National Association of Counties * Washington, DC / Vol. 30, No. 14 * July 20, 1998

---

Seventeen television cameras and more than four dozen print journalists covered NACo's news conference in March on the release of a report on county tobacco lawsuits. Pictured are (l-r) Robert J. Gaffney, county executive, Suffolk County, N.Y.; Lawrence Kahn, chief litigating assistant, New York City, N.Y.; Randy Johnson, NACo president; Zev Yaroslavsky, supervisor, Los Angelas County, Calif.; Dennis T.Gorski, county executive, Erie County, N.Y.; and Louise Renne, city attorney, City and County of San Francisco, Calif.

The Public Affairs Department's three primary responsibilities are media relations, retaining and developing members and publishing County News. Other responsibilities include design support for NACo's publications and Web site, publication fulfillment and such public affairs activities as National County Government Week and the Counties Serve America program.

Media relations

During the past year, NACo successfully projected a higher profile with national and Washington, D.C. media. In March, Washington's National Public Radio (NPR) began broadcasting a 15-second NACo spot, eight times a day, every Wednesday. It is the first time NACo sponsored news programming on NPR to help inform federal lawmakers, administration officials and Washington metro-area residents about NACo and county government. The radio spot substantially increased NACo's name recognition and NACo Web site hits (www.naco.org).

NACo expanded its first Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) partnership that began in 1997. As a PBS Outreach Associate, media relations staff and county behavioral health directors worked closely for 11 months with PBS's Bill Moyers on his "Close to Home" series on addiction and recovery. The five-part PBS series was broadcast nationwide in March. Moyer's presentation at the Legislative Conference was aired nationwide on C-SPAN and highlighted the important role counties play in the nation's health care system.

With health care and a possible national tobacco settlement debate tak-ing center stage in Washington, NACo insured that the nation, Congress and the Administration were aware of the county position-that counties with health care responsibilities must be included in any settlement. The effort included personal meetings with journalists, news advisories and Hill and Administration meetings, and it culminated with NACo's standing-room-only news conference at the National Press Club. Seventeen television cameras and more than four-dozen print journalists covered NACo's release of a report on county tobacco lawsuits throughout the country. It received national attention, including coverage by CNN, CBS Radio and dozens of major daily newspapers.

Nationally syndicated columnist David Broder published a column in 300 newspapers in March about the economic power of large urban counties. Nationally syndicated columnist Neal Peirce the following month wrote a thought-provoking column on the same subject, quoting NACo President Randy Johnson.

Membership

For 1998 by the end of June, there were 1,727 NACo member counties, reflecting 27 new member counties and 44 cancelled counties. While more than 80 percent of the nation's population live in NACo member counties, there are still more than 1,300 counties that are not NACo members. Improved follow-up methods for county dues payments led to a significant reduction in the number of counties canceling their membership. In all of 1997, 54 counties canceled membership. NACo's membership retention rate is 98.3 percent, and places NACo in the top one percent of retention rates among national associations according to statistics from the American Society of Association Executives.

Membership dues revenue increased slightly. NACo derives 16 percent of its revenue from dues. A 2.8 percent annual dues increase approved by the NACo Board effective in 1999 will help increase revenue on regular basis in the future.

NACo is still seeking to reach the goal of 2,000 members by the end of the year 2000. The Membership Committee, co-chaired by San Bernardino County (Calif.) Supervisor Jerry Eaves, and Jane Hague, NACo Second Vice President, has been instrumental in obtaining significant membership support at the state level. A new marketing plan includes:

• Theme and Specific Goals: "Counties Save with NACo" is the theme developed to show counties that NACo membership provides them with "tangible" benefits. Annual goals establish the path to achieving the NACo Board goal of "2,000 county members by the end of the year 2000."
• State Association Executive Directors: State association executive directors will be asked to help pass resolutions stating their goal for increasing NACo membership within their state as well as committing to specific strategies for membership recruitment. NACo will provide recruitment aids such as informational literature, direct mail packets/assistance, PowerPoint presentations on hard copy and disk, camera-ready advertisements, articles and free trial conference registrations.
• Direct Mail Promotion: Special, targeted mailings were sent to all non-member counties offering officials a free, no-obligation subscription to County News, as well as one free conference registration. All recipients receive follow-up correspondence on the benefits of NACo membership. These materials are available to any county that would like to use them for recruitment purposes.
• State Association Meetings: Contact with counties at state association meetings has proven very successful in past recruitment efforts. NACo officers and staff continued this effort by attempting to attend events in many states. The NACo Membership Department visited Georgia, Wyoming and New Jersey and will also attend state meetings in Maryland, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Tenessee and Virginia.

