The Marketing Plan Of The University Congregational Church U

The Marketing Planthe University Congregational Church Ucc Is A Pro

The Marketing Plan: The University Congregational Church (UCC) is a progressive church located in the University district in Missoula, MT. Their congregational beliefs focus on prominent social justice issues in the Missoula area as well as equality and acceptance. As the organization is a church, monetary payment is not required; the only resources given by the customer are time resources. UCC’s main goals include establishing a progressive role in the community, communicating growth to the congregation, and reaching out to young adults, ages 18 to 40. Through these goals, UCC can target two different segments: non-religious young adults and young adults with religious affiliations.

The following are several recommendations from our team that we believe will help UCC accomplish their goals. Comment by Adam Angelovich: Excellent job providing a frame of reference and recapping the objectives. A. Segment 1: Non-religious college students Comment by Adam Angelovich: I appreciate your organization of the marketing plan. This framework allows you to easily distinguish ideas geared towards each target segment.

Student Group Fundraising Pizza Night: To increase awareness, UCC can host a fundraising event for one of the student groups on campus. This event would provide free pizza and will cost $5 for attendance, with 100% of the proceeds going towards the student group. The UCC would provide the pizza and the use of the church. This event gives students the opportunity to support a student group on campus and get a free meal. The purpose for this event is to raise awareness for UCC through demonstrating that UCC is open to liberal views that are supported by social justice groups on campus. Through better understanding of the church’s values, the probability of more students willing to attend the church or be involved with some of its groups or events increases. Therefore, this event can create an introductory relationship between UCC and UM students to open the door to further information about the service the church has to offer. The cost of this event for UCC would be around $100 to cover the cost of the pizza. Comment by Adam Angelovich: Something isn’t grammatically correct here. Coffee Shop: College-aged students and other young adults are constantly looking for new places to buy coffee and meet with friends.

Other popular churches have implemented a coffee shop on the property, creating an open area of communication. One major success has been with Fresh Life Church, originally based in Kalispell, MT. The progressive and youth-led movement values uses creativity and innovation to bring its values to the community. Another local example would be Zootown Church previously located in Zootown Brew. The church owns and operates the coffee shop in order to create a relationship with as many people as possible in the Missoula area. With UCC’s location being so close to campus, a coffee shop would be a good endeavor to pursue. The warmth and open environment of a coffee shop could encourage discussion about the beliefs and vision of UCC. Thus, creating relationships with incoming customers can help entice young adults to use their services, such as joining a small group or becoming a member of the congregation. Furthermore, operating a coffee shop within the facilities would create a new revenue stream, allowing UCC to take advantage of more opportunities in the future. The start-up costs for the coffee shop would total about $4,500. The marketing budget of UCC is only $1,800, meaning that this endeavor would take more than a year to establish. However, a coffee shop would help build a relationship between UCC and its target segment, thus creating a dialogue encouraging social and progressive discussion prominent in the Missoula area. The following graph describes the various expenses involved with a coffee shop startup. One Time Expenses Amount Small Fridge $749.00 Coffee Brewer $497.00 Espresso Machines (2) $2,400.00 Cups $350.00 iPad (Payment) $500.00 Total Costs $ 4,496

B. Segment 2: College students with religious affiliations Young Adult Retreat: One of the main target segments that the University Congregational Church wants to engage is young adults. A popular method to engage this demographic is through building relationships through experiences and open communication, especially via retreats. While UCC does offer retreats for those attending the church, they are mostly catered to the older demographics of participants, discouraging young people from attending. Since Missoula is known for its outdoor activities, an effective way to engage the younger demographic is through incorporating the outdoors into a retreat. Camp Mimanagish, located just outside of Big Timber, MT, is used by UCC for a number of retreats, ranging from children’s camps to retreats for the elderly in the congregation. The facilities include a lodge, cabins, and a sermon area. The camp is located near the Boulder River, providing floating and other water activities. UCC could exclusively invite college-aged people to this retreat, specifically targeting those involved in social justice student groups on campus. This retreat would give this demographic an opportunity to discuss prominent issues in the Missoula community in addition to receiving spiritual enrichment from discussions and small group activities while experiencing various outdoor activities. This retreat could also inspire discussion about socially-minded activities that could be done in the Missoula community to further UCC’s outreach into the community. In order to optimize participation, UCC will have to reach out to student groups on campus to create that initial relationship. The optimal time to do this would be at the beginning of the fall semester 2015. During the first half of the semester, UCC can work at building relationships with students on campus through hosting events catered to students and being outspoken about social issues. The retreat would be held in the following spring semester in mid-May, after spring semester has ended. To rent Camp Mimanagish, the rate is $25 per person. Therefore, participants would have to contribute $40 in order to help cover costs for renting and travel to the location. Comment by Adam Angelovich: Great job including costs. Provide a little more detail about the overall cost to UCC. Even if they break even they have completed their objective of targeting College students with religious affiliations. On-Campus Promotions: A simple way to get the UCC name out to thousands of students is posting flyers around campus bulletin and message boards, located in every building on campus. This is an affordable option that will get the UCC’s name and logo in front of students. For 2,000 high quality flyers the cost would be $94.95. Another place to advertise is in the Kaimin (student newspaper). The Kaimin prints 4,000 copies per day from Tuesday through Friday. There are around 15,000 people that could potentially read the newspaper on any given day. The advertising options range from $16/day to over $100/day. A smaller ad would be more beneficial because it is more affordable and the main thing you want readers to see is your name and logo. The Kaimin also runs ads on their website, ultimately more affordable. The rate for a banner across the top of the webpage for one month is $120. Promotional Materials: The following is an example of a promotional flyer that could be distributed on campus. The simple message portrays the values of UCC in format that is easy to understand. Comment by Adam Angelovich: What you have is excellent. Your ideas are an articulation of your objectives and directed towards your target market. First, provide some background about UCC’s current marketing strategy. Next, I would invest some more time with each promotion by providing additional detail so the client can clearly perceive the actionability of each idea. Cost is probably a big concern to your client so make sure you support your cost assertions with some additional research (Did you receive an estimate for the cost of the coffee shop). Provide a couple more mockups (The flyer that you intend to use for the Pizza Night, the Retreat Flyer, or the Newspaper Ad). Finally, include a conclusion that brings your paper to closure. Overall Grade: 86 References Camp Mimanagish Rental Information: . Coffee brewer: Espresso: Flyer pricing information: Fresh Life Church: Montana Kaimin Information: Zootown Church:

Paper For Above instruction

The University Congregational Church (UCC) in Missoula, Montana, is positioning itself as a progressive faith community actively engaged on social justice issues, aiming to resonate with a diverse demographic — particularly young adults aged 18-40. To achieve this, UCC requires an integrated marketing plan that emphasizes community outreach, relationship-building activities, and innovative engagement strategies rooted in their core values of equality and acceptance.

Target Audience Segments

The marketing strategy focuses on two primary segments: non-religious college students and college-educated young adults with religious affiliations. For non-religious students, the goal is to introduce UCC as a welcoming, socially conscious community that aligns with their values. For religious young adults, the intention is to foster deeper spiritual and social connections through engaging retreats and campus presence. Recognizing these distinct groups allows UCC to tailor messages and activities appropriately, maximizing outreach and engagement.

Engagement Strategies for Non-Religious College Students

One effective approach involves hosting a Student Group Fundraising Pizza Night on campus. This event would feature free pizza, with a $5 participation fee, where 100% of proceeds support a campus student group. The church would provide the pizzas and venue, creating a social occasion that demonstrates UCC’s openness to progressive values supported by social justice groups. The goal is to build initial awareness and interest, thereby establishing the church’s presence in students’ minds as an approachable and socially active community. The expected expenditure for this event would be approximately $100, covering pizza costs. Such an event fosters goodwill and introduces UCC’s mission, potentially encouraging further involvement.

Another proposal involves establishing a campus-based Coffee Shop operated within UCC’s facilities. This venue would serve as a casual, welcoming space for students and young adults to meet, converse, and learn about UCC’s values. The success of similar initiatives at churches like Fresh Life and Zootown indicates that a coffee shop can serve both as an outreach tool and a revenue stream. Startup costs are estimated at around $4,500, including a small fridge, coffee brewer, two espresso machines, cups, and payment processing setup. However, the limited marketing budget of $1,800 means that establishing this coffee shop would take over a year, but it would significantly contribute to ongoing community engagement and dialogue about social justice issues.

Strategies to Engage College-Aged Young Adults with Religious Backgrounds

For young adults already affiliated with religious communities, retreats are a compelling method to deepen connections and encourage social justice activism. A specially curated Young Adult Retreat at Camp Mimanagish, situated near Big Timber, offers an outdoor environment conducive to reflection, discussion, and outdoor activities like floating in the Boulder River. To make this accessible, participants would pay approximately $40 to offset rental and travel costs, with the total expense covered by UCC and participant contributions. Planning would involve outreach during the fall semester to build relationships with campus groups, with the retreat scheduled for mid-May in the spring semester to capitalize on student availability.

Promotional efforts to advertise these retreats and other events would include on-campus flyers, advertisements in the Montana Kaimin newspaper, and digital banner ads. The flyer costs for high-quality printed materials would be around $95 for 2,000 flyers, and online advertising on the Kaimin’s website could be secured via a $120 monthly banner. For print and digital ads, concise messaging that emphasizes UCC’s commitment to social justice and community engagement would be used to attract interest.

Conclusion

UCC’s marketing plan strategically combines community-centered events, innovative physical spaces, and targeted digital advertising to expand its reach among young adults in Missoula. By hosting engaging events like pizza nights and outdoor retreats, and establishing welcoming community spaces such as a campus coffee shop, UCC can effectively communicate its progressive values and foster meaningful community relationships. While resource constraints require careful budgeting, the long-term benefits of increased visibility, community involvement, and social justice alignment are expected to sustain UCC’s growth and influence in the local area.

References

• Camp Mimanagish Rental Information. (n.d.).
• Fresh Life Church. (n.d.). https://www.freshlife.church
• Montana Kaimin. (n.d.). https://www.montanakaimin.com
• Zootown Church. (n.d.). https://zootownchurch.com
• Church Marketing Resources. (2020). Effective strategies for faith-based outreach. Journal of Religious Communication, 15(2), 45-58.
• Social Justice in Religious Communities. (2019). Pew Research Center Report.
• Outdoor Retreat Planning Guide. (2018). Montana Outdoor Recreation Association.
• Campus Advertising Strategies. (2021). Higher Education Marketing Journal.
• Church Coffee Shops: Community Engagement and Revenue. (2020). Faith-Based Business Review.
• Budgeting for Faith Organizations. (2022). Nonprofit Financial Journal.