One of the greatest joys in this business of consulting with Catholic schools, parishes and dioceses is meeting the many different people who make up the leadership of our Catholic institutions – bishops, pastors, superintendents, principals, presidents, development and advancement directors, board members, and many others. Although everyone has different situations and challenges, they all want the same thing: to see their Catholic institution(s) improve, stay alive, and thrive. Many go about it in many different ways – there’s boss management; there’s team management; there’s in-between management; there are those who are struggling to keep the doors open, and there are those who are way ahead of the ball game with many of the resources they need. A lot depends upon demographics; a lot depends upon history and culture; a lot depends upon if you have expertise in management.  And, some Catholic parishes and schools wonder if they’re even going to be around in another year.

When we look at today’s economy, the oil spill along the coast of the gulf states, the housing market, the unemployment rate, and other sobering factors, most of us can admit that we are in the midst of tough times.

In our consulting, workshops, and webinars we often find that so many Catholic leaders want things to be different – especially in terms of Sunday collections, more students, more parish families, more people participating in the Annual Fund, more donors to the capital campaign, more money in the endowment, more volunteers to “spread the people base,” more people participating in the fund-raisers, and the list goes on and on. With these demands and challenges, what usually follows are the directives from the pastor or the principal or the finance council or the board which say: more, more, more; improve, improve, improve; increase, increase, increase. And, many times with these new goals being laid down, there are no solutions on how to do it.

Two weeks ago, I had a development director from a Catholic K-12 school call me to say that he was new on the job. We spoke for a while, and one of the questions I asked him was, “Bob, what outcomes have you been directed to produce this 2010 – 2011 year?’

            He answered, having been on the job for 10 days, “Well, the board wants me to raise $250,000 in this year’s Annual Fund.”

            “Really?” I said. “How did the Annual Fund do last year?”

            “Well, it was the first year, and they raised right around $30,000.”

            “So,” I answered, “what you are telling me is that the board wants to see you increase the Annual Fund by 8x what was done last year. And, Bob, did they tell you HOW to go about doing this?”

            “No, they said that is what I was hired to do.”

            Unfortunately, that story is not uncommon – possibly the amount is, but the principle of that scenario remains the same.

            So, the question remains on the table: What is going to be different this year? What are those two quotes we use all the time? When you always approach a problem the same way, you will always end up in the same place. And, Insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting the results to be different.

Are you willing to take chances and try new things? Are you willing to invest money to make money? Are you willing to turn some things upside down and approach them brand new? Are you willing to move from “paper to people”? Are you willing to get up and get out of your office and really make something happen by talking, visiting and building relationships? Listed below are ten things that I would like to offer. Some may seem “far out” but they are not earth shattering. However, I will guarantee you one thing: Most Catholic institutions are not doing them. Why? Because they are different; some require money; most take time; and 75% of the people always say, “That will never work here; we’re different.”

 1. In your Annual Fund Drive this year, have the pastor, principal and/or president invite a total of 50 people one on one, “eyeball to eyeball” to participate with a gift of $1,000 or more.

 2. With either your board or parish council or advisory council, or whatever leadership group you have, request that they do three things:

• Each one call 6 people (parents, parishioners, alumni, etc.) per month and introduce themselves, say hello and ask if there is anything they (as Catholic leaders) can do for that parent or parishioner or alum.
• Each one invite 10 people/families throughout the year to attend a “fun event” at your parish and/or school.
• Each one invite 10 gifts to the Annual Fund in 2010 – 2011. This needs to be done eyeball to eyeball.

 3. If you are a parish school, host an Open House just for the parishioners of the parish – possibly after each Mass. Purpose is to say thank you and to also say, “Look at what we are doing with your subsidy.”

 4. Visit each new family coming into the parish and/or school in their home and have a “buddy” family assigned to each one to make that happen.

 5. Create your parish or your school’s own “Fan Page”on Facebook.

 6. Put together Business Packages in the Business Community Division of the Annual Fund. Instead of having every club, group, organization, sport, or whatever in your school/parish individually go after the businesses in your community, create packages whereby you, as a Catholic institution, will only invite them ONE TIME during the course of the year. Money can be distributed on a percentage basis. For example from a Louisiana parish/school:

 $10,000 Package

• Saints box seats (one game)

• Only name on Business Plaque — strategically located

• Festival banner in gym and gym lobby

• Name on stage in cafetorium

• Name recognition in St. XYZ publications

                        † Parish Bulletin                               Circulation @ ________

                        † Parish newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † School newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † Final Campaign Report               Circulation @ ________

• Lifetime pass to XYZ parish/school athletic events

 $5,000 Package

• Name on Business Plaque with other businesses

• Festival banner in gym and gym lobby

• Name on stage in cafetorium

• Name recognition in St. XYZ publications

                        † Parish Bulletin                               Circulation @ ________

                        † Parish newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † School newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † Final Campaign Report               Circulation @ ________

• Lifetime pass to St. XYZ athletic events

 $2,500 Package

• Name on Business Plaque with other businesses

• Name on stage in cafetorium

• Name recognition in St. XYZ publications

                        † Parish Bulletin                               Circulation @ ________

                        † Parish newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † School newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † Final Campaign Report               Circulation @ ________

• Lifetime pass to St. XYZ athletic events

$1,000 Package

• Name on Business Plaque with other businesses

• Name recognition in St. XYZ publications

                        † Parish Bulletin                               Circulation @ ________

                        † Parish newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † School newsletter                          Circulation @ ________

                        † Final Campaign Report               Circulation @ ________

• Lifetime pass to St. XYZ athletic events

 7. If you have not done so in over 18 months, re-work your website so the following things will be on:

• On-line giving
• Interactive communication
• Facebook icon leading people to your Fan page
• LinkedIn icon leading people to your LinkedIn page or your “group” on LinkedIn
• Twitter icon leading people to your Twitter page
• Blogger icon leading people to your blog
• You Tube videos

 8. Set the goal in engage over 100 “new” people into the life of your parish/school this year.

 9. Kick, scream or holler, but get your battery charged twice per year with professional growth opportunities. (workshops, webinars, classes, etc.)

