By Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello
SPONSORED CONTENT — We learned in our last article about how Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, was successful in running the Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) by following the plan.
At St. Nicholas of Tolentine in Jamaica, Queens, we learned much of their success is driven by the involvement of their ACA parish team. Another compelling part of the Annual Catholic Appeal is utilizing the “over-goal” feature of the program to raise money for a special project at the parish.
What makes the accomplishment of surpassing a parish’s Annual Catholic Appeal goal so significant, in addition to supporting the good works of the Church throughout Brooklyn and Queens, is the fact that a parish receives back 100% of all funds raised over its published goal – it’s a great motivating factor in engaging the parish community.
Parishes participating in the ACA have the unique opportunity to raise their own funds using the resources and infrastructure of the Appeal. The most effective way to accomplish this is to name a specific parish project that the faithful in the community can support as their own.
At Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Jamaica, Queens, each year the pastor, Fr. Manuel Rodriguez, introduces the ACA along with a special project that is specific to the parish. They set their goal higher than the parish ACA goal to allow the opportunity to support both the ACA and their parish initiative.
The parish recently came together with the hopes of restoring the church bell system with the monies raised over goal. “To make anything successful you must have a vision and a plan and then be able to execute that plan effectively. People need to see results; to know where their hard-earned money is going,” says Parish Director of Development and Fundraising, Faria Sookdeo.
And those results have been phenomenal as Presentation parishioners experience the sounds of the refurbished bells. In Park Slope, Brooklyn, at Holy Family – St. Thomas Aquinas, leaders in the parish community came together and decided that it was well past time to address the need for air conditioning in the church.
Taking up that charge this year, this special project was announced to the people as the “over-goal” project for the 2019 ACA. The parish has already raised more than $44,000 in pledges above the established ACA goal and the installation of the new air conditioning units has been completed.
What greater motivation is there than to be able to support an initiative that benefits your beloved parish community and the larger Church in Brooklyn and Queens. Participating in the Annual Catholic Appeal and collectively donating funds above the parish goal make this possible.
It does not come without hard work. Accepting the role of steward, following the plan, being a part of the team and setting a goal for a special parish project are all elements of a successful Appeal, which helps to further the mission of the Church.
We’d like to hear from you. What project(s) would you like to see happen as an Annual Catholic Appeal over-goal fundraiser?
Please email us at info@cfbq.org.
Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello is the Vicar for Development, Diocese of Brooklyn