Getting your message out: press, radio and social for your elective

Press coverage — a piece in your local paper, a university magazine feature, a slot on a local radio station — is one of the most under-used fundraising tools. A single article can put your story in front of thousands of people who’d never see your social posts, and reliably drives donations and sponsorship enquiries. Editors actually want stories like yours; they just need them pitched correctly.

Where to pitch

• Your local newspaper (the print or online paper for your home town and the town your university is in). Look for the “community” or “people” reporter on the masthead.
• Your university newspaper, magazine and website. Almost always run student-fundraising stories with a quick turnaround.
• Your medical / nursing school’s internal newsletter. A small audience, but a high-conversion one for sponsors and grant donors who care about your discipline.
• Local radio — BBC local stations, community stations and student radio love a 5-minute interview if your story has a hook.
• Your old school’s website or alumni newsletter. Easy yes, warm audience.
• Professional bodies and royal-college magazines — once you’re back, write up your elective for them; this builds your CV too.
• Your workplace internal channel (if you work — pharmacy, NHS bank, retail).

What makes a story they’ll actually run

“Student fundraising for trip abroad” isn’t a story. Editors need a hook. The strongest angles:

• A specific destination + a specific specialty. “Local nursing student heading to a rural maternity ward in Tanzania” beats “local student going abroad.”
• A challenge. “Sponsored 50-mile cycle around the county to fund elective” gives them a photo and a date.
• A connection. “Former [your school] pupil,” “daughter of [employer] worker,” “championed by [local Rotary]” — anything that ties you to their patch.
• A milestone. “Halfway to her £3,000 target after community quiz,” “Final push before Tanzania trip.”
• The cause is bigger than just you. If you’re writing a blog or giving a talk on return, lead with that — “she’ll share what she learns with [local hospital / school / community group].”

How to pitch (the email that gets a yes)

One short email. Subject line should be the headline they could literally print:

Subject: Local nursing student fundraising for elective in rural Tanzania

Hi [name],

I’m [name], a [year] nursing student at [university], originally from [town]. In [month] I’m travelling to [country] for a [number] of weeks to work on a supervised elective in [specialty] — I’m raising £[target] to fund it.

I thought it might make a good story for [paper] because [your specific angle — sponsored challenge, connection to a local org, photo opportunity].

Happy to send a photo and answer any questions, and to come in for a quick chat if useful. My fundraising page is here: [link].

Thanks for considering it,
[name + phone number]

Send it on a Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Avoid Mondays (inbox triage) and Fridays (weekend mode). Follow up once after 4–5 days if you don’t hear back — many “no replies” are just busy.

What to send if they say yes

• A photo — high-resolution, you in scrubs or university kit, looking at the camera. Editors will reject low-res phone snaps.
• 2–3 quotes ready to go: one about why the elective matters to you, one about what you’ll bring back, one about your fundraising challenge.
• Your fundraising page link + your sponsors’ names if you have agreement to mention them.
• A clear deadline for when the story would be most useful (before your event, or before you fly).

What to do once the piece runs

1. Share it everywhere the day it appears — on your fundraising page, on social, by email to your sponsors.
2. Email the journalist a short thank-you and tell them how it landed (donations, new sponsors). Reporters remember; you may get a follow-up “she’s back” piece.
3. Pitch the follow-up when you return — most editors will run a “what I learned” piece if you offer it.

Social media — the supporting cast

Press is the big lever, but social keeps momentum:

• Pick one or two platforms you actually use — better to post weekly on one than once a month on three.
• Post when you have news — sponsor on board, halfway to target, event sold out — not “please donate.”
• Tag everyone: your university, your sponsors, the paper that covered you. Tags get reshares.
• One short post on the day you fly always brings in a final burst.

Keep going

Press and social work because they amplify everything else — your events, your sponsors, your online page and your grant applications. The students who hit target use all of them. Back to the fundraising hub.