 10. Get in touch with ISPD’s website (www.ispd.com) and explore ways we could be of service to you. Why spend three years on something when we could possibly get you there in one?

 So, what is going to be different this year? Afraid of the conflicts and the storms you may encounter?  I can almost guarantee that you will have to approach things from a different angle and from a different point of view if you are really going to make positive changes. Change can happen but you have to have realistic solutions and, as an old marine buddy of mine used to say, “You gotta make sure you put some fire to that piece of metal or else it ain’t gonna change into that shape you want it to bend.”

May your new shapes be bent to form new paths to new successes.

How many times have we heard the statement from Catholic school parents, alums, parishioners and others, “All they do is ‘nickel and dime’ us to death at that school. It is one fund-raiser after another, after another.”

Or, the potential $1,000 major donor to the parish/school Annual Fund says to the principal, “Bob, I would love to participate, but my wife just bought two raffle calendars for $100. We already gave.”

Or, the parents of the quarterback on the football team, who are potential $50,000 lead donors for the school’s capital campaign say to the president after he invites their gift, “Father, we would love to get involved, but we just gave $5,000 to the football program when Coach Stevens asked us to help pay for the new scoreboard.”

Stories like this go on and on in Catholic institutions. As we have said in recent newsletters, the financial model of tutition, subsidy and fund-raisers leaves a lot to be desired. Although we have explained it before, I do believe it is worthwhile to explain again: There is a huge difference between Fund-Raising $$$ and Development $$$. Let’s look.

Here at ISPD, when we speak of Fund-Raising $$$ we mean “buy and sell.” I am going to sell you a BINGO card, and you will buy it. I am going to sell you a raffle calendar or a Christmas tree or Christmas wrapping paper, or a Heath candy bar or a T-shirt or a raffle ticket or the sponsorship of the 18th hole of the golf tournament. These are special event fund-raisers – car washes, walkathons, washathons, etc. Most of the people who buy the ticket are not interested in the vision, mission, goals, and plans for the future of your Catholic parish and/or school. They simply want their wrapping paper.

Is there anything wrong with this?

No. However, it does become a problem when we do one fund-raiser right after another.

Now, let’s talk about Development $$$. This is philanthropic giving; this is stewardship; this is investing in your Catholic institution and expecting nothing in return. No wrapping paper, no candy, no popcorn. People who think this way invest in the annual fund, the capital campaign, the endowment campaign, the memorial gift program, and/or consider a planned gift for the parish. Buy/Sell vs. Being a Steward.

Yesterday here in New Orleans at Mount Carmel Academy, a number of Catholic leaders got together to discuss topics and presenters for the 2011 NCEA Convention here in the Big Easy next spring. We conferenced in Regina Haney at NCEA and Cathy Donahue with the National Alliance of Catholic School Marketing. One of the attendees was Ken Tedesco, president of De La Salle High School here in the uptown area of New Orleans.

A lot of the talk centered on CHANGE and the fact that if Catholic schools are going to prevail and not just survive we must start doing things that are quite different – namely not just depending on tuition, subsidy and fund-raisers. Ken got the ball rolling by telling the story of his first visit with his future-in-laws. It is a story whose theme is familiar: this is Ken’s version.

“The first time I was invited to my future in-laws’ house for Sunday dinner, they served a roast beef. I was engaged to their daughter and at the Sunday dinner I met my wife’s grandmother. When they served the roast beef I noticed that both ends were cut off. Unusual. So I asked my fiance’e if, when she made roast beef, did she cut off both ends. She said yes. I then asked my future mother in law if, when she made roast beef, did she, in fact, cut off both ends? She said, ‘Yes, of course I do’.

I then asked Grandma if when she made roast beef if she cut off both ends, and she said, ‘Of course I do’.

I then asked, Why would you cut off both ends of the roast beef?

She replied, ‘I never had a big enough pot’!”

For no apparent reason, we continue to do things without any reason, except, “That is the way we have always done it.” Parish and school fund-raisers are no different.

Over the past couple of months, as schools and parishes evaluate their 2009-2010 development efforts, in so many cases we hear the same thing: “We are doing too many fund-raisers, and we have no control over who does what. Plus, how in the world are we going to tell the band boosters that they can’t raise money, or tell the cheerleaders that they cannot hold bake sales and car washes? And, are you going to tell the athletic boosters that they can’t sell ads for the football program all over town?”

The sad thing is that this way of thinking is built around a year to year modus operandi. No plans, no vision, and no way for the investment processes like the Annual Fund to even breathe. And, the thought of a capital campaign amid all of this is way too much to think about. It will hardly get out of the blocks.

So, how do we break the cycle? How do we stop the short term thinking? How do we approach all of this from a systemic point of view? We have five suggestions for 2010-2011 school year.
    1. Visually, create a chart on poster paper. (I’ve actually taped four sheets of poster paper together). Using a chart, write down EVERY fund-raiser that your parish and/or school conducts. This includes all clubs, organizations, sports teams, school sponsored events, etc. On this chart have the following categories:

• Name of the fund-raiser
• Time of the year
• How long it took to organize and conduct
• Gross amount collected
• Net amount raised
• How many people it took to organize it
• Approximate number of  ”people hours” it took to make this event happen
• Who was asked for the money (Parents, Parishioners, Faculty and Staff, Students, Alumni, Friends and Others)

   2. Begin educationg your leadership groups of the present reality.

• Present this visual to them and explain the challenges.
• Have your boards, your coaches, your faculty/staff, your student leaders, your PTA, and others realize how harmful it is to “nickel and dime” people.
• Explain the differences between Catholic Development and Fund-Raising Events.
• Explain the need for change by all, and that by July 2011 you will have in place a process for groups, clubs, and organizations to apply to conduct a fund-raiser.
• Explain that you are going to center the development and/or advancement efforts around the Annual Fund and 3-4 excellent fund-raisers that: a. Raise good net dollars; b. Build new leadership; c. Bring people together.

   3. Put together a Screening Committee of 5 people who will screen, reject and/or approve all applications for clubs, groups, organizations to conduct fund-raisers during the 2011-2012 school year.

