Keeping the Faith
As any strong fundraiser knows, donors give from the heart. They must be emotionally moved and connect to the mission, the cause, the campaign and/or the organization in some way to compel them to donate. And a big part of giving is having faith — faith that the organization will do what it says with the donors’ money.
Likewise, fundraisers must have faith in their missions, their campaigns and their donors to execute their fundraising programs. Naturally, with so much faith involved in the fundraising industry on all sides, faith-based, religious nonprofit organizations tend to have dedicated, loyal donors — faithful donors, if you will. So for this cover story, FundRaising Success highlights how three faith-based organizations — The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Savannah, Ga.; Salesian Missions in New Rochelle, N.Y.; and Los Angeles-based Union Rescue Mission — are keeping the faith in fundraising.
Ornamental Blessing
You never know where or when an innovative fundraising idea may strike. It literally could happen anywhere at any time. Take, for instance, the case of Mary Clark Rechtiene, a volunteer and parishioner at The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist (aka the Savannah Cathedral) in Savannah, Ga.
While on a trip to Ottawa, Canada, Rechtiene purchased a pewter ornament of the Ottawa capitol building and thought, “Maybe we can sell something like this at the cathedral to make a little money,” she says. You see, the Savannah Cathedral, a Catholic organization that celebrates the Liturgy and is dedicated to enriching the spiritual lives of its parishioners while giving back to the Savannah community, is more than 100 years old, meaning there are always upkeep projects and renovations to be done for the building itself — not to mention the ministry costs, charitable works and Masses. Thus, the cathedral is always welcome to new ideas to raise monies, especially after a major renovation that shut down the cathedral for two years until its completion in 2000.
