Welcome

The following strategies are provided as a resource to support your planning for this year’s Catholic Relief Services Collection. They represent just some of the “field-tested” action steps you can take to develop a written promotion plan involving a local committee or a group of committed volunteers.

June-September (6-9 Months Before Collection)

  • Evaluate the results from this year’s collection; identify strong collection parishes and those that need more attention.
  • Work with your diocesan communications director to arrange press, radio and TV time spots, and diocesan web site placement for promotion ads.
  • Convene local planning committee or group of volunteers to plan next year’s collection campaign. Brainstorm specific ways to promote the collection and reach pastors, parishioners and local media.
  • Develop a strategy to contact every pastor before the collection. Consider: one-on-one meetings, deanery or priests council meetings, telephone calls.
  • Recruit parish collection representatives in all or key parishes with potential for high collections. Parish representatives can ensure envelope and other materials placement and distribution, encourage pastor to promote the collection, and assist with logistics of getting speakers in parishes.
October – December (3-6 Months Before Collection)

  • Plan with other diocesan education, service, and ministry offices to use collection materials in collaborative diocesan outreach activities.
  • Order collection material packets (order form mailed from USCCB).
  • Recruit parish speakers for the collection Sunday
  • Continue work with diocesan communications director on media strategies.
January – March (0-3 Months Before Collection)

  • Contact the editor of your diocesan newspaper about press coverage and advertising space; identify possible donors to sponsor paid ads.
  • Ask your bishop to write a letter of support to pastors and diocesan press.
  • Use local committee/volunteers to make phone calls and visits to parishes.
  • Check with parish contacts to ensure that all materials have arrived as requested.
  • Call all pastors to thank them for their past support and enlist continued support.
  • Make final arrangements for speakers to be in parishes on collection Sunday.
  • Announce collection results in diocesan newspaper and thank all who participated.
The Catholic Relief Services Collection | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3000 © USCCB. All rights reserved.




The Catholic Relief Services Collection | 3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington DC 20017-1194 | (202) 541-3400 © USCCB. All rights reserved.