Holland-Zeeland Loop Initiative — Letters of Invitation

 

We sent invitation letters to:

  • Audiologists and hearing aid dispensers
    • These were the first letters sent to alert them to the initiative.
    • They were encouraged to include T-coils in future hearing aids sold, with expectation of their usefulness.
    • A follow-up letter two weeks before the informational meeting gave updated information on the letter campaign, the to-be-announced grants, the media publicity, and welcomed them to invite their patients.
  • Local churches
    • Each letter of invitation to our informational meeting was addressed personally to the pastor or priest of the church.
    • The letters included
      • a description of the induction system and its benefits
      • a promise of to-be-announced grant support.
    • Each letter included the article “Hearing the Word” by David Myers, published in the Church Herald.
    • After the meeting, each pastor or priest—whether having attended or not—received a follow-up letter summarizing the excellent response and giving specifics of grant support and installation.
  • Schools
    • The letters were addressed personally to the district superintendent of each district in the Holland-Zeeland area.
    • Copies of the letters were sent to every principal in every middle and high school in every district.
    • Copies of the letters were also sent to every special education teacher in every middle and high school in every district.
    • The letters explained the technology and highlighted the potential benefit to the visiting public and the students of the school system if used in a large auditorium.
    • A promise of to-be-announced grant support was included in the letter.
  • Retirement/nursing homes
    • The letters were addressed personally to each manager of all retirement/nursing homes in the Holland-Zeeland area.
    • The letters stressed the advantages of having the loop system in auditoriums and TV rooms.
    • A promise of to-be-announced grant support was included in the letter.
  • Banks and fast food restaurants
    • The letters were addressed personally to each manager of all the banks and fast food restaurants in the area.
    • The letters stressed the advantages of the hearing loop system in the drive-through stations at their businesses.
  • Grant seeking letters
    • Additional points to be made in soliciting grant funds from corporations, family foundations, or community foundation:
      • Cost- effective: will help increasing numbers of people (as more and more hard of hearing get T-coils) for modest cost per institution.
      • A one-time effort: Once it’s done it’s done; no follow-up or annual requests.
      • No organization is being created, no bureaucracy, no staff overhead–100 percent of monies go toward equipment and installation.
      • Compared to those with impaired mobility of vision–who also have important needs–the hard of hearing are a larger, faster growing, and largely invisible minority.
  • Similar letters were sent to
    • courtrooms
    • theaters
    • banquet facilities
    • libraries
    • major corporations (that had large meeting rooms with PA systems)
    • city halls

All of the letters included a two-page essay describing the induction loop system and requested that an enclosed pre-paid reply card be returned stating whether their organization would be attending the meeting and how many representatives would be coming.

Sample invitation letter.