Creative Ideas for Regions to Celebrate LCWR’s 50^th Anniversary

• Highlight ministries supported by intercongregational efforts and emphasize the support of women religious in these ministries

• Combine LCWR anniversary event with another large local gathering (For example, Region VI will have a public anniversary event in conjunction with the Giving Voice gathering of sisters under 50 in Cleveland this summer.)

• Have a recognition ceremony honoring businesses/public agencies/organizations who have been or who are currently key supporters of LCWR-sponsored ministries or sponsored ministries of religious congregations.

• Certain content offers good visuals to a media story and is attractive to reporters. For example, involving children or pets in an event for which you want coverage offers positive visuals. You might consider doing something in conjunction with an elementary school to benefit an appropriate ministry supported by regional LCWR members or sponsored by a religious congregation.

• Feature article or televised segment on well-known locals (or national celebrities from your region) who can give a testimony on how sisters have positively influenced/impacted their careers.

• Look for personal interest stories of younger members of religious congregations and highlight them while focusing on the future of religious life with a close-up on potential LCWR leaders. (Done right, this would shift the negative aspect of few newer members to a positive look at those younger members and what they offer.)

• Develop a fact sheet on significant accomplishments of women religious in your Region over the last 50 years. Include this fact sheet in all your media mailings and distribute whenever appropriate during the jubilee year. This could include presence of women religious in schools, hospitals, social systems, as well as ministries developed by women religious during that time.

• Have a celebration of women to celebrate their involvement in the church. This could bring together women of all ages, abilities, cultures to give witness to the value of women in the church. (Region X is planning such an event in March 2006, titled Celebrating Sisterhood. Included will be a marketplace format for highlighting women-religious sponsored ministries and selected ministries of women. A simple meal will be shared followed by women reflecting in smaller groups. A closing ritual will end the afternoon. Central to the gathering will be a body of water, similar to a well, signifying the important ritual of women sharing their stories with one another.)

• Know your region and highlight what is unique in terms of ministry, location or environment.

Suggestions for Ways to Work with the Media in Covering Your Event

Personal contact with media is most effective. Be aware of the feature writers/reporters for your newspapers/TV stations. Notice what issues they cover in their articles/stories and connect your pitch to these issues. With newspapers, think regionally. What the main newspaper may not be interested in, consider suburban or other local newspapers (diocesan newspaper and Business Journal). With television, think visually. Ask yourself what is visual about your pitch? Contact those reporters who have done positive feature stories on your congregation or other congregations in the past.

Involve National Communicators Network for Women Religious (NCNWR) in your region. Get them involved as early as possible. Once you’ve decided on an event, ask them to publicize it for you. They have established contacts with the media which will be very helpful.

Be prepared that a reporter may want to redirect you to another focus in the Catholic Church. Be proactive in steering them back to your original intent. Think ahead of how to politely and firmly keep them focused on your suggestion.

Suggested Etiquette When Working With Reporters

If you make personal contact with a reporter or editor either by phone or letter, be clear, specific and brief. Never make them read through a lot of material to find the pitch. Always put it in the beginning. If you don’t hear back from the reporter after you’ve left a message, find the balance to persevere without being a pest. Remember that you are offering them an opportunity to benefit their newspaper or television station. Provide several options/times for them to contact you and be available at those times. Have everything in place when you make the pitch. This means having people who are ready, willing and available to be interviewed (often on a moment’s notice) as well as visuals.

When you make contact with a reporter, ask them their preferred way of communicating-- e-mail, phone or fax. Also ask them the best time to reach them- it may only be a small window of opportunity.

When reporters do the article or television segment, always send a personal thank you note to indicate your appreciation. This encourages future involvement with them.

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

8808 Cameron Street – Silver Spring, MD 20910

301-588-4955 – www.lcwr.org