Petrus Blog

In this episode, Andrew visits with Megan O'Brien Crayne, Campus Minister at Brown-RISD Catholic Community. In this episode of the "COVID Solutions" series, Andrew and Megan talk about monthly giving and how Megan was able to launch a new donor-matched program for young alumni. They discuss Megan's three-part plan, the hurdles she came up against and how she dealt with them. Through these efforts, they were able to see a large percentage jump in their annual giving.

Show Notes:

Megan O’Brien Crayne is the campus minister at Brown-RISD Catholic Community which serves the students at Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design. Andrew and Megan met at the Oklahoma Petrus Conference, where Megan learned a ton.

They have started a brand-new monthly giving program during quarantine.

Before this summer they had maybe 15 monthly givers. It began with reaching out to the class of 2019 graduating seniors and they got 11 to sign up.

In June of 2020, Megan decided to revamp...

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

There is no guarantee that a particular football team will win a particular game. Also, there is no guarantee that a fundraising team will reach its goal. However both are more likely if they study, train, and have a plan. In both football and fundraising, luck/grace can move things along, but luck/grace tends to gravitate toward teams that are open, “in shape,” practiced, and ready.

The success experienced by St. John Catholic Student Center at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater proves this point. The community at St. John’s has a compelling vision for a church that will serve OSU for the next 100 years. They are executing a $25 million campaign, called Building Saints for the Kingdom. They are raising funds for a new church, expansion of ministry, and an endowment.

With $16.3 million in hand or pledged, they are looking forward to “making a...

In this episode, Andrew visits with Scott Weeman, Founder of Catholic in Recovery. They discuss the connection between the Church and recovery. And they talk about what fundraising looks like in an arena that, historically, hasn't been viewed with high importance. And how fundraising and recovery is so much about building relationships. “So much of what we are seeking in life, it comes down to wanting authentic relationships.” This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.

Show Notes:

Scott grew up Catholic but only for big holidays in rural Wisconsin. He was what you would call a nominal Catholic. In his junior year of high school, he began drinking. He moved to New York for college and added to his addictions with drugs and more. Within a year and a half he lost his debate scholarship and lost his friendships.

He received his second DUI when he was 21 after having to move back home. After this he checked himself into recovery for 15...

By Andrew N. Robison, President of Petrus Development and Jason Shanks, President of OSV Institute

“A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.” - Henry Ford 

Toss the ball. Grab some jacks. Move your piece here and chute down the ladder. Have you ever considered the fact that life is a game? Do you ever feel like you are in a big game of checkers? Or Don’t Break the Ice? 

And what about other aspects of life? Is the world of business a game--with winners and losers? Is ministry a game? Were Saints Benedict and Dominic playing a game? Or Mary and Martha? 

In his book, The Infinite Game, Simon Sinek explains that we are all playing a game...in ministry, in business and in life. But what type of game are we playing? According to Sinek, there are two types of games: finite and infinite games. So what is the difference?

THE FINITE AND THE INFINITE GAME

Finite games, like football and chess, have winners and losers. The rules of the...

In this episode, Josh Whelan, Petrus Vice President, moderates the Career Counseling Panel with panelists: Frank Shannon, Valerie Pletcher and Dan Moraczewski. These three outstanding panelists have a combined 60 years experience in fundraising for the Catholic and non-profit sector and share great insights into the philanthropy world and the development career path. This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.

Show Notes:

Introducing the Panelist -

Frank Shannon – Executive Director of Development at St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station, TX

Valerie Pletcher – Sr. Philanthropy Officer, Mid-Atlantic and Europe at FOCUS

Dan Moraczewski – Sr. Consultant at Petrus Development

Josh Whelan – Vice President at Petrus Development, Moderator

Questions asked during the Career Counseling Panel:

• What is the difference between working for Catholic campus ministry development vs outside of Catholic campus ministry...

by Andrew N. Robison, President of Petrus Development

What an amazing three weeks!

On April 3, we wrapped up the COVID-19 Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus. Over the course of the Summit, we held 14 days of discussions, shared countless stories, hosted industry leading experts and received serious doses of spiritual nourishment. I was fortunate to serve as the host for all 14 sessions and despite a changing environment (figuratively and literally), countless distractions (new announcements and demanding children) and technical challenges (did anyone else receive a text message reminder about 12 hours too late…), the Summit brought incredible hope for everyone involved (especially me).

Last week I shared Five Takeaways from Week 2. In today's post, I will share takeaways from Week 3.

1. This is a tremendous opportunity to transition your donors to online giving and especially recurring giving. What are some of the ways to help your donors? Debra Richmond gave us three...

In this episode, Andrew visits with Sarah Rose, Consultant with Petrus Development.  They discuss how to develop authentic and intentional relationships as a development officer. They will also discuss how to develop skills and confidence in your work in the development world. And how to deal with distractions when they feel too important to your work to be labeled as a distraction. 

Show Notes:

Sarah Rose has been a Consultant with Petrus Development for almost 10 years. She earned her degree in Communications from St. Edwards University and her first job out of college was in marketing for a software company. While she did not enjoy her time in that career she was able to spend a lot of time with her young adult Catholic group in Austin. It was during that time that she realized that she wanted to explore working in development for a non-profit. She was encouraged to do informational interviews and that was when she met Peter de Keratry of Petrus Development. 

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