Unitarian Universalist Society Of Germantown-Different People, Different Beliefs, One Faith

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Communications at USG

 

Communications Policy (4/10)

Purpose

USG is blessed with an abundance of events and activities.  The abundance, unfortunately, makes it difficult to bring them to the attention of the congregation Lengthy pages of announcements take more time and energy than most people have and repeated announcements are more likely to be ignored than remembered.  With these thoughts in mind, the following policy has been developed to guide committee chairs in developing publicity for the events they sponsor.  It will be amended as comments, suggestions and experience dictate.


Web Site

WWW.USGUU.ORG is the principal repository for background information and detailed information about coming events.  Publicity for an event begins by writing a web page article and sending it to website@usguu.org.  E-mailed announcements, printed announcements in the Order of Service, and, where appropriate, CommUUnicator articles, will be condensed versions of the web page article and will reference that article with page links.


Weekly Announcements

Weekly announcements are e-mailed to the congregation on Thursday and inserted into the Order of Service on the following Sunday.  They must be sent to Administrator admin@usguu.org by noon on Wednesday.  The announcements will be limited to 150 words and will run only two times preceding the event. 


Verbal Announcements

Announcements from the pulpit are limited to four a week and they are selected from the prior week’s weekly announcements. In order to incorporate the announcements into the theme of the service, the wording is entrusted to the Worship Associate.  It will rarely be possible to have more than one verbal announcement prior to an event. 


Flyers

Half page flyers will be included in the weekly announcements as space permits.  Full page flyers can be posted on the appropriate bulletin board.


Direct E-mailsDirect e-mails are currently used to announce births, deaths, and special events.  Committee chairs can create targeted e-mails in Access USG as long as they keep the list of their members current.

Priority Events

Several events get special attention: Adult Spiritual Development courses, Martin Luther King Day of Service, Commitment Sunday, the Service Auction, the Annual Meeting and the All Church Retreat.  These events qualify for two weekly announcements a month, two verbal announcements a month, and a CommUUnicator article.


CommUUnicator

Following the new format, the CommUUnicator is limited to: articles by the Minister, the Director of Faith Development, the Board President, and the Share The Plate Committee; descriptions of coming services; articles on priority events, and committee reports.  Articles must be sent to usg.editor@gmail.com by the 15th of the month.


Outside OrganizationsInternal communications will be limited to church events, committee sponsored events, and events of associated organizations.  Associated organizations include the UUA, the JPD, other UU organizations, NPIHN, NIM, and Lingelbach School.

Deadlines
* Weekly Announcements deadline: Wednesdays at noon. Send your articles to admin@usguu.org.  Please limit your announcements to 150 words.
* CommUUnicator deadline: the 15th of each month. Send to usg.editor@usguu.org. Next deadline is May 15th.
To request a change or addition to the website: website@usg.org

Bulletin Board Policy

The church has nine bulletin boards on the lower level: five in the dining room and four in the hall.  They will be addressed in the order they appear when coming from the sanctuary.

HALLWAY

Stewardship
  • Space opposite name tags
  • Continue to provide financial information;
  • Unused space can be used by Denominational Affairs
Get Involved
  • Space to left of stairs
  • Volunteer opportunities
  • Things the church could use
Welcome
  • Space at foot of stairs
  • Information for visitors
    • Floor plan
    • Directions
Local News
  • Space to right of stairs
  • Community events of interest to UU’s

DINING ROOM

What’s Happening
  • Board minutes and Share The Plate
  • Pictures of church events
  • Date pictures and remove after six months
Opportunities For Social Action
  • Space for all social action activities
Membership
  • Date pictures and remove after six months
Adult RE
  • Brochure and sign-up sheets for Adult Development courses
About Us
  • Things for sale; help wanted; activities
  • Limit to two weeks