The Petrus Development Show: Recent Episodes
Petrus Development
On the Petrus Development show we discuss fundraising in the religious sector with those who are doing it best.
Whether you are currently working in development, looking to start or relaunch a development program, or just curious about best practices this is the show for you!
Hosted by Andrew Robison, president of Petrus Development.
We're back with something different this week! We just hosted our first Virtual AI Summit at Petrus, and we're excited to share the panel discussion with you on the Petrus Development Show.
As AI becomes more prevelant in our lives, Andrew and Petrus leaders a lot of time discussing the role of AI in Catholic fundraising. Specifically, how can we, as faithful Catholics, use AI for good? This panel discussion unpacks how Catholic fundraisers can approach AI responsibly in light of Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas.
Panelists discuss:
- Their own journey of learning and using AI
- Their biggest takeaway is from Magnifica Humanitas
- Whether the Catholic church is ready to embrace AI
- Predications about where AI is heading in coming months and years
Welcome back to the Petrus Development Show! Andrew and Rhen return to tackle a topic no leader looks forward to: knowing when it's time to let a fundraiser go.
As expected, they're not advocating for a quick, emotional decision. Andrew and Rhen are firm that firing should always come after real effort, coaching, and correction. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, the kindest thing you can do — for your fundraiser, your team, and your mission — is to respectfully cut ties.
Andrew walks through the specifics: how to recognize when it's truly time, what to do before making the call, and what to do after. Your pre-decision groundwork helps you figure out whether the issue is a training gap or a fit issue. Your post-decision follow-through is what lets you communicate the change clearly and compassionately to your staff, donors, and community.
The bottom line: letting a fundraiser go doesn't have to mean burning bridges. When done with care, the transition can protect your mission and everyone involved.
Working in Catholic fundraising means your faith and your job are deeply intertwined, and that means it's sometimes surprisingly hard to clock out. When does prayer become work prep? How do you say no to your parishioner requests on your day off? Where does the professional ministry end and the personal faith life begin?
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen draw on their years of experience in Catholic development to candidly discuss these tensions. They share the struggles they've faced, the boundaries they've learned to set, and the strategies that have helped them protect their personal lives without losing their love for the mission.
Andrew and Rhen return to tackle a question that every fundraiser wrestles with: is the traditional 9-to-5, 40-hour workweek realistic in this profession? And if not, what should fundraisers do instead?
Andrew offers practical guidance on how fundraisers can build both balance and effectiveness into their professional lives. The reality of fundraising often means stepping outside standard office hours. Donors may only be available in the evenings, and galas or other events frequently fall on weekends. Andrew encourages fundraisers to embrace the flexibility their role demands, not just in when they work, but in how they rest and recharge as well. He also shares how building trust and setting clear expectations with ministry leadership will be foundational for successfully navigating an unpredictable schedule.
Andrew and Rhen also introduce an exciting summer opportunity from Petrus: the Summer Coaching Sprint. This program helps fundraisers and development teams create sustainable schedules, build out actionable plans, and sharpen their skills
Join Andrew and Rhen, two veteran fundraisers, as they have a fun chat about the advice they'd give themselves if they could turn back the clocks to when they first started fundraising. They offer this advice to new fundraisers, just getting started in their careers, in hopes that it'll encourage and offer reassurance.
Core themes during their chat include the importance of bold, specific asks (since a "no" is often just a delayed "yes"), building a fundraising operation where annual giving and major gifts work together, keeping messaging simple and repetitive, and leaning on professional networks and mentors rather than going it alone.
And, if you're looking for structured professional development opportunities this summer, check out Petrus's Summer Coaching Sprint. Spend 3 months this summer with a Petrus coach and receive fundraising advice, mentorship, and more!
It's time to talk books! 📚
In this episode of the Petrus Development Show, Andrew and Rhen swap their usual fundraising advice for something a little more relaxed: their all-time favorite non-fiction reads. This episode offers a summer reading list from two people who've actually put these books to work — in their professional lives and in their personal lives.
From effective business and marketing strategies to personal growth game-changers, Andrew and Rhen share details of how their favorite books made a difference in their lives. Settle in with your coffee and a pen and paper and make a list of books to add to your summer reading list. There's something for everyone!
🌟 And, if you're looking for structured, summertime professional development, check out Petrus's newest coaching option, our Summer Coaching Sprint. Join us for 3 months of coaching calls and access to Petrus resources, and you'll end spring with your fall fundraising plan ready to go. For more info, click HERE.
Rhen is back on the Petrus Development Show with an exciting guest along for the ride. Meet Jenni Reamer, Petrus coursewriter and fundraising educator, who joins Rhen for a candid, thoughtful conversation about one of the most daunting challenges in the nonprofit world: building a fundraising program from scratch.
