Petrus Blog

Welcome to Season 4 of the Petrus Development Show. Today Andrew is joined by our newest team member, Joelle Fitzmaurice, Junior Consultant with Petrus Development. In this episode, Andrew and Joelle visit about her background, what brought her into the fundraising world and what she’s learning and doing so far with Petrus.

Show Notes:

Background

While she now resides outside of Washington D.C., Joelle is originally from small town Wisconsin. When deciding on college, it was important to her to keep her Catholic faith during college and decided on Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina. During college she interned with the Alumni Program which was her first stint in fundraising. After college she worked in politics before being called into missions and connected with FOCUS, where she worked for two years. In June of 2021, she came on board at Petrus Development.

Fundraising for FOCUS

How did participants react to fundraising? Those that are familiar with fundraising...

 By Mary Hernandez, Petrus Blog Contributor

Online giving days have been growing in popularity and reached compulsory status since the pandemic forced non-profits out of the rhythm of traditional in-person fundraising events. Whether you will participate in #GivingTuesday, her Catholic cousin #iGiveCatholic, or another online giving day that has traction in your region, these strategies can help to guide you in developing a successful online giving day plan.

RECOGNIZE AND BUILD YOUR TEAM

Online giving days are built to capitalize on the power of crowdfunding. First-time giving day participants can get discouraged after a poor showing on a giving day if their strategy consists of harnessing the power of the crowd by sharing a social media post (even a really compelling one) and expecting dollars to flow in. The crowd is a bit of a misnomer here. I rather liken a giving day to teamfunding. You may not know all the folks in a crowd, but you do...

The Women in Philanthropy podcast is back! Hosted by Tara Doyon, Director of Client Services and Sarah Rose, Director of Communications. In this episode they are joined by Sister Kathleen Lunsmann, President of Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR). This great conversation includes female roles in leadership, donor centric development and how this can transform an "ask" into a mission to build the Kingdom. They also discuss the power of listening and the gifts it can bring to you and to your donor. 

Show Notes:

Sister Kathleen Lunsmann is the President of Support Our Aging Religious. 

SOAR is a non-profit based in Washington, DC established in 1986. The organization supports Catholic sisters, priests and brothers. Specifically those who are aging and need support. 

Elderly religious continue to re-invent themselves. For example, learning a new language in their 80s.

Sarah met Sister Kathleen through the Nonprofit Alliance, and the Catholic Development...

By Rhen Hoehn, St. Albert the Great University Parish Development Director, Houghton, Michigan

I grew up in a Catholic family that practiced the faith. While I was preparing for confirmation, I went on a NET (National Evangelization Team) retreat. This retreat plus the grace of the sacrament energized me even more to be a better Catholic.

After I started college at Michigan Technological University, I became very involved with St. Albert the Great University Parish. I attended Mass, and Catholics in my dorm invited me to parish activities and events. For three year I was a “chapel rat,” one of a group of six students who, in exchange for an apartment, did maintenance chores around the parish.  Houghton is in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. With an annual average snowfall of more than 200 inches, that involved a lot of shoveling!

My first development experience was a job to help raise money to fix the church’s leaking roof. I took the job because I needed...

By Mary Hernandez, Petrus Blog Contributor

Three Cheers for the Class Gift

The class gift tradition is widely recognized in educational circles. Schools have received benches, statues, fountains, trees, and other commemorative items from grateful grads. Many Catholic ministries have invited their graduates to consider participating in a monetary Class Gift. This type of Class Gift is one of the most significant ways for a graduate to leave a legacy, support future students who will find their home at the Catholic Center on campus, and participate in its mission. This initiative builds an automatic connection between the ministry and its alumni, leaves room for flexibility and growth, and naturally provides many opportunities for stewardship and alumni celebrations as giving milestones are reached. There is no downside to implementing a Class Gift in your ministry.

Learn More about the Class Gift

Teach Students to Give Early and Often

But why wait...

