Client Spotlight: Catholic Charities of Dallas
Jerry F. Smith firmly believes that there is no shortage of money for donations, but that donors are looking for big, bold investment opportunities. This core principle of fund-raising is evident in Catholic Charities of Dallas' current endowment campaign.
In November of 2008, Catholic Charities of Dallas launched Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, a Campaign for Catholic Charities Endowment Trust. To date, the agency has raised almost $7 million. The organization is looking to build upon that success with more gifts and pledges in the coming months from the Dallas community.
The success of the campaign cannot be attributed to a mere handful of big donors. In fact, the majority of pledges have been $50,000 or less. These gifts account for one-third of the total raised to date. Despite the current economic environment, Catholic Charities of Dallas' supporters are digging deep to find a way to support this very important family service agency.
The agency has over 163 associates. These individuals, from all walks of life, have varying gift capabilities, including many below the poverty line. Yet every single staff member has made a gift or pledge to the endowment campaign, illustrating their dedication to the success of the cause.
"The very existence of Catholic Charities has been supported by the grace of God and the unwavering commitment of its supporters, volunteers and staff," says Sister Mary Anne Owens, SSND, Executive Director. "Even those without abundant wealth are finding a way to support our mission."
Catholic Charities of Dallas' endowment will provide the stable funding required to meet the needs of a rapidly growing diocese and will help fulfill the mission.
- Ensuring that Catholic Charities will not waiver in its basic services of finding an adoptive home for a child, providing a meal for the hungry, sharing companionship with the elderly, empowering the vulnerable with self sufficiency, training the under- and unemployed and advocating for the poor.
- Providing long-term funding for current programs, which guarantees consistent service to those in need year after year.
- Allowing Catholic Charities to continue to expand its services into additional areas.
The generous financial response to Catholic Charities' solicitations is a great example of one of the basic principles in fund-raising: If donors believe in an organization's mission statement, they will give.
Do your constituents believe in your organization's mission statement?
