Three Quick Tips to Improve Your Donor Visits
By Mary Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor
Donor meetings can be intimidating to both new and experienced development professionals, but they also have the potential to be such fruitful blessings to our ministry. In my years of fundraising, I've developed a series of steps that helps me prepare and plan before my donor meetings.
Prayer
In a previous life, I spent 11 years in technical sales for a large computer company. Before I made an important call or presentation, I would say the prayer to the Holy Spirit. I memorized this prayer in second grade—long before I understood the words. The prayer is very “all purpose.” I used it before tests in high school and college, difficult conversations, and sales calls. The prayer doesn’t ask for a specific outcome, but requests God’s inspiration for the work I was about to do.
In the corporate world, my prayer was a private endeavor, with me grabbing a bit of silence away from coworkers, often in the...
Virtue Stands in the Middle - An Interview with Mary Macuga on the Petrus Development Show
In this episode, Andrew visits with Mary Macuga, the director of the Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. Mary has 22 years of experience in Catholic fundraising, and she and Andrew chat about the unique challenges of fundraising in different parts of the world and the universal need to be authentic and transformed in our fundraising.
Show Notes
Background
Mary began her career in development at the Catholic Newman Center at Arizona State University. During her years at Arizona State, Mary learned everything she could about fundraising, and she received her MA in Philanthropy and Development from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. After her years fundraising for the Newman Center, Mary worked for a Catholic foundation in Phoenix, and eventually, she and her family made the move to Australia where Mary took the position as director of the Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of Brisbane.
The Catholic Foundation (Archdiocese of...
Startups and Sustainability - An Interview with Mark Randall on the Petrus Development Show
In this episode, Andrew visits with Mark Randall, the executive director of the Pontifical North American College (a.k.a the NAC). Together, Andrew and Mark share about their fundraising adventures, and Mark offers advice for startup ministries and seasoned fundraising professionals.
Show Notes
Background
Mark has a fun and varied background. He began his professional career in the food and beverage industry in Chicago, after which he learned to be a chocolatier and started a gourmet food company. After helping to start a software company, Mark applied for his first position in Catholic fundraising, and from there, he has raised money for several Catholic schools and ministries. He is currently the executive director of the NAC in Rome.
Pontifical North American College
The Pontifical North American College (the NAC) is a seminary located just outside the Vatican for the formation of diocesan priests from the U.S. It was...
Women in Philanthropy Episode 6 with Leticia Ochoa-Adams
Hosted by Tara Doyon, Director of Client Services and Sarah Rose, Director of Communications.
In this episode Tara and Sarah are joined by Leticia Ochoa-Adams, Writer and Speaker. They discuss being "poor" in the Catholic Church as well as grieving a great loss and how the church responds. Find out what the similarities are when giving as a donor and giving as a community rallying around one of their own.
Show Notes:
Leticia Ochoa Adams is a born and raised Tejana who loves bluebonnets, longhorns and Texas shaped waffles. She writes and speaks on faith, grief and suicide loss because after the loss of her oldest son Anthony to suicide she saw a lack of space for honest grieving and acknowledgement of trauma so she set out to create one.
Inspired by other women who have a passion and gift for storytelling like Jen Fulwiler, Nora McInerny and Stephanie Wittles Wachs who all make stories on their own terms, Leticia set out to do the same which is to use storytelling as...
Let’s Get Excited about RMDs!
By Mary P. Walker, Petrus Blog Contributor & Local Charity Board Member
Let’s Get Excited about RMDs!
This may be the most boring blog post you’ll read this week, but slogging through it could bring a lot of money to your ministry!
2021 is shaping up to be a CRAZY tax year. Many of our benefactors have just recently filed their returns for 2020—with the deadline extended to October 15. WHEW! Now, you can help them and your ministry by gently reminding them that December 31 is only about two months away. That is the last day for tax favorable gifts in 2021.
The funds for such a gift can come from a “required minimum distribution” (RMD) from a non-Roth IRA or other qualifying retirement plan account.
Many people view their traditional IRAs as “nest eggs.” Even though they are old enough (at least 59 ½) to draw on these IRAs without penalty, they don’t, or draw just enough to meet expenses. However, when they...
Success Strategies for an Online Giving Day
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...
Women in Philanthropy Episode 4 with Sister Kathleen Lunsmann
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...
What Development Means to Me by Rhen Hoehn
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...
Don’t wait for a Class Gift, Start with Stewardship
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.
Teach Students to Give Early and Often
But why wait...
Giving USA Report 2021
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...