• Principal and/or Pastor and/or President
• Person working in development/advancement
• Parent leader
• Board member

   4. By April 15th, present the application form to all people at the parish/school, indicating that any and all applications need to be handed in by June 1, 2011.

   5. Have the Screening Committee meet during June and select the 3 or 4 fund-raising events that will be accepted for the next school year. Once again, the Annual Fund is NOT a “fund-raising event.” It is “Development $$$.”

The leaders of the schools and/or parishes who move in this direction (and it may take longer than one year) are also aware of the financial needs of the clubs and organizations. Oftentimes, percentages of the Annual Fund are devoted to those groups, and/or percentages of net dollars raised in the 3-4 fund-raisers are allocated to clubs and organizations. The bottom line is this: if ALL fund-raising efforts are not coordinated throughout the SYSTEM, then there is no way that the parish/school is going to be successful in moving forward with Development $$$ (Annual Fund, Capital Campaign, Major Gift work, etc.)

Change is onerous, and many times we don’t change unless the pain gets so severe that we are forced to change. Here at ISPD, we believe the pain in Catholic institutions is acute.

If old ways of thinking and doing the same old thing over and over again are allowed to prevail, we will continue to get the same short term results. New wine needs to be poured into new wineskins.

“Jesus told them of this parable, ‘No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins’.” -Luke 5:36-39

 This June 2010, ISPD will complete our 21st year as a national Catholic Development consulting company. By many standards, I guess we could say that we are now “adults” in the business world. If nothing else, I do believe that it qualifies us to offer a perspective that is valuable — what works and what does not work. Thus far, it has been a great journey through the ’90′s and the first ten years of the 21st century. We have met so many wonderful Catholic leaders, friends, and folks who make this ministry so rewarding. And yet, like all Catholic parishes and schools throughout the country, we need to stay on top of things; we need to be on the cutting edge; we need to offer quality and customer service that is second to none. We need to continue to offer the benefits that answer the questions: Why should we invest in ISPD? What return will we get back on our investment dollar?

Consulting is not the easiest business in which to operate today. The present economy; the “hit” that many Catholic parishes, schools and dioceses have taken and are taking from lack of enrollment; the decreases in Sunday collections; the lack of return on endowment investments; the small number of parish families who actually become involved in the life of their home parish; the number of financial leaders not having the resources they had 3-4 years ago; the new strategies that have to be deployed to make a capital campaign work — all of these point to challenges for everyone across the board. They all impact the bottom line and the amount of resources a parish and/or school has available. Fortunately, ISPD – having been alive and well for 21 years – has developed answers to address these challenges.

• Monthly newsletter on Catholic Development and Total Stewardship (back issues on website – 4,524 subscribers)
• Monthly newsletter on Enrollment Mangement (back issues on website – 4,305 subscribers)
• ISPD Position Papers on website stating the philosophy of Catholic Development
• Free Viewable CD: “Ripples in the Pond”
• Free Viewable DVDs: Seven 15 minute videos on Catholic Development and Stewardship topics (annual fund, stewardship, capitak campaigns, strategic planning, etc.)
• Enrollment Management library
• ISPD on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ispdpeople

ISPD Resources at Little Cost

• ISPD Webinars: $39.00 which includes a one hour Power Point presentation and a copy of the Power Point e-mailed within one week of the webinar
• NCEA/ISPD Webcasts: $20.00 – $40.00 pending on if a NCEA boards & councils member
• ISPD sponsored Workshops: $75.00 per person for a 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM workshop and this includes lunch and presentation materials

Obviously, while the above resources are available, we believe we offer the very best in on-site consulting where our partnership philosophy is all about “teaching you how to fish” rather than just “giving you fish.” Having taught in Catholic schools for over twenty years, I am proud that we titled this company Institute of School and Parish Development (Institute: an association organized to promote, educate, advance and lay the groundwork). We believe we have been doing that for 21 years and look forward to many, many more – working in partnership with you.

Bernard DuMond Named Vice-President of ISPD
It is with a great deal of pride that we announce that Bernard DuMond has been named Vice-President of the Institute of School and Parish Development. Bernard has been with ISPD for seventeen years, serving as our senior assoicate for the past ten. He has traveled extensively throughout the country having working with Catholic parishes, schools and dioceses from the west coast to the east coast. Bernard is one of the leading workshop presenters in the country, speaking often at the NCEA Convention, ISPD workshops, diocesan workshops, and on-site workshops. He has consulted in every process that ISPD offers and brings a great deal of expertise to the table in the areas of capital campaigns, strategic planning, diocesan planning, and implementation of long-range plans. Bernard will be launching a new division of ISPD this coming school year entitled “Resources and Revenue.” We congratulate our new vice-president!

Lessons Learned in Catholic Development
Over the many years we have been involved in Catholic Parish and School Development, there have been a lot of lessons that have been learned. This pencil mark on the door frame of our history allows me to the opportunity to share some of these lessons.

1. People really do want to become involved in the life of our Catholic parishes and schools, but they do need the personal invitation before they take that first step.
2. Raising money is not the “end” result of a Catholic Development effort; it is simply a step in the process of building that strong connection between the “steward” who shares the gifts and that Catholic institution.
3. The people engagement efforts of a parish and/or a school cannot be a “smokescreen” for money. Eventually, most people will see right through it.
4. The two greatest challenges we face in Catholic Development are: a. Opening up the roadways, avenues and vehicles to invite and involve people; and b. Constantly educating our boards, councils, staff, faculty, and Catholic institution leaders on what development is really all about. Most do not understand.
5. Development efforts should not be judged solely on the amount of money raised but on the amount of meaningfully engaged people there are in the life of your Catholic school or parish. And, this amount of people should grow by 10% – 15% every year.
6. A Catholic institution will generate as many resources as it deserves to generate, and what it deserves to generate will be in direct relationship to the quality of its people, programs, processes, planning and leadership.
7. Most Catholic Development efforts succeed because two major elements are always present: a. Outstanding leadership that is effective and engaged; and b. Attitudes that are always positive and affirming.
8. Development is like a vegetable or fruit garden. Great care and concern need to be taken in selecting and planting the seeds of what we wish to grow. The ground must be tilled and cultivated and fertilized and prepared for planting. Constant attention needs to be paid in making sure those seeds grow into plants and that they are watered and nourished and not allowed to be taken over by weeds. Each fruit or vegetable has a great deal to offer to the other ones on the vine if allowed to grow properly. When harvest time is here, whatever gifts that plant has to offer should be seen as only a step in the process of a long term relationship where that plant’s seeds can be used over and over again to bring more gifts for the future.
9. The word “gift” can mean many things in Catholic Development. Granted, it can mean money, but there are many who are willing to share Gifts of Prayer, Involvement, Expertise, Wisdom, Resources, Time and Talent. Money is one of many gifts, not the only one.
10. A Development Core Team of 15-18 people who work closely with the development officer(s) will greatly advance the Catholic Development efforts of any institution.