Drawing from her firsthand experience launching a fundraising program for a college campus ministry, Jenni gets real about the highs, the lows, and everything in between. What kept her going when things got tough? What surprised her most along the way? She shares it all — and her biggest takeaway might just be the encouragement you need to hear: fundraising has a system. With the right training and processes in place, even first-time fundraisers can find their footing and thrive.
If you want to dive deeper into the building blocks of a successful fundraising program, consider joining the Petrus BOAT Program this summer. As Rhen and Jenni break it down, BOAT is all about understanding how fundraising activities connect — and how smart strategy and intentional planning can make a real difference in your results. Don't miss it!
Welcome back! In our previous episode, we explored why every organization needs a fundraising leadership committee (and how to form one!), but now it's time to answer the question that really matters: What do you actually do with one?
Matt joins Rhen again this week to dig into the nuts and bolts of ongoing committee management. Building your leadership committee is just the beginning. The real work starts when they show up to serve.
As Matt emphasized last time, this is a working committee. Members are expected to share potential donor names, make meaningful introductions, and help organize cultivation events — but none of that happens effectively without the right training.
Matt shares his go-to training methods, the most common leadership committee mistakes he's witnessed firsthand, and practical advice for handling members who aren't pulling their weight. Whether you're building from scratch or breathing new life into an existing committee, this episode is for you.
What makes a great leadership committee — and who should be on it? In this week's episode, Rhen sits down with special guest Matt Bond to unpack one of the more beneficial, yet confusing, structures in fundraising. Whether it's called an advisory committee, a fundraising committee, or a capital campaign committee, don't get hung up on the name — the function is what matters.
Rhen and Matt dig into the ideal size, scope, and makeup of an effective committee. They get specific about who belongs at the table, and as Rhen summarizes, it likely comes down to three things: faith, influence, and affluence. Matt also pulls back the curtain on the common mistakes leaders make — the kind that can quietly undermine even the most well-intentioned committee.
And just when you think you have the full picture, Rhen ends the episode on a cliffhanger. This episode covers the roles and responsibilities of leadership committee formation, but tune in next time for a deep dive into day-to-day committee management.
Every capital campaign hits rough patches — but what separates the ones that succeed from the ones that stall out for good? In this episode, Andrew and Rhen dig into that very question. Andrew draws on his experience to identify the telltale signs that a campaign is in trouble, explore why momentum fades, and offer a practical roadmap for leaders ready to course-correct. It's an honest, encouraging conversation that reminds us: bold leadership and candid dialogue can breathe new life into even the most stuck campaign.
In this episode of the Petrus Development Show, Rhen sits down with Andrew for a practical and motivating conversation about how to finish your fiscal year strong — or, if your year is just beginning, how to start it with real intention.
As summer approaches, it's the perfect time to pause and take stock: Are you hitting your professional goals? How are your lead measures tracking? This episode is your nudge to check in before you fall behind.
Andrew shares why short-term goals — ones you can realistically complete within a month or two — are so powerful, and why every fundraiser should keep a close eye on their lead measure activity. Successful fundraising comes down to consistent donor calls and visits, and building in a quarterly 100-day review gives you the chance to course-correct while there's still time to make a difference.
Andrew and Rhen are back with another practical, how-to episode — and this time, they're hitting the road. That's right, fundraisers travel. A lot. And since most of that travel revolves around meeting donors face-to-face, knowing how to plan well can make the difference between a productive trip and a exhausting one.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen share their recommendations for planning strategic, efficient work travel in your role as a fundraiser. How do you decide who to meet and when? How many meetings can you realistically fit into a day? And which meetings are worth prioritizing when you're on the road? They cover all of that, and they also discuss the value of spontaneity and flexibility when cancellations happen and gaps appear in your schedule.
Whether you're an experienced road warrior or just starting to build your travel rhythm, this episode includes with best practices to help you make the most of every trip.
Welcome back to the Petrus Development Show! In this episode, Andrew and Rhen share their experiences with AI for fundraisers, highlighting practical tools and strategies to transform your development office.
Are you new to using AI in your work? Perfect—this is your starting point. Andrew and Rhen reveal their favorite tools and offer examples of how they're using AI to save time and boost results.
And, yes, AI can feel intimidating. But, here's the truth: it's not here to replace the heart of fundraising—donor relationships. Instead, it eliminates tedious tasks that steal your time, freeing you to focus on what truly matters: mission-driven work and meaningful relationships.
Happy 2026! Are you looking to strengthen your fundraising this year? Andrew and Rhen are back with a practical episode on metrics and goal setting that goes beyond typical New Year's resolutions.
In this episode, they break down the key metrics fundraisers should track to build a stronger program—including the important difference between lead measures (what predicts success) and lag measures (what shows results). Andrew shares realistic benchmarks for dollars raised, donor meetings, communication frequency, database growth, and more.
