promoting Archives - KidMinspiration

move-up-sunday 2015

My team and I have been busy preparing for our Move Up (Promotion) Sunday this weekend. There’s always a lot to do to make sure that everything – and everyone – is ready to go! Can you relate?

Here is a snapshot of how we’ve prepared:

Volunteers

Everything from recruiting to our kick-off event to making sure paperwork is up-to-date, everything related to staffing our classrooms and equipping those leaders ramps up in the month of August. We want to make sure that those who are partnering with us in classrooms and small groups are well-equipped and supported to do the work that God has called them to (through large group venues like our kick-off event or one-on-one over coffee or a meal). This step is crucial to our overall ministry’s success.

Curriculum & Supplies

During the summer months, we declutter our storage closets and inventory supplies so that they can be restocked. This summer, we’ve ordered worship equipment, items for small groups (colorful rugs, games, walkie talkies for each classroom and members of our security team, and books for leaders), craft supplies, electronic check-in printer labels, storage bins and other essentials.

We also plan our lesson schedules for the year, edit curriculum, print lessons and activity pages and other curriculum-related tasks.

Physical Spaces

A year of ministry can take a beating on our physical spaces, so each summer we spruce up classrooms and hallways by updating signage, purchasing equipment and painting. This year, we’re so excited that our Nursery hallway and welcome areas will be painted in fun, inviting colors in time for Move Up Sunday! We also take a look at room/space configurations to make sure that traffic flows well and that space is maximized as much as possible.

Parent Communication

Move Up Sunday is a big Sunday for us (there are lots of moving parts and lots of people to move), so we want to make sure that parents know what to expect. This means communicating through every avenue possible, such as our website, our church’s Facebook page, our ministry’s Facebook page, email, electronic newsletter, and environmental signage. On Move Up Sunday, we’ll have additional volunteers on hand who will greet and direct families to the right rooms. These volunteers will be wearing an Ask Me! name tag (and a smile) and have a clipboard with the room numbers and assignments to make this transition go as smoothly as possible.

Prayer

As a staff team as well as individually, we commit Move Up Sunday to prayer. Things we cover in prayer include, but are not limited to:

Protection for volunteers (against sickness for them or their children, transportation, etc.)
New families
Children entering a new classroom environment
Anxiety (for parents, children, new volunteers)
Excitement for the beginning of a new ministry year
Stamina, rest, and contagious energy for our staff team

There are just a few last-minute details to tend to and then we’ll be ready! It’s going to be a great year!

Keep the conversation going! Leave a comment below to share how you prepare for Move Up Sunday. You can also upload pictures of your ministry spaces on our Facebook page.

Yesterday, my family and I enjoyed a long-standing tradition – getting together for the Super Bowl. Yes, the guys are interested in the game – and we ladies were, too, last year when our Baltimore Ravens were playing. But fellowship, great food, 2 birthdays (my dad & my sister’s birthdays always fall around Super Bowl weekend), and funny commercials are the REAL reasons we enjoy our annual Super Bowl party.

Speaking of commercials..The Washington Post reported that a 30-second advertisement cost approximately $4 million this year. With over 100 million viewers expected to tune in to the game, corporate sponsors are able to reach a plethora of potential consumers. Might be a good investment then, right?

Most of us in kidmin would never have a $4 million budget, let alone $4 million for a 30-second advertisement but there are some ways to creatively ‘advertise’ your ministry without breaking the bank. Here are a few suggestions:

Word of mouth is always a winner. People will tell their friends about the wonderful things happening in your ministry. (Sadly, the opposite is also true.)
A great church/ministry website is also a winner. More and more of our families find us via the internet nowadays, so having a top-notch website is a great investment. Our ministry will be updating our website in the coming weeks and I am very excited about that!
Bulletin ads are an effective tool in getting the word out about your ministry. There have been debates on whether or not to use church bulletins to recruit volunteers but bulletins can be a great way to give a brief snapshot of what’s happening in your ministry.
Reach the masses by having upfront announcements, videos, and skits presented to your entire congregation at weekend services. Having a ministry staffer or key volunteer do this is awesome. Having your Senior Pastor do this is also awesome.
E-newsletters are another great (and oftentimes free) route to choose. I use Mail Chimp to send weekly updates to our ministry parents. The information hits their inbox and is always available at their fingertips.
Social media, like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, are also free tools that are very effective in getting the word out. Many members of our congregation use social media so getting information to them in this way is extremely effective.
Getting the word out via text alerts is something that many ministries use. I currently do not use this type of advertisements but those that do have shared how awesome it is to send a mass text to parents, students, and/or volunteers.
Quality colorful, eye-catching posters and banners are great ‘oldies but goodies’. Pair them up with a creatively decorated table, printed materials, a smiling volunteer and food is also a winner. Read here about how our ministry pulled this off this past summer.
Other great options include diaper bag tags, buttons, ink pens, hats, backpacks, water bottles, t-shirts – anything that can be printed with your ministry’s logo. Many times these items help strike up great conversations outside of your church walls.