After 21 years of working with Catholic capital campaigns throughout the country, ISPD recently evaluated the differences between effective campaigns and ineffectve campagins. Using a cross section of 22 campaigns, the points listed below proved consistent. As a learning tool, this chart can be used to forewarn as weel as remind. Fortunately or unfortunately, there are no short cuts to an effective campaign. Everyone must step up, join the team and be a leader – starting at the top and filtering throughout the entire institution. Campaigns are a yardstick to measure quality.

Effective Approach

• Active, involved pastor/president/principal
• Clear case for support
• Organizational Plan is followed.
• Very best leaders are in place.
• Staff supports the campaign 100%.
• Consultant/coach/mentor in place
• Campaign materials are effective.
• Campaign grows out of long-range planning
• Effective Feasibility Study done in advance.
• Campaign leaders follow the advice of coaches.
• Proactive attitudes – feeling of “We can do this!”
• Excellent attendance at meetings
• All leaders willing to roll up their sleeves and work.
• Suggested timeline is followed.
• Campaign leaders give gifts right away.
• Organized and effective reporting system
• Communication system working across the lines
• Tight organizational structure with divisions
• Pacesetter divisions lead the campagin
• Right people are in the right divisions
• Effective Pacesetter Kick-Off Reception
• Public Kick-Off involves entire parish
• Personal approach is the norm.

Effective Results

• Campaign $$ goals are met.
• Campaign people goals are met.
• Parish, as a whole, feels sense of accomplishment.
• Stewardship of Offering increases.
• New leadership emerges.
• Planned Giving effort flows out of campaign.
• Donors are looking forward to tangible results.
• Groundbreaking is scheduled and used as visible proof of success.
• Development Office is seen as vital to the future
• Development Director has positive position in parish.
• Pastor is seen as the person who made this happen.
• Legacy is established for the future.
• Thoughts have already turned to future planning.
• Endowment is the next step.

Ineffective Results

• Adm. with limited involvement
• Unclear case for support
• Organizational Plan changes daily.
• Campaign leaders slow to give
• A lot of second-guessing
• Attitude is re-actionary.
• Leaders afraid to “ask for the order”
• Campaign/parish leaders always deferring to someone else
• Very little follow-up work is done.
• Lack of confidence in the leadership
• Reporting system not effective
• Invites not being done personally
• Many “dropped balls” b/c of lack of sustained commitment
• Procrastination is rampant.
• Communication system not working
• Not THE top priority to parish/school
• Not enough leaders engaged
• Too many chiefs, not enough Indians
• People not willing to make sacrificial gifts
• Recruiting people to help is difficult.
• Everything is driven by $$$$$$$.
• Campaign is seen as bothersome.

Ineffective Results

• Campaign does not reach goals.
• Feeling of failure
• A lot of finger pointing
• Struggle to decide where to spend $$$
• Campaign leaders looking to bail out
• People wondering what will happen
• Tentative environment is created.
• Development Office dissolves.
• Development Director position seen as not worth the money
• “Bunker” mentality pervades.
• “I told you so” attitudes prevalent
• Struggle to turn the effort into positive
• Total Stewardship not positioned well
• Database not clean
• Recovery and healing needed

CRISIS, CHALLENGE AND CHANGE:

THE REBIRTH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES PARISH

Dedication Ceremony: May 15, 2010

Beginning in 2001, a Steering Committee was commissioned by Father Adrian Hall to begin working on a Catholic Development, Total Stewardship, and planning process for Our Lady of  Lourdes. Many plans, many meetings, a new Site Master Plan for facilities, but on August 29th Hurricane Katrina came ashore and all plans and life, as we knew it, drastically changed.

The following weekend, Liturgy was celebrated on the corner of Berkeley and Westchester. Our church had been destroyed; the rectory, the Parish Life Center, the school, the gym, and the entire campus literally devastated. The next weekend, 10-15 parish leaders met at the home of Sid and Judy Hebert to begin planning the long journey back.

Liturgy was moved to the old gym; the school moved to the St. Margaret Mary campus for the 2005-2006 school year. Town Hall meetings were held after Mass, and yet pieces of normalcy were still hard to be found.

More formal meetings with parish leaders began in late October, and in November 2005 the architectural firm of Fountleroy and Latham was hired to assist with developing a Site Master Plan for the future.

We were faced with both short term and long term challeges.

• What buldings could be salvaged?
• What to do with the old church?
• What about portable structures for the school?
• Could we use the school cafeteria as our worship space?
• Where would we locate a new church?
• How much would it cost?
• Where would the money come from?
• What could we expect from the Archdiocese? From FEMA? From donors?
• What would we do with the old school?
• How many parish families would be coming back?
• What about the Parish Life Center and the rectory?

In December 2005, Father Hall formed a Buliding Committee to address these questions. And while all of this was going on, the clean up continued throughout the campus and throughout our neighborhoods.

On March 2006, Father Lipps and Father Kyle Dave joined OLL and the journey continued with parish leaders.

Over the next 6-8 months, negotiations continued with FEMA, portable buildings were moved on campus for the school, and Town Hall meetings continued as the means of communication.

On November 18 – 21, 2006, two site plan options for the OLL campus were presented to parish families at OLL, and in December 2006, a survey was conducted seeking input on whether the church would go in the middle of campus or at the end of Westchester. 62% said the end of Westchester, and 73% said to launch a campaign to help fund it.

