Women of the ELCA received eight DeRose-Hinkhouse Awards Thursday at the annual convention of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC). The awards recognize RCC members who demonstrate excellence in religious communication and public relations. Awards were judged on concept, writing, design, creativity, style, use of color, appropriateness of material for the intended audience, creative use of resources and effectiveness in achieving its purpose.
In the Digital Communications Class, Bold Connections, the organization’s monthly e-newsletter, received an Award of Excellence in the e-newsletter category and Cafe, the organization’s electronic magazine for young adults, received an Award of Excellence in the e-magazine category. The podcasts of Cafe received a Certificate of Merit in the podcast series category.
“Even though Cafe has been around for 10 years, every new issue offers young women an opportunity to share their message with the church,” commented Elizabeth McBride, editor of Cafe, who was on hand to receive the awards.
Interchange, the leadership newsletter of Women of the ELCA, received a Certificate of Merit, as did its Spanish counterpart, Intercambio, in the National Newsletter category. The judge described it as “an attractive newsletter with clean design, informative with useful information for [its] target audience.”
The organization’s brochure, a place for you, also received a Certificate of Merit in the Public Relations Materials class. A promotional card for Daily Grace, the organization’s smart phone app, received an Award of Excellence in the same class, with the judge rating it “superior” on every criteria.
An Award of Excellence was given to the integrated marketing campaign for the Ninth Triennial Gathering. The campaign includes welcatg.org, articles, ads, registration materials, flyers and other items used to promote this event.
In addition to McBride, executive director Linda Post Bushkofsky was present to accept the awards. Bushkofsky, who oversees the communication work of the organization, reflected on the awards, saying, “All our communication efforts help build community and support the relational nature of our organization. It’s especially gratifying to have our work honored in this way, affirming our creative efforts.”
The RCC celebrated its 85th anniversary during the three-day convention that was held in Nashville, Tenn. RCC is an international interfaith association of religion communicators who work in print and electronic communication, media, marketing and public relations.