Where we put Monitors
By Cindy Safronoff
When our outreach team goes to work in a commercial district, they are trying to place gift subscriptions for The Christian Science Monitor Weekly. But they also they carry 100 copies of the Monitor Weekly to distribute. Labeled “Free Sample Copy” with a special sticker, these are our free gift to the community. These also serve our purposes in other ways. These are our foot in the door. These give us an easy way to start a conversation with a local business. These are a quick low-commitment way for a business to say “yes” to accepting the Monitor at their place of business. A business owner or worker might accept sample copies to take a look at them more closely later, to show their boss, or share with the other employees. Sometimes, they allow us to put them out somewhere accessible for their customers to see. Sometimes our teams put them places at their discretion. Here are some examples.
Some retail places have a place for local event notices, community groups, and other promotional items. This table is a great place for the Monitor!
This small indoor mall has a community bulletin board. We couldn’t put Monitors on the wall, but at the suggestion of a retailer in this mall, we put some Monitors on this bench in the hallway.
This community food co-op has a large window sill with stacks of local newspapers from area towns and other publications. Now it has the Monitor too!
This laundromat has a shelf that was calling out to have some Monitors.
The local newspapers that once regularly filled these sidewalk stands are defunct. This is a great high-exposure spot for Monitors!
A waiting area coffee table is a perfect place for Monitors! The office manager at a title company didn’t accept a gift subscription, but was ok with having a few Monitors added to their magazine spread.
This laundromat has a sitting area with cushy chairs and a side table. Perfect spot for some Monitors!
This free literature rack is in the entry area outside a chamber of commerce office. They suggested we put some Monitors here, so we did!
Lots of free info on lots of things in this free literature rack in the lobby of a mixed use building, including the Monitor!
Here’s a table in a public area that had another publication on it already, before we put several issues of the Monitor on it.
Anywhere there are stacks of Folklife Festival events schedules is a great place for a stack of Monitors. This sitting area is in an indoor retail mall in a converted historic school building.
These are just a few examples from this summer of places we put Monitors for people to find. I hope these inspire you to look for these kinds of places in your local community and either let us know about them, so we can put Monitors there on our next visit, or better yet, you can put Monitors there now! We’d be happy to supply you with all the Monitors you need!