Communications tip of the month

In vocation ministry a major goal of communications is to encourage face-to-face contact with people open to religious life. Pictured here is NRVC member Sister Dorothy Ann Dirkx, S.S.M. with a young woman.

Because communications is such a big, wide world, vocation ministers will be most effective if they create a strategy. By creating a strategic plan for vocation communications, ministers must make important decisions that will keep them focused and increase the impact of their actions. The planning process involves:

• Defining a target audience, that is, the group most likely to respond to a vocation invitation.

• Narrowing the types of media you use according to what your target audience uses.

• Developing key messages according to who you are and what your audience most seeks in religious life.

If you don't yet have a strategic plan for communications, the new year is an ideal time to begin creating one. Start with the HORIZON article "Create a vocation communications plan," by Cheryl Aughton, director of communications for the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Other relevant HORIZON articles can be found in the online HORIZON library under the categories of "Communications" and "Social media."