Tips for the Municipalities and
Organizations
It’s a go? Your municipality has decided to participate in the good neighbours movement? Excellent! Here are some tips to help you promote Neighbours Day with residents.

First: Register your municipality

Get Your Local Organizations Involved
Recruit local players so they can become relays with their clients or members: local newspaper, community groups, sports centres, pharmacies, grocery stores, video stores, restaurants and of course the schools (children love a good party and they can help convince their parents!). Ask them to put up posters, hand out booklets to residents and have invitation cards on hand for those who want them.

To give some weight to the event, the municipal council can adopt a resolution, officially announcing its participation to residents.

Use all the means of communication at your disposal.

Here are a few ideas:

Put up posters in strategic areas in your municipality (public places, libraries, billboards in stores, community groups, etc.).

The tips for residents are particularly important to promote.

Ask your partners to carry some and hand them out. Insert them in your local newspaper.

Tell residents where they can get the posters and invitation cards. When needed, help with road closures.

So as to measure how well Neighbours Day is doing, ask organizers to inform you of their event. Give them incentives. For example, in 2006, the City of Gatineau organized a draw for trees for residents who registered their event with the municipality.

Invite the local media to cover the celebrations taking place in your area, especially those that the municipal councillors will have organized with their neighbours! Highlight the actions taken by your residents: ask them for photos and print their Neighbours Day accounts in your municipal newsletter or on your Web site. The more we talk about Neighbours Day, the more neighbours will want to join in next year.