Whether you're new to tracking metrics or refining your approach, this episode will help you focus on the numbers that actually drive fundraising growth.
And if you want to learn more about fundraising metrics and development strategies, join us at an upcoming Petrus RAISE workshop! Texas, we're headed your way first—sign up now!
December is crunch time for nonprofits. With a third of annual giving happening in the final weeks of the year, your development office can't afford to relax (yet!) for the holidays. Join Andrew and Rhen as they share three strategic moves to maximize your year-end fundraising. While the strategies they discuss are simple and inexpensive, they will require some time and thoughtfulness. Don't wait until the end of the month to scramble for strategy. Listen now and set yourself up for success.
Andrew and Rhen close out their capital campaign series by tackling a question many nonprofits don't think about until it's too late: What happens after you hit your goal?
Please take note - the work isn't over! Yes, take time to celebrate (pop that champagne!), but the real opportunity lies in what you do next. This is your chance to transform one-time campaign donors into loyal, long-term supporters of your annual fund.
Andrew and Rhen break down the essential tasks for transitioning out of campaign mode, including how to ensure those pledges actually turn into payments. Their advice centers on two key strategies: consistent communication and donor education. Invest in your donors now, and they'll invest in your mission for years to come.
For the pledge redemption resource Rhen mentioned in the episode, check out our Petrus website by clicking HERE.
The moment you've been waiting for is finally here—let's dive into the heart of capital campaigns! In this episode, Andrew and Rhen discuss the details of campaign execution, breaking down the two critical campaign phases: the silent phase and the public phase. While the two phases are equally important, they serve different strategic purposes.
To highlight these differences, Andrew takes you on a deep dive into both campaign phases, and he answers the questions every fundraiser needs to know:
* How long will each phase actually take? (Spoiler: it varies more than you think!)
* What should you expect at various points of the campaign?
* Should you set internal short-term goals to keep momentum?
* What should you do if and when things don't go as planned?
Andrew and Rhen close this episode with some wisdom from heir own personal experiences. Capital campaigns are grueling. Andrew doesn't sugarcoat it: this might be the toughest challenge of your fundraising career. But, when you cross that finish line, you'll look back on it as one of the most rewarding professional experiences you've ever had.
Are you interested in Petrus's free resource comparing the silent campaign phase to the public one? If so, click HERE to download our summary chart.
Welcome back for part 2 of our 4-part series on all things capital campaigns! Last week, Andrew and Rhen explored feasibility studies. This week, they're tackling the critical preparation phase—that crucial period between your feasibility study and your first campaign ask.
As Andrew emphasizes throughout this episode, the preparation phase is about winning the game on paper. This is when your organization strategizes, prepares, and researches. Andrew and Rhen walk through every strategic and administrative thing that needs to happen before you make your first public campaign ask. Skip this phase, and you risk missing critical details, approaching donors unprepared, or worse! Like the feasibility study, this phase is an investment in your long-term success. Don't shortcut it—your campaign depends on getting this right.
To access Petrus's campaign preparation guide that Rhen mentions in the episode, please click HERE.
Join Andrew and Rhen as they kick off an 4-part series that walks you through every stage of capital campaigns—from those critical first steps of the feasibility study to post-campaign transition back to your annual fund. Whether you're considering a campaign or just curious about the process, this series has everything you need to make informed decisions for your organization.
Show Notes:
Before you start asking for major gifts, there's one crucial step that can make or break your campaign: the feasibility study. Andrew and Rhen share the reasons why Petrus consistently recommends this research phase—and why skipping it could be a costly mistake.
A feasibility study gives you concrete data to answer the big questions: Is now the right time? Can we realistically reach our goal? What do our donors think of our proposed project? A feasibility study is an important investment in your campaign's success, and it helps organizations make smart, strategic capital campagin decisions from day one.
If you'd like our free resource on feasilbity studies, please click HERE.
Join Andrew as he reflects on how Catholic Social Teaching (CST), rooted in Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical Rerum Novarum, fundamentally transforms his approach to fundraising. Andrew shares a bit of the history of CST from Rerum Novarum to the present, and he explores how the CST values of human dignity, justice over charity, and solidarity over transactional relationships affect his work as a development professional. (And, his personal volunteering priorities!)
Andrew concludes by acknowledging that, while applying CST principles can be challenging, their value to fundraisers is clear. As fundraisers, we invite donors to recognize that their willingness to give funds promotes solidarity and builds God's kingdom here on earth.
If you'd like to refer to the article Andrew mentions in the podcast, you can find it on our Petrus blog HERE.
It seems obvious that communities should help their members in need, but —but is it really? The reasons behind our philanthropic impulses have shifted dramatically throughout American history, and they're shaped by the social ideals and influential figures of each era.
