look" do you want the leaflet to present of your NGO/CBO? Will it match the image in your other communications materials?
? How many copies of the leaflet will you need to print? How does this affect the style you choose - such as the number of colours and the type of paper?
Structure and content
These pages show an example of a structure and content outline for a leaflet about an NGO/CBO working on HIV/AIDS. The outline shows what the product will contain and in what order. The boxes around it provide some key "dos and don'ts" about how to make a leaflet as effective as possible.
(Note: This shows the order in which the information would be printed using both sides of one sheet of A4 paper. The sheet would then be folded twice to form a leaflet.)
DO check that the layout of the leaflet matches where you want the paper to fold before you send it to be printed.
Page 1 Brief history of the NGO/CBO NGO's/CBO's mission NGO's/CBO's aims
DO include your mission statement and ensure that it stands out.
Page 2 First key area of the NGO's/CBO's work Example to illustrate the area Photo
Page 3 Second key area of the NGO's/CBO's work Example to illustrate the area Quotation
Page 4 Third key area of the NGO's/CBO's work Example to illustrate the area Graph
DO use clear and simple graphs, maps and charts - to illustrate what your NGO/CBO is doing.
Back page List of donors List of trustees Contact details NGO registration number Date of printing
DO include your contact details - so that readers can get in touch to request further information or to offer support.
DO include official information about your organisation - such as your trustees' details and your NGO registration number.
Front cover Logo and name of NGO/CBO Photo of NGO/CBO in Action
DO ensure that the front cover has immediate visual impact. Make sure that your NGO's/CBO's name and logo stand out.
And finally,
DON'T make spelling, grammatical or typing errors - doing so will give a bad impression of your organisation.
DON'T use information that might quickly become out of date - such as income and members of staff. Otherwise, you will have to keep reprinting the leaflet.
DO market your work, for example by clearly stating what is special about your work and what you have achieved.
Style
This page looks at the style of leaflets - meaning how they are designed. It provides some ideas about how to make them as interesting and attractive as possible.
Use a design that will be attractive to your audiences and make your leaflet stand out from others.
Keep your text simple and clear, and focus on making your leaflet a quick and exciting read.
Choose the right shape of leaflet for your dissemination needs -for example to fit a specific size of envelope or leaflet dispenser.
Avoid over-designing your leaflet with a style that looks very expensive or technical - as this may give a false impression of your NGO/ CBO.
Use simple charts and diagrams in your leaflet - to illustrate what your NGO/CBO is doing. For example, HIV/AIDS STD Alliance of Bangladesh (HASAB) used a map in their leaflet to show the location of the projects that they support.
Source: Documenting and communicating HIV/AIDS work
This is an extract from Documenting and communicating HIV/AIDS work: a toolkit to support NGOs/CBOs, published by the International HIV/AIDS
Alliance in October 2001.
To view the whole toolkit follow this link.
To download this card and three others, complete with graphics, in pdf format (which requires Adobe Acrobat software to read it) follow this link (file size 481kb).