So you’ve got all the logistics planned—congrats! Now all you need is walkers and the press!
What’s a good number to shoot for? In principle, more walkers means more publicity means greater impact, so you should recruit as many as possible. But safety concerns may prompt you to cap the number of walkers between 30-50, especially in winter when roads can be dicey and their may be the need to scoop walkers up in support cars in the case of inclement weather. (For multiple-day walks the number of overnighting walkers will need to be limited based on the host volunteers and hosting venues available.) Don’t forget that part-way walkers, especially at the beginning and end, are always welcome!
The Rebellion will promote your walk to Rebellion members, and can provide lists of individuals interested in walking, as well as a list of organizations that have helped promote our walks in the past, and an email template. If you are in New Hampshire, contact us directly and we can provide information on local non-profits, community organizations, and small businesses who have helped promote our walks.
The Rebellion will provide you with samples and tips for press advisories and op-eds to be sent out to local media outlets to promote both your walk and walk events, and can provide you with the contacts for those outlets in New Hampshire. We also provide promotional materials like yard signs, flyers, bumper stickers, and push cards that you and your volunteer Town Leaders can distribute in the communities and at businesses and organizations surrounding your walk route.
If all this promotion seems like a lot, don’t worry. In addition to recruiting driving and food volunteers, we will also work with you to recruit Town Leader volunteers. These volunteers, who may or may not be walkers themselves, live in the towns on or near your route, and can take responsibility for things like asking their local businesses and community organizations to promote the walk, distributing promotional materials, and writing op-eds or letters to their local media outlets.