Communications guidelines

Keep spreading the news

Communications to St. Ann parishioners and beyond

The communications department at St. Ann is here to help the church’s ministries, affiliates, departments and parishioners market the fantastic events and innovative programming on campus and in the community.

But where do I start?

We have a one-stop shop for your communications needs. This portal lives here. No matter what media you’d like to use, just start there! We will determine the avenue best-suited to deliver your message and assist you in implementing it. Please designate one person from your ministry (it can be you) to be the liaison to the communications department.

Bulletin

The weekly bulletin is handed out at Mass to St. Ann’s 15,000 parishioners and posted on our website each Tuesday. Submissions:

• Must come from ministries. Whether the item is specific to a ministry or just something the ministry supports, the item must have the backing of a recognized St. Ann’s ministry.
• This category usually provides enough information for all the other channels. For example, if you submit info for a bulletin item, that will suffice for a digital sign request, too.
• Must be an event that has not yet happened.
• With a high-resolution photo illustrating the event (such as a photo from the last gathering) are most helpful.
• Will run usually only two weeks in a row.
• Deadline is Thursday, 10 days before the bulletin publication date (except for holidays).

Faith in Action e-newsletter

The weekly newsletter, Faith in Action, is emailed Fridays to 5,500 subscribers. Ministry leaders, event chairs and department heads can submit items to be considered for the newsletter. Submissions:

• Must be an event that has already happened.
• Must provide a photo of the event. Please name the photos (ex. Bake Sale 1, etc.).
• Are due Tuesday at noon.

Website

The St. Ann website reaches thousands of people and showcases the things we do best. It provides the community with a detailed calendar and points of contact for further involvement. Every ministry has a page on the site that should be kept current. Ministry heads should:

• Appoint someone from your ministry to ensure the page is up to date.
• Not create websites beyond the st-ann.org domain without approval from the communications department. This is mandated by the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Facebook, Instagram (@ccofstann)

The St. Ann social media pages are updated constantly and reach more than 4,000 people. What? You’re not following St. Ann’s on social media? This is an effective channel to use for reminders about approaching events. Submissions:

• Must be 40 words or less.
• Should have a photo illustrating the event/meeting.
• Please do not create a social media account representing a St. Ann ministry or department without approval from the communications department. If you already have one, someone from the communications department must be made an administrator on your account.

Signs

St. Ann's has two types of digital signs on campus. No other signs are allowed on campus (staked in ground, taped to building, etc.) without approval from the communications department.

• Digital signs within buildings: We display electronic signs on monitors around campus and on the screens in church. These messages pertain to just our community and are built off the communications submission form.
• Digital sign on Roswell Road: The digital sign on Roswell Road is currently unable to be updated. Stay tuned!

Videos

The communications department works with the audio/visual department to coordinate parish videos as needed. In addition, special event videos sometimes are needed (ie the launch of a new ministry). Videos are not allowed to be shown in the church before, during or after Mass without prior approval.

Large-distribution emails

Many of you have developed your own, extensive mailing lists. This is a great way to spread news of interest to only your ministry. We ask that before sending an email intended for more than 25 recipients, you allow the communications department to edit it. Because messages reflect the parish as a whole, they should be professionally structured and grammatically sound.

Flyers/brochures/promotional materials

If you need help designing, creating or just polishing promotional materials, we are happy to help. Please plan ahead. Due to the number of ministries we support, we require up to eight weeks’ lead time. If you are making your own promotional materials, you must have them proofed by the communications department before distributing.

For all your communications needs, contact Communications Department at Communications@st-ann.org.