By Formation and Development Committee
2024 brings with it a new way of ordering UTO materials that we hope will help all of you who are leading or participating in UTO feel supported and equipped while also understanding that we only have one staff person and this task has been added to her already full plate. Please be understanding and flexible regarding material orders.
To order UTO materials, please visit https://dfms.formstack.com/forms/uto_orders
Here are the big changes to note:
- While we try out the new system in 2024, materials will ship for free.
- We are not able to ship materials “on demand.” From January through May 2024, as we help everyone adjust to the new system, we will ship materials on or around the 20th of the month. This means if you place an order on the 21st, it will not ship for a month. Please try to plan ahead as we are also switching from priority mail to media mail rate with the February orders as a cost savings. If you are in an emergency situation, please email Heather and she’ll be happy to help.
- We will not ship materials in June of 2024 due to General Convention.
- This summer, we will move to a biannual shipment for parishes, where you can select if you would prefer materials geared toward November or toward Lent. We will have a starter kit for new parishes and a kit for those setting up a booth at diocesan conventions that will be available to ship monthly. Our hope is to move to this method of shipping for the fall of 2024. An order form for materials will go out in June for fall 2024 and spring 2025 boxes for parishes; please mark your calendars as it will be emailed to all parish coordinators in the UTO database and be in the newsletter.
- We will have a separate order form for Spanish language materials. Those will be available for pickup at General Convention for those of you from outside the United States. For those of you in the U.S., those materials will be available to order through the same process as the English materials, beginning in July. We’re working out a new process for material distribution outside the U.S. in non-General Convention years, so look for that information in 2025.
Thank you all for your support and patience while we transition the ordering process. As always, we’re interested in your feedback, so after you get your order through the new process, feel free to send us ideas for improvement.