By Tara Doyon, Petrus Director of Client Services and Senior Consultant 

Like many in a development-related profession, I had planned on a career in “something else.” When money was needed for organizations and programs that I cared about, I discovered and honed my development skills. 

Growing up, I was active in the local YMCA and taught swimming. After college graduation with a degree in recreation and park administration, I moved from the Midwest to Hartford, Connecticut to work for the Y there. Unlike the YMCA of my hometown, this Y served those in the inner city and faced great financial challenges. All employees were expected to participate in the fundraising effort. 

My first experience in fundraising was a phone-a-thon for that Y in the 1990s. We had a list of people, and we cold-called them. We talked about our great programs, and asked them to make a gift. To keep us motivated, the Y recognized callers for their results....

By Mary P. Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor & Local Charity Board Member

Latest Information on Giving Trends

Giving USA 2021: The Annual Report on Philanthropy for the Year 2020 was released in June.  This report on the state of philanthropy is LONG and comprehensive, so I picked a few findings that would interest Petrus clients and blog readers. The opinions expressed below are my own. If you would like more detail, summary information is available for free here and you can purchase the full report here.

• 2020 marked an all-time high in philanthropic giving.

More money was given last year than in any previous year studied, and about 5% more than in 2019. There are probably a number of reasons for this: (1) households whose incomes were NOT greatly affected by the pandemic, such as retirees on fixed incomes or those who stayed employed, felt a greater internal motivation; (2) investment value and the stock market recovery was high, which affects the wealth of...

By Mary Hernandez, Petrus Blog Contributor

Engaging Parents in Campus Ministry

College campus ministries across the country are working feverishly to welcome their flock of new and returning students. If we haven't thought of extending our hospitality to good ‘ole mom and dad, we should.

Once engaged with your mission, parents can become your ministry's biggest fan and promote it in their hometown and community. They can serve as dedicated prayer warriors, storming heaven for the students and ministry team. Parents can also provide vital financial support by supporting your mission with a monthly gift or funding a particular initiative.

First, a Proper Introduction

You may have an opportunity to meet new parents during a campus visit or by hosting an open house during move-in weekend, but by and large, you will introduce your ministry through mail or email.

Each semester should begin with a student registration process so that your Catholic center can acquire...

By Sarah Rose, Petrus Director of Communications

Recently, I was invited to watch one of OSV talks titled “AI and the Future of Generosity” by Nathan Chappell, Senior Vice President of DonorSearch Aristotle.

The OSV Talks are a “series of topics from Catholic leaders to spark discussion, explore new, or re-explore old approaches, and inspire creative thinking, all from the heart of the church.”

In the talk “AI and the Future of Generosity,” Nathan Chappell answers the question “How do you solve the world’s most pressing issues?” in 18 minutes or less.

The simplified conclusion is INCREASE GENEROSITY. Now we’re talking! 

Nathan leads the research and development division at DonorSearch Artistotle. In other words, he is a data man. 

According to Nathan, the data shows that last year 56% of Americans made donations. And the average American gave about 2% of their income to charity. 

If Americans...

In this episode, Andrew visits with Matthew Warner, founder and president of Flocknote, a technology company with a mission to build a more connected Church. As part of this mission, Matthew is driven to understand and educate priests and ministry leaders on how to connect specifically with the middle 82 percent of Catholics. Those Catholics that are neither dynamic nor absent Catholics but, rather, somewhere in the middle in terms of involvement. Andrew and Matthew discuss communication, leadership, fundraising, ministry and even touch on a few favorite television shows of theirs. 

Show Notes:

Background

Matthew Warner is a fellow Aggie Catholic. Born and raised Catholic, was always good about going to Mass but wasn't sure that he always realized the gift that it was. 

After college, he began working and figuring out what his faith really meant to him. 

As he went deeper with his faith life, he was becoming more involved in the church and discovering the...