NRVC Strategic Plan

September 26, 2018

Vision Statement

To set the world ablaze with the fire of God’s love through the prophetic, joyful witness of religious sisters, brothers, and priests as radical disciples of Jesus.

Mission Statement

The National Religious Vocation Conference is a catalyst for vocation discernment and the full flourishing of religious life as sisters, brothers, and priests for the ongoing transformation of the world.

Purpose

To accomplish its mission, the National Religious Vocation Conference, in collaboration with its members and strategic partners, provides professional development, advocacy, education, resources, and networking opportunities to support vocation ministry and religious life.

Values

In presenting religious life as a viable, prophetic option that remains mystery and gift, the NRVC seeks to:
1.    Provide professional development, best practices, and shared wisdom to animate the elements of vocation ministry: encounter, invitation, and accompaniment; 
2.    Foster a culture of vocations in a spirit of collaboration, joy, and hope to inspire and be inspired by the minds and hearts of the young church;
3.    Celebrate the charism of each Catholic religious institute as part of the mission of Jesus; and
4.    Grow and nurture an intercultural approach to vocation ministry.
 

Strategic Goals and Objectives

1.    Enhance collaborative efforts for engaging the culturally diverse young church in discerning and impacting the future of religious life.
A.    Solicit, process, and disseminate input from the young church on what they value as effective in vocation ministry and as relevant in religious life and in the life of the Church.
B.    Develop, implement and share the most effective practices for engaging the culturally diverse young church, especially in vocation discernment and in issues affecting religious life.
C.    Pursue collaborative ventures with other organizations, especially intercultural organizations, and the young church to further the topics and results of the 2018 International Bishops’ Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.
D.    Develop, fund, disseminate and promote strategies to assist the larger Church in fostering a culture of vocations
E.    Advocate for an international religious vocation office in Rome.
 
2.    Provide leading-edge resources, formation, and research to advance the field of intercultural vocation ministry, assessment skills, and discernment to religious life.
A.   Determine the most effective ways to study, identify, and disseminate best practices pertaining to creating a culture of vocations and vocation discernment, especially regarding the young church.
B.     Replicate the landmark NRVC/CARA 2009 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life by Mary Gautier and Sr. Mary Bendyna, OP with additional focuses on the impact of technology and the use of social media.
C.     Utilize existing research by NRVC, as well as other organizations, for data mining and analysis through the lens of vocation ministry with a focus on the engagement of youth.
D.    Assess how best to maintain the high quality and reader interest of the    quarterly Horizon publication and the appeal and outreach of VISION magazine and its resources.

3.    Increase the visibility and awareness of the NRVC in order to fulfill our mission.  
A.    Develop and implement an intentional communications and marketing program focused on multiple audiences. 
B.    Maximize the use of technology to facilitate and enhance services, communications, and fundraising.
C.    Engage a professional marketing/communications firm to strengthen NRVC’s brand identity and presence across a wide range of social media platforms.
D.    Redesign the NRVC website to make it more mobile device-friendly and to offer a more comprehensive array of resources, including apps.
E.    Produce and deliver high-quality, current online content that helps grow a culture of vocation discernment and promotion. 

4.    Create the organizational structure and financial model needed to sustain and grow NRVC.
A.    Assess the human resource implications of the strategic plan for board membership and engagement, executive leadership, and national office staff. 
B.    Determine the funding gap between our current level of operations and the aspirational goals of this strategic plan and pursue closing the gap through a multi-source revenue stream:  membership fees, philanthropic support, endowment income, and earned revenue.
C.    Establish roles, responsibilities, and hiring timelines for development personnel within the national office.
D.    Solicit foundations for sustaining partnerships to seed the initial years of the financial model.
E.    Create a hierarchy of funding needs to pursue through philanthropic funding.
F.    Identify funding sources and methods to underwrite current programs and services and pilot new ones, including giving circles, parish and diocesan appeals, and major gifts.

Download a copy of the plan