
Advocate hires Katy Renfroe as marketing coordinator
As part of its plans to launch a full-scale marketing expansion and awareness effort, the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate has hired a marketing coordinator to ensure a successful and viable financial future for the newspaper.
Katy Renfroe started June 9 as the Advocate’s marketing coordinator, a newly created position designed to enhance the publication’s outreach and increase income in the wake of the South Carolina Conference’s reduced budget from church separations.
Renfroe will work closely with Advocate Editor Jessica Brodie in developing increased marketing and awareness about the Advocate and Advocate Press, including events planning, fundraising and advertising and circulation growth.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to have Katy on board with us,” Brodie said. “She’s not only a lifelong United Methodist but a friendly, creative, intelligent and thoughtful person with great ideas about how we can reach more people and grow.”
Renfroe has 20 years of experience in marketing, public relations, communications and advertising in the home services, small business, retail, media, entertainment and nonprofit industries as well as at an advertising agency. She is skilled in brand creation and management, new and traditional media buying, creating annual marketing plans and strategies, graphic design, fundraising, social media management and website content management. She also has 15 years of experience with event planning and has created, planned, managed and executed events for nonprofit and for-profit agencies varying in size and scope.
A member of Mount Hebron United Methodist Church in West Columbia all her life, Renfroe serves as a member of the Chancel Choir, Adult Handbell Choir, United Women in Faith S.O.N. Circle and Altar Guild. She’s been singing and playing handbells in the music department since preschool and grade school, respectively, and also served as an acolyte during those years. She went through confirmation at 12 years old and was an active participant in United Methodist Youth Fellowship, Salkehatchie Summer Service, Youth Annual Conference, winter conferences at Springmaid Beach and summer conferences at Lake Junaluska during her teenage years.
“We’re excited for you to meet Katy and come up with new ways the Advocate can help resource your local church,” Brodie added.
Renfroe joins Brodie and Advocate Assistant Editor Allison Trussell, shifting the ministry from a staff of two to a staff of three.
This spring, the Advocate voted to own its affiliation, allegiance and bias to United Methodism while welcoming all views of interest to South Carolina United Methodists and the advancement of knowledge, faith and discipleship.
It adopted a new vision statement, maintaining, “The Advocate is the voice of the people of The United Methodist Church in South Carolina, transparently sharing news of relevance to people of faith around advancing knowledge, spiritual growth and discipleship. Our future will focus on heavier emphasis on digital growth, expanding and growing the Advocate Press, and establishing new and improved communication with the conference as we work to tell the stories of the church at work in the world.”
