the greatest gift we have to give

The Greatest Gift We Have to Give

Moving Beyond Fundraising to Truly Help our Congregations Thrive in

Today’s SocietyPresented and Facilitated by Gregory J GriffinCongregational Director, Mission AdvancementSisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities


Our Calling“Whatever you do, work at it with all of your heart, as

working for the Lord, not for men (or women), since you know you will receive an inheritance from the

Lord as a reward”- Colossians (3:23-24)


Our Challenge

“The Incredible Shrinking Catholic Church” - American Spectator “Nuns, a Dying

Breed” - NY Times

“Where Have all the Sisters

Gone?” - Catholic Observer

“Number of Priests and Nuns in Marked Decline” - The Telegraph

“Crunch Time for American Catholicism” American Catholic Online


And…•Today there are 54,018 religious sisters in the U.S. compared to179,954 in 1965. The average age of the Catholic Sister/Nun today is 74.• Religious Brothers have declined from close to 13,000 in 1965 to fewer than 5,000 in 2012• While the number of Catholic priests in the United States more than doubled to 58,000, between 1930 and 1965, since then that number has fallen to fewer than 13,000 active ordained priests. The average age of active ordained priests is 64. • In 1965, 1,575 new priests were ordained in the United States. In 2012, the number was 487. In 1965, only 1 percent of U.S. parishes were without a priest. Today, there over 3,000 priestess parishes, 15 percent of all U.S. parishes.• Between 1965 and 2012, the number of seminarians dropped from 49,000 to 3,723, a decline of over 92 percent. Two-thirds of the 600 seminaries that were operating in 1965 have now closed. • Over half of all Catholic high schools in the United States have closed since 1965. The student population has fallen from 700,000 to 386,000.


“The harsh reality is that our congregation, without a transformational change in the

way we steward our resources, will run out of money long before we run out of sisters. And the real kicker is that we can’t earn our

way out, we can’t save our way out, and I don’t think we can fundraise our way out.”

- Gael Sopchak General Manager Sisters of St. Francis


We Can’t Fundraise Our Way Out?!!

WHY WERE WE HIRED?!• Experience• Fundraising Success• Expertise• Perspective• To Fill a Void

The Bigger QuestionWhat did we get ourselves into?!!


What is the greatest gift we have to give as development officers for our congregations?

Passion

Experience

Perspective

Vision

Skill

Charisma


A LOVE STORY

“True Love is your soul’s recognition of its counterpoint in another”

Love is…• Trust• Understanding• Deeply personal• Desire to go above and beyond


What are we expected to do?• Raise Money!!!!!• Build relationships with donors• Create fundraising programs• Acknowledge donors• Fundraising events• Development communications• Build a database of friends and donors

What do we really do?• Create, revitalize and build relationships• Help to craft and carry the message• Tell and retell the story• Enrich and enable progress• Help people to see and to celebrate the good• Support and advance the mission

Evolution of Thought About Who We Are


Who do we need to be?• Apostles• Partners in planning• Truth seekers and providers• Expectation managers• Cheerleaders• Matchmakers• Facilitators• Visionaries• Change agents


Why us?• We bring experience• We’ve worked in other organizations that have either

been successful or have failed miserably• We are resourceful• We are skilled in the art of persuasion• We know how to communicate• We know how to motivate and mobilize others• We are good listeners• We are dedicated to service• We make lemonade from lemons• The glass is always half-full


“My friends tell me I have an intimacy problem. But they don't really know me."

— Garry Shandling

LOVE IS UNDERSTANDING

How well do you know your congregation?1. History2. Mission and Ministries3. Members4. Leadership & Governance5. Culture6. Current Trends and Issues7. Partnerships and Associates8. Patron Saint9. Macro Issues facing US Catholic Orgs


“Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You”

Best Resources•Congregational Archivist(s)•“Walk around Inspiration”•Membership biographies•Chapter/Mid-term meeting minutes•Leadership team meeting minutes•Strategic planning materials•Annual reports•Consultant reports/audits•Vendor proposals•Congregational financial statements•Books written by members of the congregation


Becoming an Asset to your CongregationGreat Resources that Provide Context to

Our Work and our Mission as Development Officers

Books• “The Remarkable Rise, Meteoric Fall, and Uncertain Future of Catholicism in America” by Russell Shaw• “Sisters: Catholic Nuns and the Making of America” by John Fialka• “Why Priests? A Failed Tradition” by Gary Willis• “Nuns, a History of Convent Life” by Silvia Evangelisti• “Double Crossed: Uncovering the Catholic Church's Betrayal of American Nuns” by Kenneth Briggs• “Out of Chaos: Refounding Religious Congregations” by G. Arbuckle