In February 2007, we received permission from the Archdiocese to conduct a Financial Feasibility Study. It was determined that a campaign could generate between $1.8 – $2.2 million.

In June 2007, OLL got three pieces of great news from the Archdiocese:

• We were given permission to move forward with our new church.
• OLL would be given priority in dealing with FEMA
• We could go ahead and complete plans for the new school.

Campaign leadership was formed and on November 16, 2007, the Campaign kicked off to invite three gifts for the new church: the Gift of Prayer, the Gift of Service, and the Gift of Financial Participation.

Meanwhile, other parts of the campus continued to be re-shaped – by our parish families, by members of this community, and by very special parishes from other parts of the country who volunteered and gave so many resources. The Parish Life Center was renovated; the rectory was remodeled; the campus was cleaned. We also continued to worship in the old cafeteria; school continued in the portables; the old church and old gym had been torn down, and ever so slowly, a new OLL campus began to emerge.

The Pacesetter Phase of the Campaign wrapped up in early April of 2008, and the Public Phase kicked off on April 12th – 13th. Operation Homestretch! was held on November 1 – 2, 2008 and on May 16-17, 2009 we celebrated the success of our Campaign. 1,020 Gifts of Prayer, Involvement, and Financial Participation. And $2.2 million pledged!

There was wonderful news in Novemebr 2008: groundbreaking on the new church and school was held.

And now, the wait is over; the anticipation is nearing its end. One daywe will all look back at these past five years and talk about “the way things were back then” — when Mass was celebrated out on the street the weekend after Katrina, and the old gym was the place we welcomed back more and more families as they showed up weekend after weekend, and chaos was normal, and being a steward and a neighbor meant more than most any other time in our lives, and life as we knew it back in the Fall of 2005 was entirely different from the way we were in Spring of 2005. 

The road back has been a long one for so many individuas and so many families — some are still with us, others have moved on, and still others we keep in our prayers and memories. One glance around the campus today, and it is plain to see  that a lot of progress has been made — with the old buildings gone, and just a few left standing, the landscape of Our Lady of Lourdes has been changing every day for the past few years.

To heap praise on a few people or one group would be unfair — it has been a Lourdes Community effort. More than 95% of our parish families have participated in our Campaign; hundreds and hundreds have spread the news and the word of our mission throughout the country; committees and teams and ministries have met for thousands of hours since that fateful day in late August 2005 to bring us all to this one focal point in our history — the dedication of our new church. Thank you to those who drove, flew, and came to help us rebuild. And, thank you to the leaders of Our Lady of Lourdes – our pastors, and especially all of you, the parishioners — together we have built our place of worship for families of today and for many future generations. Yes, it is good to finally be home.

by

Frank Donaldson, ISPD President and

Bernard Dumond, ISPD Senior Associate

 In last month’s newsletter we began by stating, “The age-old model of trying to fund Catholic schools with tuition, subsidy, and fund-raisers is obsolete, ineffective and will cease to sustain our schools in the future.”

We went on to say, “We must stop the downward spiral of raising tuition when the budget does not balance, or telling the Development Office to increase the Annual Fund with no strategies on how to make that happen, or adding more fund-raisers, or freezing teachers’ salaries, or cutting out needed programs because they will throw off the budget.”

 We then offered seven suggestions that we referred to as Level One Focus:

1. Bishops and Catholic school leaders need to make a decision: Fully support Catholic schools and make them work using every possible resource OR let the strong survive.
2. Encourage Bishops to convene congresses, convocations, think-tanks in order to bring Catholic leaders together to solve the challenges we face in funding Catholic schools.
3. Make sure that Catholic schools are outstanding in all areas.
4. Catholic schools must build strong Faith Communities: the network that is touched by the mission of that Catholic school.
5. Catholic school leaders must engage every single Catholic family by personally interacting with them – understanding their needs, their gifts, their capabilities, and ways they wish to be involved.
6. Finance Councils must explore new frontiers.
7. ALL parishioners must be continually invited to witness the true value of a Catholic education and come to understand how Catholic schools are the greatest evangelizers of the Catholic faith to young people on a daily basis.

 With the above said, we now move to what we call Level Two Focus: What are specific funding strategies that could vastly improve this Age Old Model?

Here at ISPD we view this approach very much like a menu of options. When my family goes into a cafeteria or attends a pot luck at the parish, we may not all like the same offerings; some appeal more to me than to my wife or to my daughter. Same thing here. Because of a Catholic school’s history, culture, location, position in the community, budget demands, debt service, etc., each school will be different in terms of what will work, and what can be tried.                                                   

That being said, here at ISPD we believe that there are four sources that are equally responsible for the funding of Catholic schools – the family, the school, the parish and the diocese. With the age old model, the family is responsible for the following: paying tuition, paying fees, and supporting the fund-raisers. The school receives the tuition, gets subsidy of some kind (parish and/or state – possibly), runs the fundraising events and organizes the development efforts. Many parishes subsidize their schools – some with over 50% of their parish budget, and some (yet few) dioceses fund with investment income from an endowment for Catholic schools. All of this varies from diocese to diocese and even from deanery to deanery and school/parish to school/parish.

 Our stand is that we must open wide the doors to new opportunities. We must call all Catholic leaders together, knock down some guarded kingdoms, and realize there are options, menus, choices, and chances that must be taken in order for Catholic schools to survive.

 There is no silver bullet. We wish we could say that there was, but like one principal said recently, “You know, cost-based/needs-based tuition worked great in this neighboring diocese, but in our area, people hated it, so we just tabled it for now.” That is why it is so important to view the full menu, to realize that some of these items are new and will require a leap of faith. One thing we do know is what we have said for years, “The solutions that have gotten you to where you are today will not be the same solutions that will get you to where you want to be tomorrow.”

 Let’s look at each area and list the possibilities or the options of opportunities. Please understand with the four sources, there are a lot of crossover areas, and that is to be understood.

