Catholic schools letting the world know their story

Feb 1, 2021 by

 Diane Kern

Happy Catholic Schools Week!

Beginning on the last Sunday of January, the U.S. Catholic Church begins the annual celebration of Catholic Schools Week - an occasion to promote the excellence of Catholic education, its history of strong academics as well as faithful formation of Catholic discipleship.

We too wanted to join in on the celebration by sharing some excellent examples of eCatholic school customers succeeding at sharing their mission through various digital communication techniques.

Check out how these schools tell their story to their communities and to the world!

1

Keeping a fresh presence on social media

St. Brigid's integrated effort with their Facebook page has helped improve communication across their local community.

Although they require diligence, active social media accounts can really pay off at not only sharing an organization's story but activating participation within a community. St. Brigid School in Portland, Maine, has done just that with their school Facebook page. Frequent posts of activities happening within the classroom offer families and their community a chance to really be part of the excitement.

"When our [Facebook] viewers see what is happening at our school, it has intrigued them to call us to find out more. Enrollment has increased and it is in part due to the efforts we have been making to tell our story." ​​​

- Ellen Couture, Director of Admissions and Marketing, St. Brigid School

St. Brigid also integrated social media into their fundraising support. Last year the school used their Facebook page to engage in a Giving Tuesday promotion that led right into their annual appeal. The integrated effort was highly engaging and hugely successful because it allowed generous supporters and potential donors to see the great things which St. Brigid offers to not only their students, but to their local community as well!

What creative ways can your school be present on social media?

2

Homepages that give visitors the perfect, “Hello!”

St. Mary School's homepage offers a first look into their mission with the invitation to come and learn more.

Websites are an integral part of an organization - it’s the virtual "front door" and oftentimes the first impression. So like any in-person greetings, it’s important to be presentable, clear, and welcoming. A first impression should inspire online visitors to seek further, learn more, or want to grow a friendship.

"A homepage should be a 'come and see' invitation, without telling visitors everything at once. It just takes a little to spark interest, like leaving crumbs that help direct people to the places they want to discover."

- Abbey Nagel, eCatholic Quick Flipper

St. Mary School in Middletown, New Jersey has a homepage that understands what people are “stopping by” to see. Not only does its clean format boost school colors with vibrant imagery, it presents highly-sought information first. Their custom buttons and news headlines all serve as a great entry point into the site navigation where more resources can be easily discovered!

What does your school homepage reveal to visitors?

3

Turning heads with a strong brand

It's easy to see how Holy Cross Catholic Academy's new logo and branding has created so much excitement and energy.

Consider the incredible presence Catholic schools have in their communities. A strong brand helps with any image, but especially when it comes to unifying every point of interaction within a school, creating a sense of familiarity, mission, and school spirit.

Holy Cross Catholic Academy in Amarillo, Texas had an opportunity to refresh their school branding while building a new gymnasium and events center. The branding reveal has even led to more school volunteers stepping up to offer their time, talent, and treasure.

"Our goal with the logo change was to use the new colors and to update the look of the logo, not change it drastically. And I believe we accomplished that! The new logo is clean and eye-catching. The new branding has also allowed us to bring in new uniform options..."

- Angi Seidenberger, Head of School, Holy Cross Catholic Academy

How does the use of your brand spread your school story?

4

A far-reaching diocesan effort

Let’s not forget the important role dioceses play in supporting and promoting the schools of their area. They offer the guidance and strength to help keep Catholic education accessible, and some dioceses are finding unique ways to take all their school’s communication to a new level. The Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York knew the benefits of having a strong and coherent website option for schools. Therefore, starting the journey of an eCatholic diocesan school initiative was a no-brainer.

An eCatholic initiative allowed them to offer upgraded websites to all their schools in order to improve online presence and the ability to communicate, inform, enroll, and fundraise. At the same time, the diocesan office of schools received a helpful school finder tool to easily direct prospective families to all the necessary information of institutions near them. What is exciting about this particular initiative, is they got all their schools on new websites in record time. And it’s making a difference!

"The schools commented on how pleased they were with the ease of the [website] implementation process and how wonderful the eCatholic team has been to work with."

- Emily Guarnieri, Director of Educational Technology, Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY

Read more about the Diocese's inspiring story and the eCatholic initiative journey here.

What are some ways your Catholic school has used digital technology to share their mission with your local community and world? We'd love to know! Share your story in the comments below and keep this discussion going!