Communications Council SPOTLIGHT ON
Greetings from the Communications Corner! When many members hear of the Communications Council, the first thought that probably comes to mind is: “What is that?” or “What do they do?” Well, allow me to shed some light on the subject. A placement within Communications is one which you may not have considered before, but I hope you’ll see is a placement no League member should do without.
What is the Communications Council? As one of the four Councils of the Junior League, the Communications Council is tasked with getting the word out to the Shreveport-Bossier City community on what the League is up to, as well as reaching out to its members to keep them informed of upcoming meetings and events. What does the Communications Council do? The Communications Council is in charge of maintaining the JLSB website and was responsible for the recent update to our site. The update to the JLSB website has made the site not only more pleasing to the eye, but also much more user-friendly. Also, the Parishscope magazine that you’re reading right now is put together by the Parishscope committee, which is part of the Communications Council. And do you remember that League Links email that reminds you the first of the month is here? That’s a product of the Communications Council too. The Parishscope and League Links are distributed to every Provisional, Active, and Sustaining member of the League. With the explosion of social media in recent years, the work of the Communications Council has grown well beyond the website, Parishscope, and League Links. Social media has transformed the way businesses and organizations can directly reach the members of their surrounding communities. Many of us who have grown up with social media in our everyday lives have learned to use these platforms not just for personal use, but also to promote our businesses, sell products and services, and earn a living. If you are someone who enjoys creating social media content for the promotion of products and events, then the Communications Council is a great way to use your talents to serve the League and your community! The JLSB puts many hours into some of its biggest projects—such as Super Safety September, MAGIC, the Pumpkin Patch at Provenance, and the Red Apron Pantry— which are strategically developed to enhance the lives of the members of our community. Without the Communications
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Council providing press and marketing of these events, the League would have no ability to reach the members of our community who these projects are meant to serve. And with more members serving on the Communications Council and providing more outreach through media, these projects would grow even more. For instance, the Fund Development Communications Coordinator and Communications Community Coordinator are two placements the League has created to provide marketing support to Communications projects and Fund Development events. By providing visibility to the community about what the League is doing under these two Councils, League members serving in these two placements provide a link between the committees which organize League projects and the surrounding community who these projects are meant to serve. The placements also allow Community and Fund Development chairs to focus on making their project the best it can be. You can read more about these placements on the JLSB website in the Placement Handbook, which can be found on the Resources tab. What if I don’t have any experience in media and marketing? Could I still serve in a placement within the Communications Council? Of course you can. As a general initiative, the JLSB encourages each member to take on placements where that member can gain experience and expand her horizons. Also, skills that you can learn by serving on the Communications Council are those that many employers in our community are looking for when trying to market products and services to potential consumers. As a marketing director for a local business, you may be asked to put together a press release for the release of a new product or to create social media content to promote an upcoming or live event. These are skills which you can develop when marketing the sale of JLSB cookbooks or promoting Designer Bag Bingo. When I first joined the League as a Provisional, I was told by an Active member to try to serve in a placement under each of the four Councils. She said it would give me such a deeper appreciation of the League and how it serves not only the community, but also the members who belong to it. I couldn’t agree more, and I would encourage each member to do the same. When March rolls around and you are thinking about which placement you’d like to explore next, consider a placement on the Communications Council. It will enhance your knowledge of the League—and it’s fun too!
