CWR provides networking and education to professionals who communicate and advance the mission and ministries of women religious. CWR professionals represent religious congregations that range in size from 18 to as many as 4,000 vowed members worldwide. The organization identifies 17 geographic regions, and encourages members who are in those specific areas to meet regularly, share information, and collaborate on projects when appropriate.

CWR is led by an elected board of directors. From its members, the board elects an executive team that consists of a chair, vice-chair, treasurer, and corporate secretary.

CWR is a 501(c)(3) organization funded in part through a generous grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Typical CWR Professional

The most recent professional surveys found the following characteristics apply when creating the profile of a “typical” CWR professional:

• More than 75 percent of CWR professionals are lay communicators
• Fifty-four percent of us have been CWR participants for more than six years; 28 percent have been participants for more than 10 years.
• Forty percent of CWR professionals are the sole member of their communications/marketing team
• Eighty-eight percent of us report that acting as newsletter/magazine editor is a top responsibility with website development coming in second (81 percent)
• Sixty-five percent find the future of religious life to be a topic most challenging to communicate about