PALM BEACH GARDENS | The Communications and Development Offices of the Diocese of Palm Beach recently received statewide recognition for excellence in public relations, marketing and communications. The awards were for successful communication of the 2023 Diocesan Services Appeal, growth in the diocese’s social media presence and increased readership of the Florida Catholic.
Jennifer Trefelner, diocesan director of communications and development who has earned Accredited in Public Relations and Certified Public Relations Counselor designations, submitted the award entries for competitions held by the Public Relations Society of America’s Sunshine District and the Florida Public Relations Association.
“Our communications and development teams worked so hard to earn these awards,” she said. “We were able to use data-driven decisions to advance the mission of the diocese and support those in our community. It is an honor to receive recognition from both PRSA and FPRA for these accomplishments.”
The three entries (comparing 2022 figures with 2023) were for:
- Successful promotion of the 2023 DSA, which required new communication methods and materials to inform the 54 parishes and missions. The appeal exceeded expectations, raising 111% of its overall goal and helping more parishes reach goal than in previous years through new communication tools and more effective processes.
- Increasing the diocese’s Facebook interactions (page reach and visits) to help promote the church’s mission with data-driven tools, a calendaring system and best practices. Facebook reach in 2023 increased 107%, content interactions went up 76%, visits saw a 530% jump and followers grew 31%.
- Creating initiatives to grow readership of the Florida Catholic e-edition (20%), and increase pageviews on the main Florida Catholic Media website (88%) and Diocese of Palm Beach section of the FCM website (56%).
Besides taking into account the increases in reach for each initiative, judges examined the amount of money required to fund the projects. In the case of all three entries, no significant additional funding was needed.
“One of the characteristics I appreciate the most from our communications and development teams is that they are always willing to try new tactics to improve efficiency and effectiveness. We are continually doing research to learn how to better serve our stakeholders and implementing plans to test those objectives. We are blessed with a bishop who supports our initiatives and is grateful to see these successes,” Trefelner said.
The three initiatives garnered PRSA Radiance Awards, with the social media entry earning Best of Sunshine state recognition, while all three received FPRA Awards of Distinction.
For information on the diocesan Communications Office, visit www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/offices/communications/, email Communications@DiocesePB.org or call 561-775-9561. To connect with the diocesan Development Office, visit https://www.diocesepb.org/ministriesoffices/offices/development/, email Development@DiocesePB.org or call 561-775-9590.
