CLIENT
St. Matthew the Apostle Parish & School
River Ridge, Louisiana
SERVICE
Strategic Plan, Financial Feasibility Study &
Capital Campaign
CAMPAIGN GOAL
$3.2 million
PLEDGES SECURED
$3.428 million
The Challenge
St. Matthew the Apostle began without a capital campaign in view. In fall 2021, parish and school leaders wanted a plan that could identify their most important challenges, engage the full community, and establish the proper sequence for long-term campus improvements.
Modernizing the shared campus and making room for the school emerged as a major priority, but leadership needed to move from vision to evidence before undertaking a Catholic parish and school capital campaign.
The Approach
ISPD conducted an Assessment, formed an Executive Committee and Core Team, surveyed parish and school families through the Ultimate Question Survey, facilitated two Strategic Planning Workshops, and convened a community-wide Convocation. Nine challenges were identified and ranked using five separate barometers, producing a Collaborative Plan of Action in March 2023.
St. Matthew then followed the sequence identified in the plan: site master planning, listening sessions, parish- and school-wide surveys, demographic research, and a Financial Feasibility Study to test support and establish the goal.
The resulting SMA for Generations campaign included the first phase of an Early Childhood Complex, a pavilion over the bluetop, a Day Chapel, and long-deferred church and campus improvements. A 50-member Capital Campaign Leadership Team carried the work forward.
The Results
The campaign closed above its $3.2 million goal, securing $3,428,000 in pledges from 491 donors, with $2,447,000 already received. Forty-two percent of registered parishioners participated—an exceptional level of household involvement. From the first Assessment to a completed campaign, St. Matthew followed the full ISPD sequence over four years and invited every family to offer prayer, service, and financial support.
$3.428M
in pledges secured against a $3.2 million goal
491
donors participated in the completed campaign
42%
of registered parishioners made a campaign commitment
The Lesson
Sequence matters. When strategic planning, feasibility research, leadership formation, and personal invitation happen in the right order, a Catholic community can move from broad concerns to a successful and widely supported campaign.