Articles• “Authentic Responses to the Future of Religious Life” Brother Paul Michalenko and Dominic Perri in HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, Winter 2012, Vol. 33, Issue 4


Resources (Continued)Articles (cont’d)• “Gather the Wisdom, Weave a Dream, Transformative Visioning as a Refounding Process” by Ted Dunn; Human Development, Vol. 31, No.2• “Refounding Religious Life: A Choice for Transformational Change” by Ted Dunn; Human Development, Vol. 30, No. 3• “The Challenge of Reconfiguration: New Opportunities for Religious Congregations” by Patricia Wittberg, Human Development, Vol. 30, No. 3• “The Way We Were: Legacy, Organizational Identity and the Role of Leadership” by J. Walsh and M.A. Glynn; Corporate Reputation Review, Vol. 11, No. 3


Resources (Continued)Associations/Organizations You Should Know

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)• Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR)• Supporting Our Aging Religious (SOAR)• Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)• National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO)

AND OF COURSE….

National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC)


"My wife was afraid of the dark... then she saw me naked and now she's afraid of the

light." — Rodney Dangerfield

LOVE ISDEEPLY PERSONAL

Why must we turn our jobs into our mission?

1. Obligation – Our congregations are counting on us!

2. Pragmatic – We may be out of work in 5 years

3. Practical – The more we know the better we can fulfill our mission

4. The Greater Good – It’s the right thing to do

5. Personal – We can and will make a difference

6. Whimsical – It’s just so much fun!7. Spiritual – It is our calling to do so


Turning Our Jobs Into Our Mission

• Earning your seat at the table• Engaging your congregation at all levels• Leading by example• Assimilating to the culture• Speaking the language• Demonstrating your resourcefulness (NCDC)• Being a person of excellence• Being transparent


"I love you no matter what you do, but do you have to do so much of it?"

— Jean Illsley Clarke

LOVE ISGOING ABOVE & BEYOND

What is our mission?Traditional• Fundraising• Developing and managing a comprehensive program for development – Annual Giving, Major Giving, Planned Giving• Engaging our congregation• Special Events planning and management• Development communications•Donor acknowledgment and stewardship programs• Managing Website


Going Above and BeyondNon-Traditional• Merchandise and Memorabilia Programs• Congregational Strategic Planning• Congregational Vision Planning• Vocations/Formation Programs• Associates/Lay Membership Programs• Facilitating Governance and Decision Making Structures• Prayer Ministry• Residential Community Planning• Congregational Financial Management and Planning• Sponsored Ministry Support and Planning

YOU HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY IN ALL OF THESE AREAS!


A Love Story – Part II The Sisters of St. Francis and Us!Since 2009 (First Year of Congregational Mission Advancement)…Traditional Mission Advancement Success

• Gift Income increased from $950,000 to $6.5 million• Donors increase from 3,200 to close to 5,000• 5 separate regional databases combined into Raiser’s Edge.• Increased active prospect records from around 17,000 to 28,000+• Annual, Major and Planned Giving Programs developed and sophisticated each year.• Regional newsletters replaced with congregational newsletter (winner of NCDC 2012 “Best in Class” and “Best in Show”)• Developed on-line Mission Advancement pages including on-line giving option.• Developed congregation-wide Benefactor Day to complement full suite of signature special events.


A Love Story – Part II The Sisters of St. Francis and Us! Non-Traditional Mission Advancement

Success• Developed a congregational merchandise and memorabilia program

• Developed and executed a St. Marianne canonization strategic plan which included the distribution of over 150,000 prayer cards and novenas to Catholic schools, parishes and dioceses around the U.S.• Conducted strategic analysis and recommendations for 3 SOSF unincorporated ministries.• At Leadership’s request, have conducted best-practice research on vocations programs, associates programs and prayer enrollment programs. Will be starting research on prayer ministry programs in the fall.• One of two lay staff (Business Manager is the other) to support Leadership’s strategic and vision planning endeavors (with an outside consultant)• Write, review and/or edit a majority of Leadership presentations/written communications to congregation.


“Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”

- Unknown

“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”

― Ronald Reagan

“Start with what is necessary, then do what is possible, suddenly, you are doing the impossible”

- St. Francis of Assisi

You’ve been called to share your gifts...

the greatest gift we have to give

Documents

greatest gift

number of catholic priests

catholic sisternun

new priests

united states

religious sisters

number of seminarians

percent of