Skip to main content
Alumni
Share Your Story

Event Promotion: Free vs. Fee Based

January 08, 2024 03:20 PM

North America Southeast Area Communication Council

COMMUNITY EVENTS

Members of the Church may be interested in information about community events that provide opportunities to engage in an interfaith or community environment.

Free Events:

  • When a community event aligns with priesthood priorities and is free of charge, communication councils, with approval from the Area Seventy (if CC-wide) or stake presidency, may share event information with members within their boundaries.
  • Promotion can be done via bulletin board posters, social media posts, inclusion in a unit bulletin, newsletter, or quorum/class announcement. Community events should not be announced during sacrament meetings.

Fee-based and Fundraising Events

  • When a community event, interfaith event, performance, presentation, private event, etc.) or performance/presentation by Latter-day Saint members requires the purchase of a ticket, Church channels should not be used as a source of promotion. This includes fundraisers. See General Handbook 20.6.5
  • Channels that cannot be used include signage or flyers in church buildings, announcements in Church meetings, classes, or quorums, via bulletins or newsletters, social media posts on unit-sponsored social properties, or emails to members though Leader and Clerk Resources.

WHEN SERVICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH A FEE-BASED EVENT

If the fee-based event contains a free-service or community outreach opportunity, with permission from the stake president, information may be shared as shown in the following examples:

Stake communication director to bishops or ward councils- "For your awareness, you might consider sharing the following event (name and description) with your members as it contains to an opportunity to engage in the community (i.e., service element or interfaith outreach opportunity, etc.)"

Organization leader to their class/quorum - "We have an opportunity to donate food for a community-wide food drive to be held in conjunction with an upcoming interfaith community concert. Here's how you can contribute (provide details). If you wish to learn more about the concert, which requires a purchased ticket, see (member contact) for more information."

The following information will help your communication council understand which events you can promote.

CHURCH EVENTS

Free Events:
Communication councils, utilizing Church channels, are well positions to help advertise priesthood leader-approved events and activities available for member participation and where members are not charged a fee to attend.

Foundational Principles:

  • Funding for Activities - General Handbook 20.2.6 and 20.6
  • Building uses That are Not Allowed - General Handbook 35.5.2

Fee-based and Fundraising Events:

The following approved expectations may be promoted using various Church channels:

  • Annual Young Women, Aaronic Priesthood or Primary day camp (or similar activities ). General Handbook 20.6.2
  • For Strength of Youth conferences. General Handbook 20.6.3
  • Annual fundraising event. General Handbook 20.6.5
  • Area Presidency approved performing arts events offered by the Church Education System's (CES) institutions such as Brigham Young University, Brigham Young University - Idaho, etc.
    • Note: Even though Church channels (bulletin board, announcement, social media) could be used for member awareness, it is not the responsibility of the communication council to find/help manage the venue, create press releases or become the advertising/promotional arm of the performance group. The NASE Area Presidency communicated this to the performing arts managers which also included caution to not expect stakes/stake presidents to carry any burdens related to the traveling performing arts groups.
  • CES summer performing arts camps, sports camps, etc.

BYU Athletic Events: Fee-based and related free events

  • Fee-based tickets athletic events should not be promoted using Church channels. Organic promotion by members and BYU Alumni Chapters is the best source for advertising.
  • Church channels, however, may be used for free activities associated with athletic events such as a community service project, devotional or fireside.

Social Media Guidelines: Items for Sale, Fundraiser, or Political Endorsements

Purpose of Local Church Social Media

When carefully used, the internet can help members coordinate the work of the Church, strengthen each other's faith, and minister to people's needs. It can also help with missionary work as people connect with friends and family and share Church content. (Use of Online Resources in Church Callings)

Under social media in the Use of Online Resources article it reads:

  • Social media properties must be properly maintained and actively moderated to increase engagement, respond to comments, and ensure that any inappropriate content is promptly removed.

The section no longer defines "inappropriate content". So what can't we post? As we have received questions and pondered the purpose of social media in the work of salvation, we can look to what has been said in the past by our leaders and examples from official Church social media properties to find the answers.

Selling and Politics

Some of the language removed from the original Use of Online Resources in Church Callings section of Handbook 2 included a section on moderation. This section specifically called out two types of posts that should be deleted:

  1. Posts of a partisan political nature
  2. Posts are for business interests

When the North America Southeast Area inquired with Church headquarters about the change, we were told that the wording was removed, but the direction remains. The removal of this section as because they decided to focus on what "to do" instead of what "not to do." The elimination of the previous language does not imply that such posts are now appropriate for Church-related social media properties.

Elder James B. Martino, former North America Southeast Area president at the time said of the inquiry "I completely agree that or pages are definitely NOT for selling things or political endorsements. There are plenty of other venues for that. If it is not included in our instructions, then I believe it should be."

The Communication Department adds, "We're in the business of saving souls and not commerce."

Sister Julia Fellows, NASE Area Communication Director responded, "Perhaps the question is not 'Why can't I sell my couch or other items?' but instead 'What is the purpose of this group?' The response to that question answers all others is, 'We are creating spaces in the world for the gospel of Jesus Christ to be first and foremost.'"

It is clear from the correspondence that the spirit of those guidelines remains firmly in place.

Job Listings

Job listings fall under Welfare and Self Reliance. Job listings may be approved for ward and stake Facebook groups by the local stake self reliance committee members and with approval of the communication council's stake presidency priesthood adviser. Approved job listings should:

  • Provide long-term job opportunities that promote self-reliance principles
  • Promote WSR workshops and when possible refer to: Employment Services

Fundraisers

Marketing for Church-owned Subsidiaries:

  • Brigham Young University
    • Pathways - approved for promotion by Church Headquarters
    • Sporting Event Tickets - not approved for promotion on local church social media
    • Touring Groups - approved for promotion as long as the event is free
    • Conferences - as approved by the Church Communication Department
  • Deseret Book
    • Church leader books - not approved for promotion on local Church social media.
    • Local author books/art - not approved for promotion on local Church social media.
    • Church Distribution Items - approved for promotion.
  • Other for-profit Church owned entities should not be advertised on local Church social media, this includes the rodeo.

Setting the Example

We can learn a great deal from how the Church runs its official Church social media channels and model similar behaviors, in 2021 Elder Dallin H. Oaks and David A. Bednar both released new book with Deseret Book. They set a great example. You will find that neither of these apostles uses their Church social media accounts to promote the sale of their books.

In the Social Media Guidelines we find this statement:

  • Do not tag or mention individuals or entities that will benefit financially - either directly or indirectly - from an increase in visits to a social media account.

As we look to official Church social media as our guiding star, we see that the principles of not engage in selling, business promotion, an d partisan politics create spaces on the internet where the gospel can thrive.

JustServe

The mission of JustServe is to promote volunteerism, link organizations with volunteers and serve the needy.

Relationships between specialists and organization employees become a crucial factor in growing JustServe in a community. JustServe Specialists work closely with organizations to help their administrator post projects and, where available, share information on stake or JustServe social media properties.

  • Social media is an excellent tool for highlighting projects, volunteers, and the good work organizations are doing for the community.
  • Social posts should reflect the charter and mission of JustServe by following the guidelines as found in the JustServe Community Service Guidebook.
    • "JustServe projects should not have a political or advocacy focus, be for-profit oriented, or directly incolve volunteers in soliciting or handling money or participating in other prohibited activities (see JustServe.org/about)."

As outlined in this NASE training document, created in collaboration with the JustServe.org global leadership: