School Service Projects

    This Marketing Matter (TM) comes from a project initiated by Geibel Catholic Middle-High School in Connellsville, PA.  Pastors are always interested in seeing who is attending Catholic schools which their parishes support, kids are always looking for service projects, and parishioners always need good reasons to choose to make the sacrifice to support their Catholic school.  Brian Casey, Development Director for Geibel, has found a way to make the connection among all three (and good marketing is all about making connections).  He's developed the "Gators Lend a Hand" program.

    The Gators (the team mascot of Geibel) are making themselves available to provide service work for the parishioners of the parishes that support them.  Elderly parishioners need to have their lawns mowed, windows washed, gutters cleared, leaves raked, weeds pulled, screens taken down, etc. and may not be able to do it themselves or pay someone to provide this service to them.

    Parishioners contact their pastors to request services, and a list is then submitted to the high school where service projects are scheduled.  A report is then provided back to the pastor when the job is complete.  Activities such as this are important to place a face on our Catholic schools, going out into the community to give back to people who support their education via the parish.  It's a way to engage parishioners, bringing the fruits of our Catholic schools to them, but also maintaining contact with the parish.  Parishioners can recommend neighbors and other infirm or elderly who are in need of such services, which is a way for the elderly and infirm or shut in neighbors to maintain contact with each other.

     Marketing that doesn't cost anything, provides a service to those in need, and helps students with required service hours and strengthens both the community and the parish is certainly a worthwhile endeavor.  It creates a positive image of our students in the eyes of our pastors and parishioners, and brings students to the community, rather than trying to get the community to come to the school.  That's not just good marketing - that's good evangelization!