Stewardship Weekend set for Nov. 14-15 in Diocese

WASHINGTON — Chalk up something else affected by the coronavirus: fundraising for Catholic entities of all kinds.

Domestically, parish collections are down more than they are up. According to Ministry Brands, 64 percent of U.S. parishes indicated they had received a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan to meet payroll shortfalls caused by the lack of Masses, the number of people attending them and the resultant drop in offertory giving.

Some U.S dioceses have had to retrench or reimagine giving — the Diocese of Albany is rolling out Stewardship Weekend on Nov. 14-15 (but more on that later) — since a healthy percentage of their own revenue comes from parish collections. In some cases, people are laid off or converted to part-time status, open positions go unfilled, and there’s a hiring freeze. Some ministries are slashed, and others are gone entirely.

But a July online survey of 1,079 donors revealed that 85 percent who gave at least $1,000 in 2018 or 2019 to a faith-based nonprofit say they expect to give the same amount or more this year as they did last year.

The Evangelist talked with Nancy Bielawa, the diocesan executive director for Stewardship and Development, about the challenging times parishes face during this continued pandemic and the importance of the upcoming weekend.

TE: How has the pandemic affected giving in our Diocese?

NB: The timing of the Diocesan Appeal was postponed from beginning in July 2020 rather than in May. In addition, rather than soliciting for the Appeal in parishes, we have primarily used direct mail which our donors are not accustomed to for the most part.  Many donors have been able to sustain or increase their giving to the Appeal but some have been enduring financial hardship due to the pandemic and their giving is either on hold or the donor has supported but at a reduced amount. Of course, offertory giving heavily relies on Mass attendance so the suspension of in-person Mass for so many months has had a tremendous negative impact. Even with in-person Mass attendance resuming, it’s not at the capacity of pre-pandemic. For both Diocesan Appeal gifts and offertory, donors are encouraged to consider setting up recurring gifts through their banks — either online or by visiting their local branch to ask about an automatic bill pay set-up where a weekly or monthly payment is sent to their parish for offertory and to the Diocese for the Diocesan Appeal. It’s easy and budget-friendly and ensures ongoing support of their parish and the Diocese as a whole.

TE: What is Stewardship Weekend (Nov. 14-15)  all about?

NB: It’s about thanking donors for their ongoing investment in both the parish and the Diocese and reminding everyone that it takes all of us working together to ensure a robust Church. The weekend coincides with National Philanthropy Day (Nov. 15). The purpose of this day is to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy — and those people active in the philanthropic community — to the enrichment of our world.

NPD was originally conceived of and organized by Douglas Freeman in the 1980s, and the first official events held in 1986 after President Reagan signed the official NPD proclamation. The day provides an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of giving and all that it has made possible. NPD celebrates the endless daily contributions individuals and organizations across the world make to countless causes and missions.

TE: How important is this weekend for giving?

NB: In light of the unusual way the Diocesan Appeal has had to have been rolled out due to the pandemic, it was thought that trying to host something of a diocesan-wide promotion weekend might be valuable since parishes are now open. The idea is for parish leaders to talk about the Diocesan Appeal at Mass in ways that are relevant to the individual parish and the contributions of the Diocese to that faith community. Each parish relies on the Diocese in different ways — ideally the parish leaders will tell their specific story of that impact in a way that compels parishioners to consider how their investment in the Appeal AND offertory are vital to the health of the Church.