 1. The Family

• Continue with the traditional model of tuition, fees and supporting fund-raisers. This will be open for those families who can afford to attend that Catholic school.
• Open the Catholic school to every Catholic family who wants to receive a Catholic education. Enter into a true partnership between the school and the family through one on one conversations and visits and determine what is feasible in terms of what gifts that family can bring/afford:
  • Gifts in kind
  • Gifts of professional service
  • Amount of money that can be afforded for that child or those children’s education
  • Money they can raise through their own fund-raising efforts, after being educated on how to generate funds through workshops sponsored by the school
  • Invite to consider needs-based/cost-based tuition.

 2. The School

• Generate money through tuition, subsidy and fund-raising events.
• Put in place a vibrant development/advancement effort that will concentrate on:
  • Annual Fund
  • Capital Campaign
  • Endowment Growth
  • Planned Gifts
  • Memorial Giving
  • Major Gifts

• Educate and promote needs-based/cost-based tuition.
• Explore the viability of selling bonds to generate revenue.

 3. The Parish

• Offer subsidy to the Catholic school(s) based upon the number of students attending from that parish.
• Move to the Total Stewardship model where Catholic schools are made available for every Catholic family based upon the gifts (Prayer, Service, Finance) that the family offers to the parish. All gifts will have benchmarks that must be agreed upon by the family, the school and the parish. (Diocese of Wichita model)

 4. The Diocese

• Study and, if available and feasible, offer vouchers for families.
• Continue to understand, research and make available state and federal subsidies and grants.
• Launch a diocesan-wide capital campaign to build an endowment fund for Catholic schools (Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend) and fund every year.
• Research and consider charter-type schools with diocesan affiliation.
• Establish a Catholic school foundation (Seeds of Hope in Archdiocese of Denver) that will raise money every year to fund Catholic schools.
• Explore the financial value of new governance through systems, collaboration and/or regionalization.

 These are all options, and there is no “one size fits all.” But, these opportunities do provide different ways of looking at the available resources and revenues for Catholic schools. Now, the reader can hopefully see the value of Bishops convening congresses and convocations in order to introduce these options (and more) and discuss new solutions to age old challenges. We do have many opportunities if we will only break down the barriers of mediocrity and explore. Now is the time to call people together – all four entities – and make some crucial decisions.

 April 2010 Issue: Looking at new ways of funding our Catholic parishes 

Why do so many Catholic parishes believe that direct mail is the answer to filling the coffers? And then have the nerve to call it “stewardship.” True Stewardship is all about conversion, evangelization and engaging people into the life of their faith community as stewards of their many gifts — eyeball to eyeball, face to face. As long as we keep churning out letters and follow-up letters and sending pledge cards and trying to get people to increase or begin their offertory, we will continue to disguise and take our eyes off of solving the real challenge: Inviting All Catholics to Live a Life of True Stewardship.” Your comments?

by
Frank Donaldson, ISPD President
&
Bernard Dumond, ISPD Senior Associate

 The age-old model of trying to fund Catholic schools with tuition, subsidy, and fund-raisers is obsolete, ineffective and will cease to sustain our schools in the future. We must change the formula; it simply does not work. And, if Catholic leaders throughout the country do not address this head on, then more and more Catholic schools will fall by the wayside. When that happens, we will only be left with schools for the financially elite and those with powerful financial backing.

In addition, the ancient model of funding our parishes through Sunday collections (often given the title of “stewardship”), fairs and festivals, and pithy fund-raisers will continue to close parishes across the country. Hundreds have already put the padlock on the front doors, never to be opened again. And, these were Catholic churches that served generations of families who now worship in foreign pews.

 Thousands of Catholic parishes and schools are trying to survive with business plans and a financial infrastructure that has not really worked well since the late 1960’s. Is it possible that we are seeing the need for real, deep change? Is it possible that we are ready for a major transformation?

 We are told that the first step for any plan of recovery is to admit that something is wrong and to take responsibility for past actions. We pray we are able to do that. Why do we question? Because many continue to look to old solutions to answer the same old questions: we raise tuition; we increase the number of fund-raisers; we put more demands on Development/Advancement/Stewardship directors; we send out more letters asking for offertory increases; we build larger churches that put us further into debt; we drain the parish coffers; we charge hundreds of extra dollars in fees because we don’t want to call it tuition; we ‘nickel and dime’ our parents to death; and, we call ourselves a “Total Stewardship” parish because we have a sign on our front lawn proclaiming that fact when our “Stewardship Corner” in our Sunday bulletin shows only the amount of money collected during the previous weekend.

Cynical? Pessimistic? Perhaps. But hopefully we are getting your attention. And, if we are honest with ourselves, a lot of what we state above is true all across America. This needs our immediate attention. Here at ISPD we are committed to devoting key resources as we take this challenge across the country.

 In this month’s newsletter, let’s talk first about Catholic schools.

 Are there people out there leading the charges? Yes! We only need to look at the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend and what Bishop John M. D’Arcy did in establishing an endowment for Catholic schools. ISPD just finished an 18 month study and planning process in the Diocese of Madison, WI, and the recommendations that are on the table will challenge the entire diocese to look at funding in an entirely different light. We can also study the commitment to Catholic education in the Archdiocese of Chicago and also look at the Archdiocese of Baltimore and the planning done there. Look at what has been going on in the Diocese of Wichita for years.

 And yet, it is alarming that approximately 1200 Catholic schools have closed since 2000. It is time we face reality: we have a serious problem. One quote always comes to mind that we state quite often in ISPD workshops, “We can assure you that the solutions that you used to get you to where you are today will not be the same solutions you will need to use to get you to where you want to be tomorrow.”

 The ultimate question then is, “What is the answer?” Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet. But there are answers; there are solutions. At least here at ISPD we believe so. But, it will demand that we change how we operate.

 In his address to the John Carroll Society in January of this year, Reverend Joseph M. McShane, S.J., President of Fordham University said the following. (Selected comments in italics)

 A. First Thesis: The challenges that Catholic education has faced and overcome in the past fifty years will pale in comparison to the challenges that it will face in the next fifty years. Reason: the cost of maintaining the system will become more burdensome as the last of the post-World War II generation of religious personnel retires. This will tax the will of the Catholic community as it has never been taxed before.

