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Local Catholics respond generously to #iGiveCatholic campaign on Giving Tuesday to support charities

On #GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving which was Dec. 1, 2020 this year, local Catholics responded generously to the #iGiveCatholic campaign. 

More than 100 parishes and ministries participated in the Giving Tuesday #iGiveCatholic campaign on Dec. 1, 2020  –   the Tuesday after Thanksgiving – to raise more than $323,000 from 1,864 donors for parishes, communities, and programs throughout the Archdiocese of Washington, nearly three times the fundraising amount from the local 2019 #iGiveCatholic fundraiser.

Joseph Gillmer, the executive director of development for the Archdiocese of Washington, said that overall the entire campaign was a success, not just for the archdiocese's Annual Appeal, but for parishes and other ministries that participated in the campaign.

“Those who followed the best practices had mind-blowing numbers,” he said, adding that the development office offered assistance to all archdiocesan #iGiveCatholic groups through personalized fundraising profiles and social media post prompts.

“The beauty of this program is that you don’t have to be an expert,” Gillmer said. “You don’t have to have a big budget, just a little time and courage to reach out in your community and share your link to keep that enthusiasm going.”

While the onset of the coronavirus pandemic did tighten finances for many parishes this year, Gillmer said that the opportunity arose for parishes to communicate their needs to their communities.

“People are ready and willing (to help) but you have to ask,” he said. “When we asked, the generosity flowed… We (as a Church) were important the day of the pandemic, the day before the pandemic and now we’re here spiritually for people, but also corporally as well. We cannot run to the shadows. We cannot run and hide because the front lines are right in front of us.”

The Kidane-Mehret Ge’ez Rite Ethiopian Catholic Church community in the Archdiocese of Washington has been fundraising for nearly 35 years to raise enough funds to purchase land and build a church of their own. Since 1984, they have gathered in several locations throughout Washington, D.C. – St. Gabriel Church, chapels at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and Theological College, the former building of All Saints High School, St. Vincent de Paul Church, and most recently before the pandemic, the St. Ursula Chapel of the Archdiocese of Washington’s Pastoral Center in Hyattsville, Maryland. Through all the different locations, their community has grown from five or six families to nearly 250 families.

Unable to host their annual fundraising dinner, which typically takes place in the fall, the community of Kidane-Mehret reached out to Gillmer and the development office and shared the hope to use the #iGiveCatholic platform as a replacement for the fundraising dinner.

On Nov. 22, the whole community stayed on Zoom following their virtual Sunday Mass for a few hours of fundraising efforts in which they raised almost $30,000 through the #iGiveCatholic platform that day. By the end of Giving Tuesday, they had reached the numbers that they typically saw during their fundraising dinners.

Dr. Yeshimebet Retta, who helped lead Kidane-Mehret’s fundraising efforts, said that this year’s fundraising efforts were challenging, but successful.

“Not many of us thought it would be this successful,” she said. “From the get-go, we were having the fundraiser and asking for money in times when most of our parishioners are not working.”

The whole community, Dr. Retta said, came together in its efforts – from her nightly rosary prayer group, to new fundraising groups dedicated to the efforts.

“It’s not just the money, but from our vantage point it really brought people together,” she said. “It brought this closeness and this camaraderie.”

“In the middle of all that is going on in the world, our parish has evolved and our belief in God and in the Catholic faith keeps us grounded,” Dr. Retta said. “I don’t think we would be able to do this if we weren’t built around a Catholic community.”

The Kidane-Mehret Ge’ez Rite Ethiopian Catholic Church, which ranked third in the Archdiocese of Washington’s #iGiveCatholic leaderboard raising $40,320, hopes to purchase land for a church soon.

For the Catholic Student Center at the University of Maryland, the #iGiveCatholic campaign served as a kick-start to their annual appeal fund, which provides for the various programming and ministry of the center. University of Maryland student Jack Guidera, who is a junior and the fundraising chair for the Catholic Student Center, said their work mainly revolved around reaching out to students, alumni and other supporters of the Catholic Student Center.

Their #iGiveCatholic profile for the University of Maryland's Catholic Student Center featured sponsorships, which paired dollar amounts with a specific program that would directly benefit. The effort inspired 92 donors to give $6,825 to the center, which was the 10th highest support among local Catholic programs on Giving Tuesday. To show their gratitude for support, students wrote handwritten thank you letters to donors.

The Catholic Student Center, Guidera said, has been a place for him to grow in his faith and find community.

“Giving to #iGiveCatholic is helping students find that community, especially in a time when it is very isolating for students,” he said.  

The top 10 Archdiocese of Washington #iGiveCatholic ministries on the leaderboard were the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal raising $71,639.04; Mother of God School in Gaithersburg raising $45,160; Kidane-Mehret Ethiopian Catholic Church in Washington raising $40,320; Saint Francis International School raising $20,490; Saint Camillus Catholic Church in Silver Spring raising $19,493; Catholic Climate Covenant raising $13,490; St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Rockville raising $13,132.22; Archdiocese of Washington Community Food Security Program raising $11,250; Epiphany Catholic Church in Washington raising $7,975; and the Catholic Student Center at the University of Maryland raising $6,825.

Across the United States, the #iGiveCatholic giving day raised nearly $13 million from more than 48,000 donors on #GivingTuesday. Donors in all 50 states gave $12,703,973 to benefit 2,600 Catholic parishes, schools, and non-profit ministries through #iGiveCatholic. Donations also came from people in 12 other countries in support of these U.S. Catholic organizations. In 2019, #iGiveCatholic raised $7.4 million from approximately 23,000 donors.


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