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In the recent ISPD Survey # 6 (answered by over 300 Catholic leaders throughout the country) which closed last week, one of the questions was: “Please state the top 1-3 challenges your Catholic school and/or parish is facing as you move into the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year.” There were many answers, but the one that rose to the top of the list dealt with balancing the budget and creating streams of revenue in the midst of a pandemic. In other words, if a Catholic school loses enrollment, or if donors are not in a position to contribute over the next 6-12 months like they used to, or if parishioners do not physically return to the pews, or a parish does not have a viable on-line giving process established, then financial concerns are definitely real.
Perhaps that is why approximately 45% of the people who answered the survey were not “very confident” that their Catholic school and/or parish would prevail in the immediate future. And, 48% said that the physical return to worship in their parish was lower than what they expected.
As we all know, there are reasons why some Catholic schools/parishes prevail, and some do not. There are basic foundations (pillars) that need to be in place in order for successful Catholic school and/or parish development/advancement to work – just like the foundation of a building. We will reference those foundational pillars at the end of this newsletter. For now, however, we would like to offer 15 suggestions for creating revenue streams (directly and indirectly) in 2020 – 2021, or what should a Catholic school and/or parish consider doing to financially survive in the midst of a pandemic?
Please understand that some of these suggestions are connected, and we are sure there are some that you already have in place – but maybe not to the extent that we are recommending. Also, we are not saying to “launch” all of these; however, based upon your situation – and your pillars – we believe these are some viable suggestions that Catholic schools and/or parishes should consider as we move further into the 2020 – 2021 fiscal year.
- Suggestion 1: Conduct your 2020-21 Annual Giving Drive.
- Suggestion 2: Consider Major Fund-Raiser # 1: Virtual Gala/Auction.
- Suggestion 3: Consider Major Fund-Raiser # 2: Golf Tournament.
- Suggestion 4: Consider Major Fund-Raiser # 3: Virtual Bingo on regular basis.
- Suggestion 5: Initiate/continue conversations with your Catholic school and/or parish financial Leaders in regard to supporting a specific project/program.
- Suggestion 6: Consider launching a Preservation/Membership program for all of your constituents.
- Suggestion 7: Create your own Godparent/Guardian Angels Program for constituents to offer support to students who need financial assistance.
- Suggestion 8: Launch your school/parish On-line Store.
- Suggestion 9: Create Distance Learning Offerings for CCD/PSR students who are not in your Catholic school – and also, where applicable, consider foreign students.
- Suggestion 10: Work with financial leaders to offer Challenge and/or Matching Gifts around a specific project/program.
- Suggestion 11: Research and connect with The Grant Writing Center and write specific grants that fund needs/projects/personnel/supplies as they relate to COVID-19.
- Suggestion 12: Work with your Catholic school parents who can offer Gifts of Professional Service yet may not be able to pay full tuition.
- Suggestion 13: Seek Partnerships with Businesses and Organizations who could support you – such as Knights of Columbus, civic organizations, and small businesses.
- Suggestion 14: Create your own Gift Catalog for your Catholic school and/or parish.
- Suggestion 15: Launch a Work Study Program for families that need tuition assistance and invite the entire family to work with projects around the school that you normally would have to pay outside vendors for, such as cleaning, food service, gardening, painting, etc.
In order for any of this to be successful, we also realize that foundational pillars should be in place – which is what we teach in our on-line courses; write about in our books talk about in our cohorts and podcasts; and coach in our on-site and on-line consulting. The foundational pillars are:
- Belief in and demonstration of your mission/vision – this is at the core of your being – your “constancy of purpose.”
- Someone must raise his/her hand and proclaim, “I am in charge of development/advancement/stewardship here in this Catholic school and/or parish.” (Full-time, part-time, volunteer, or present personnel)
- The development/advancement/stewardship efforts should be “guided” by an Executive Committee (decision makers) of 3-5 people (i.e. pastor, president, principal, development officer, key council board member, key parish/school staff member, etc. – pending on your governance structure).
- Every Catholic school and/or parish must have a reliable database of their constituents.
- The Executive Committee should consistently do everything they can to educate all constituents on what Catholic school development/advancement/stewardship is really all about. Hint: It is not just fund-raising.
- Every Catholic school and/or parish should have created their Top 10 Selling/Talking/Marketing Points.
- Every Catholic school and/or parish should have a formal Development Core Team of 12-15 people that will work with the Executive Committee (and the person in charge of development) and help them implement the priorities established by the Executive Committee.
- Every Catholic school and/or parish should assess where the development/advancement/stewardship efforts are as they move into the 2020-21 school year, including the creation of a Master Plan for All Fund-Raising Events.
- Every Catholic school and/or parish should “pipeline to their people.” In other words, conduct some form of The Ultimate Question Survey with all of their constituents. Examples:
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- On a scale of 0 – 10, with 10 being highly likely and 0 being not at all likely, how likely would you recommend (name of school) to your family, friends, and colleagues to provide the very best Catholic school education for the 2020-21 school year?
- Question B: If you gave us a score of less than 10, what would we need to do in the next 30 days to bring your score closer to a 10?
- Question C: If you gave us a score of 9 or 10, why did you recommend us so highly?
- On a scale of 0 – 10, with 10 being highly likely and 0 being not at all likely, how likely would you recommend (name of school) to your family, friends, and colleagues to provide the very best Catholic school education for the 2020-21 school year?
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- On a scale of 0 – 10, with 10 being highly likely and 0 being not at all likely, how likely would you recommend (name of parish) to your family, friends, and colleagues to provide the best faith formation opportunities for the final six months of the 2020 calendar year?
- Question B: If you gave us a score of less than 10, what would we need to do in the next 60 days to bring your score closer to a 10?
- Question C: If you gave us a score of 9 or 10, why did you recommend us so highly?
- On a scale of 0 – 10, with 10 being highly likely and 0 being not at all likely, how likely would you recommend (name of parish) to your family, friends, and colleagues to provide the best faith formation opportunities for the final six months of the 2020 calendar year?
- Every Catholic school and/or parish should commit to instilling, promoting, and institutionalizing a Culture of Belonging.
Now is the time to time for leadership and creativity. Now is the time to move beyond mediocrity as Saint John Paul II has said. Now is the time to work and put these pillars in place and consider the merit of each of the suggestions we have made. You certainly cannot do all of them, but you can do some of them very well.
Here at ISPD, we will continue to live out our mission and seek to bring people, process, and ministry together to help build the Kingdom of God. We invite you to journey with us as we all continue to build our bridge to the future during these very challenging times.
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