 B. Second Thesis: The Catholic school system will survive and thrive only if the American Church displays the wisdom that it showed in the 19th and early 20th centuries. This thesis has several sub-theses:

1.  First Corollary: The American Catholic School System will survive and thrive only if the Church is clear about and stresses the values that the system offers to its people.
2.  Second Corollary: The American Catholic School System will thrive only if the Church recognizes that it is a community of communities–and that the needs of the various communities that it is called to serve are different.
3.  Third Corollary: Building on the insight contained in the second corollary, we can say that the American Catholic School System will thrive only if it is responsive to the diverse cultural backgrounds and needs of the Church’s people–as it was in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

 C. Third Thesis: The American Catholic School System will survive and thrive only if it is able to believe in, nurture and build community-based schools in which ownership is shared by the parish community, the school faculty and the parents.

 D. Fourth Thesis: We have to recognize, celebrate and capitalize on the fact that Grace builds on nature. It is only if we recognize this that we will regain a foothold or retain the foothold that we already have in the hearts, minds and lives of middle-class and upper–middle-class and upper-class Catholics. What do I mean? Simply this. In the pluralistic and competitive environment in which Catholics live, successful Catholics have a dazzling array of choices for their children. Therefore, Catholic schools–from pre-K to colleges–have to be remarkably successful in the work that they do. If they are, they will be magnets for families who are looking for the brand that will make it possible for their children to be successful in life. And there, my friends, is where the schools can become instruments of evangelization.

 E. Fifth Thesis: The American Catholic School System will thrive only if it is seen as such a great, transcendent and transforming instrument of both grace and personal enrichment (and hence a real value) that the Church’s people will invest in it.

 For so long, Catholic schools have depended upon the same sources of revenue — mainly tuition, parish subsidy, and fund-raising events. In the 1980’s, Catholic School Development came into the picture and Development offices were opened all across the country – mainly on the high school level. Catholic schools then saw additional revenue from Annual Funds and more sophisticated fund-raising events. A few even moved into Planned Giving, Major Gift work, and some focused on building an Endowment. Capital Campaigns were launched, but some were not planned well and ended up stepping on the toes of the other revenue efforts and sought financial support only from those who were already giving in other areas.

 We must stop the downward spiral of raising tuition when the budget does not balance, or telling the Development office to increase the Annual Fund with no strategies on how to make that happen, or adding more fund-raisers, or freezing teacher salaries, or cutting out needed programs because they will throw off the budget. How? Well, let’s use this newsletter to offer ISPD Suggestions on what we will call Level One Focus.

• Suggestion 1: Bishops and Catholic school leaders need to make a decision: Fully support Catholic schools with every available resource (financial, community, personnel, and parish) and make the system work in their diocese. Or, make the decision that Catholic schools are simply another ministry in the diocese and only the strong will survive. If the first stance is taken then we believe that we must make Catholic education available and affordable to all children of any parish family who desires it. And, parish schools and regional schools and merged schools must be led by laity and pastors who strongly believe in the value of Catholic education and will only accept prevailing and not just surviving.
• Suggestion 2: Although there are many excellent discussions, documents, and initiatives on the national level with NCEA and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, we believe that it is imperative that Bishops convene congresses, convocations, think-tanks, or whatever we wish to call them and bring the Catholic leaders from their diocese together to create solutions to the challenges that they face in their particular diocese. (In the March newsletter, we will suggest what we will call Level Two Focus which will be a menu of solutions from which to study and hopefully implement). Just like the early U.S. Catholic school system began with strong ownership and engagement of all of its stakeholders, these decisions and priorities in 2010 and beyond must be the same. We need grass roots input. We need to build stronger ownership of our Catholic schools.
• Suggestion 3: Catholic school leaders must do everything humanly possible to make sure that their schools are outstanding in the following areas:
  • Strong Catholic identity
  • Commitment from Leadership: Pastors and Principals
  • Clear Mission, Vision, and Values
  • Excellent curriculum and programs
  • Long-Range planning
  • Very best faculty and staff
  • Effective Community Partnership
• Suggestion 4: Catholic school leaders must do everything they can to build a Faith Community by inviting, involving and engaging people every step of the way. This Faith Community is not just the faculty, staff, parents and students. This Faith Community is the network of the hundreds of people who touch and are touched by the mission of that Catholic school – the alumni, the parishioners, the past parents, the broader community, the feeder sources, the friends, and others.
• Suggestion 5: Catholic school leaders must engage every single Catholic family by giving them the individual time and attention and by meeting personally with them on the front end of the relationship and throughout the span of that family’s involvement with that Catholic school. Catholic school leaders must come to fully understand what that family’s needs are, what gifts they are capable of sharing, and what they are able to do to help finance their child(ren)’s education.
• Suggestion 6: With the above five suggestions as the focus, Finance Councils must have the courage to explore new frontiers and have persistence in creating new funding models.
• Suggestion 7: ALL parishioners must be invited to see the true value of a Catholic education and come to understand how Catholic schools are the greatest evangelizers of the Catholic faith to young people on a daily basis.

Now is the time for real, deep change. We are faced with a set of complex issues that have been brought on by many factors — among them the loss of religious in our schools; demographic and population shifts; marketplace competition from public, private, charter, and home-school options; rising costs of technology personnel and facilities; and the present economy in which we live.

Through this and future ISPD newsletters, workshops, consults, webinars, blogs, and presentations, ISPD will illustrate some real solutions. We encourage you to embrace these challenges for Catholic schools as we move into the second decade of the 21^st century. We must stand up and not be afraid of change; we must face the future with boldness, conviction, patience and prayer. The heartbeat of Catholic schools depends upon us all.

 March 2010 ISPD Newsletter:
Specific Funding Strategies Guaranteed to Change the Age Old Model

by

Frank Donaldson, ISPD President

As Jim Henderson from WWL Sports Radio here in New Orleans said on Sunday night, “Pigs have flown; hell has frozen over, Buddy D is taking dress measurements in heaven, ‘cause the Saints are going to the Super Bowl!”

 A lot has been written in the past few days about the incredible overtime win the New Orleans Saints had over the Minnesota Vikings this past Sunday, January 24^th. Being a long-time Saints fan for 43 years, when Hartley’s field goal sailed between the uprights, even though my head was down and my eyes were closed, I felt part of something that was indeed hard to describe. Like all Saints’ fans, everybody’s got a story.