Other special efforts to increase NACo membership include: a successive years membership awards program; NACo staff training; a pre-renewal benefits letter and full correspondence review; membership coverage in County News; and exit surveys/phone calls with state association executive directors.

County News
A good year for business

This was a good year for the business side of County News. Costs declined while advertising revenues were up substantially, as County News' classified advertising revenue from Job Market postings increased 67 percent. Display advertising also increased, in part due to expansion of business partnerships through the NACo Financial Services Center.

Editorial coverage expanded

County News expanded its coverage of "inside the Beltway stories" that go beyond traditional reporting on legislative initiatives. County News readers learned about proposals from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would pre-empt local zoning authority in siting digital TV towers, reduced fee Internet services for rural schools, libraries and health care facilities, and electric utility restructuring.

County News also increased its legal coverage. In addition to the regular feature "Legal Notes," County News covered court-related stories on immunity, local zoning, affirmative action and solid waste flow control.

Technology and its implications for counties were high profile issues and County News reported on GIS, recorders on the Web, enhanced 911 and digital imaging.

County News also provided county perspective on nationally breaking stories with its coverage of welfare reform, El Niño and school violence.

Two new regular features were added to County News. Profiles in Service gives readers a bright snapshot of NACo members and staff who have made significant contributions to the association. Web Watch is a sometimes funky but always informative spotlight on the Internet.

County News Online publishes Friday before its Monday print publication date at www.naco.org/news/news/htm.

National County Government Week

National County Government Week (NCGW), was celebrated on April 19 - 25 and raised public awareness and understanding about the roles and responsibilities of county governments. The nationwide effort has grown steadily during the past eight years. This year, more than 1,100 counties recognized NCGW and held some type of activity or program. NCGW will be celebrated in 1999 on April 18 - 24, and in 2000 on April 9 - 15.

NACo Millennium Programs
Counties Serve America Campaign

NACo's Community Countdown 2000 campaign has been renamed Counties Serve America, and enters its second phase with $100,000 in financial support for 1998 and 1999 from Nationwide Insurance Enterprise. NACo also budgeted $100,000 in 1998 to support the campaign.

Counties Serve America is NACo's national initiative to achieve increased citizen understanding of and involvement with county government. It addresses the issue of public confidence in government by creating an environment in which citizen responsibility can be nurtured, flourish and be recognized as integral to meeting local challenges.

The second phase will contain two parts: the national advertising campaign and an Acts of Caring National Awards Program. The national advertising campaign will highlight the role of counties in the lives of average Americans. The first phase will be image-based and consist of a series of public service announcements (PSAs) aimed at identifying valuable, basic, everyday services that are provided by counties.

Example: A scene of raging waters and a rescue effort with the words "Natural Disasters" floating across the screen with the accompanying voice-over-"We're working hard when disaster strikes." A voice-over tag line will say: "Your county. Working for you in ways you never imagined."

Seven 15-second television PSAs and five radio PSAs will be produced on such topics as public safety, transportation, economic development, immunizations, food inspections, disaster assistance, parks and recreation and recycling.

The second phase of the advertising will be cause-oriented. NACo will produce three 30-second television PSAs to promoting the Acts of Caring National Awards Program highlighting volunteerism and counties. Counties across America will nominate individuals who contributed to their counties through Acts of Caring, volunteer activities that seek to improve the quality of life for their citizens. The awards program will recognize the top efforts by volunteers and county employees with a national ceremony to present the awards during National County Government Week, April 9 - 15, 2000.

Counties Celebrate the Millennium

NACo established a Millennium Committee that is co-chaired by First Vice President C. Vernon Gray and Second Vice President Jane Hague.

As part of "Counties Celebrate the Millennium," the committee will assist counties and NACo in developing millennium activities, recognizing and celebrating the history and achievements of counties and NACo, and highlighting their contributions in shaping our democratic society. The committee will offer ideas to counties on how to celebrate the millennium and establish legacy projects.

NACo's millennium activities will be launched at the 1998 Annual Conference, and delegates will be surveyed about their planned millennium activities. During the next 18 months, NACo will promote millennium activities and legacy projects through the NACo web site, in County News and at conferences.