Our family’s history goes back to that first game at Tulane Stadium on September 17, 1967, when, on the opening kickoff, John Gilliam ran the ball back 94 yards for the first Saints’ score. That was probably the only highlight we could point to for years and years. We endured season after season of disappointments, and our only mantra was, “Maybe next year.” We did get excited when Archie Manning rolled out to pass, and Dalton Hilliard slashed through the line. We even yelled and screamed when the Saints, under Jim Mora, started out one year on a seven game winning streak. But hopes were dashed so many times, because at the end of the season we were never in that number. We even took to wearing paper bags on our heads, and our beloved sports announcer Buddy Diliberto (Buddy D) said he would wear a dress if the Saints ever made it to the Super Bowl. (Buddy recently passed away, and Bobby Hebert – a former Saint and now radio personality – will step in and step forward in a black and gold tutu this Sunday).

 And so, in this town of so many Catholics, the Saints (so named because of its birthday being on All Saints Day) through good and bad, terrible and atrocious, became interwoven into the fabric of the people of this region. We all felt we belonged to a team that was like our problem child – false promises at best, catastrophic disappointments at worst. And when we were down the most, Katrina came.

 The New Orleans Superdome, the very place of despair, death and destruction 4 ½  years ago, became a lighthouse on Poydras Street this past Sunday – where we were led out of the storm, invited to be the 12^th man in the stands, and then brought forth to bathe in the glory of victory on a Sunday night when many thought defeat was still hanging around knocking at our door. The Saints are really going to the Super Bowl.

 It is this feeling, this connection, this bond that I wish to talk about in this issue of Development Directions. Over the past 48 hours, I have asked myself over and over again, “What makes this relationship so special? Why do so many people feel like they belong to the New Orleans Saints? Why is this team fast becoming America’s team with fans throughout the world? Why was this game the most watched TV program since the last Seinfeld show?”

 There are many answers, and many conjectures, but I’ve got my beliefs. I strongly believe that people – young and old; rich and poor; Asian and Hispanic; black and white; Cajun and Creole – really feel an integral part of this team. The team belongs to us, and we belong to the team; we are the 12^th man – whether in the stands, hosting a party at home, sitting in a bar on Bourbon Street, or quietly watching and screaming at the TV or radio by ourselves at home. Belonging leads to believing, and we believe.

 As we begin 2010, Catholic parishes and schools face many challenges. In our long-range planning sessions, input sessions, in-services with boards and council, and work with administrators and development/advancement stewardship officers, it usually all comes down to the following seven areas Catholic leaders are most concerned about:

• How to engage young people into the life of our Catholic parishes;
• How to maintain and/or increase enrollment in our Catholic schools;
• How to involve the 70% not involved in the life of our Catholic parishes;
• How to balance the budget – for parishes and schools;
• How to develop and create new sources of revenue so our Catholic parishes and schools can advance and grow;
• How to identify, educate and integrate new leaders into the life of our Catholic parishes and schools;
• How to integrate a vibrant Total Stewardship process into the life of our parishes.

 If we look at all of these challenges — and they are quite daunting when viewed as an entire list — what goes to the heart of solving them? Using the Saints’ analogy, all Catholic parishes and schools need a “12^th man.” We are not going to fully engage young people unless we can reach them with and through their peers; we are not going to attract enough new families without Parent, Student and Alumni Ambassador Teams that make those looking at us feel wanted and needed; we are not going to engage the 70% uninvolved without inviting the 30% involved to help us and work with us; we will not be able to balance the budget unless people – involved and those yet to be engaged with us – believe in our mission, vision and values; we will not be able to encourage people to objectively view new sources of revenue unless they begin to view themselves as stewards of their Catholic school or parish; we will not be able to identify and engage new leaders unless the present ones open the doors and really invite others’ input and wisdom; and, we will not be able to have our parish families live a life of True Stewardship unless we have an educational, planning and invitation process that allows them to see themselves as the “12^th” man on the parish and/or Catholic school Team.

With our e-mail newsletter Development Directions, we will be taking these 7 Challenges listed above and doing two things: 1. Explaining what they are and what they mean to Catholic institutions; and 2. Offering solutions that are relevant, creative and being used by some parishes and schools throughout the country. Here is the schedule:

• February 2010: Creating New Sources of Revenue for Catholic Parishes and Schools — Part I
• March 2010: Creating New Sources of Revenue for Catholic Parishes and Schools: Part II
• April 2010: Maintaining and/or Increasing Enrollment in Your Catholic School
• May 2010: Engaging Young People into the Life of Our Catholic Parishes
• June 2010: Integrating a Vibrant Total Stewardship Process in Our Catholic Parishes – Part I
• July 2010: Integrating a Vibrant Total Stewardship Process in Our Catholic Schools – Part II
• August 2010: Involving the 70% Not Involved in Our Catholic Parishes
• September 2010: Identifying, Educating and Integrating New Leaders in Our Catholic Schools and Parishes – Part I
• October 2010: Identifying, Educating and Integrating New Leaders in Our Catholic Schools and Parishes – Part II
• November 2010: Balancing the Parish Budget – A New Look
• December 2010: Balancing the Catholic School Budget – Breaking Old Habits

(If you know of other Catholic leaders who would benefit from any of the above topics, please invite to go to our website (www.ispd.com) and sign up for our free newsletters).

  As I sit here this morning, after listening to talk radio for an hour on my drive into the office and then to the airport, I am reminded once again of the power of inclusion. I listened to twenty people call in this morning and address the two questions that were on the morning line: “How far back does your family’s history go with the New Orleans Saints?” And, “When Hartley’s kick sailed through the uprights, what did/does this victory mean to you and your family?” Many of the answers were emotional because they reflected on a time in the past when moms and dads and brothers and sisters were alive – mostly pre-Katrina. And, through it all, many showing the cultural mix of this New Orleans melting pot, there was that bond, that relationship, where they were part of the team and the team was part of them – intricately woven into the threads of both tapestries. If only more Catholic institutions could develop that bond . . .