- Why (and how) do we care for those who struggle?
- What makes American philanthropy unique compared to other countries?
- How did we develop our particular approach to caring for community members who struggle?
Join Andrew and Rhen as they explore these questions through the lens of United States history. Andrew's passion for both philanthropy and the past guides listeners through the distinct phases of American giving—revealing how we arrived at today's charitable landscape and what drove us there.
It's back-to-school season, which means development teams are mapping out their fundraising calendars—and facing the same ol' dilemma. Do you throw a glitzy gala for 500 people, or host intimate wine tastings in board members' living rooms?
Big events look impressive on paper (and in those Instagram posts). But, here's what most organizations don't calculate: the hidden costs of staff burnout, volunteer fatigue, and months of planning that could be spent actually building relationships with donors.
Andrew makes a compelling case for why he's ditching the ballroom for the living room. Spoiler alert: It's not just about saving money—it's about creating genuine connections that turn one-time attendees into lifelong supporters.
This week, Andrew and Rhen are stepping away from the usual fundraising how-tos to explore something deeper: the real difference between charity and philanthropy.
Turns out, these terms aren't interchangeable after all. While we often use them as synonyms, Andrew explains why that's actually doing our ministries a disservice. Each approach represents a fundamentally different way of creating impact, and understanding the distinction could reshape how you think about your work.
What does this mean for your ministry? This thoughtful conversation will have you reflecting on whether your organization leans more charitable or philanthropic, and why that matters for the communities you serve. As Andrew notes, the most effective Catholic ministries don't necessarily pick sides—they find ways to blend both approaches thoughtfully.
Andrew and Rhen are back on the Petrus Development Show to tackle the nitty-gritty campaign questions that keep development professionals up at night—the ones that often get pushed aside until they become urgent problems.
What You'll Discover in this Episode:
The Naming Game: When and how should your campaign offer naming opportunities?
Annual Fund Flexibility: Can you really stretch annual giving into multi-year commitments without shooting yourself in the foot? The answer might surprise you (and transform your donor retention strategy).
The Pledge Timeline Sweet Spot: Is there a Goldilocks zone for capital campaign pledges—not too short, not too long, but just right? What should you consider when planning your campaign?
The Reality Check: What percentage of pledges actually get paid, and how can you stack the odds in your favor?
Join Andrew and Rhen as they share real-world wisdom that comes from years in the trenches, perfect for any fundraiser who wants to master the subtle art of strategic solicitation.
In this week's episode of the Petrus Development Show, Rhen chats with Josh Weimer, Petrus's summer intern.
We invite you to spend 20 minutes getting to know Josh and his role with Petrus. As our youngest Petrus employee, Josh offers unique insight into generational differences in fundraising, and he shares the things that have surprised him most about his introduction to Catholic fundraising at Petrus.
Fundraising professionals often ask Petrus about the nuances of soliciting donations. Join Andrew and Rhen as they tackle two of the most frequently asked questions that every development professional faces:
How many donor visits should happen before making the ask? There's no magic number, but timing and relationship-building are crucial. Andrew breaks down the factors that determine when you're ready to make your move.
Is it acceptable to solicit major gifts over Zoom? The pandemic changed everything about donor engagement, but does virtual fundraising actually work for significant asks?
While these questions might seem straightforward, the answers involve complex considerations about relationship cultivation and strategic timing. Andrew provides practical insights and real-world examples that will help you approach your next solicitation with confidence.
Have you ever wondered how Petrus views its role as a fundraising coach? Or, why Petrus offers services the way we do? If so, this episode is for you! Andrew and Rhen take a look at all the ways fundraising consulting services can be offered, and they share details on Petrus's educational and service philosophy. Petrus is a "teach to fish" consulting firm. Listen in to learn what "teach to fish" means to us and hear how we coach our clients to build the skills necessary to maintain a sustainable, successful fundraising program for years to come!
Andrew and Rhen are back with a fun episode this week where they discuss and debunk all kinds of fundraising myths. Rhen comes armed with nearly 20 fundraising myths that have been misleading nonprofits for years, and Andrew doesn't hold back in unpacks each one with hard truths and real-world wisdom.
A very small sample of the fundraising myths discussed includes:
Skip hiring a fundraiser - people will automatically give to organizations doing good work. (Spoiler: they won't!)
* Donors hate being contacted by fundraisers. (Often, the opposite is true!)
* Organizations need to host big events to make big money. (Small moves, big impact!)
* A single big donor can fund everything! (Recipe for disaster.)
* Introverts cannot be successful fundraisers. (Some of the best are quiet powerhouses.)*
Do you think Andrew got it wrong on any of these? We want to hear your take! Drop us a line at podcast@petrusdevelopment.com and join the debate.
What if you could have an intern who works 24/7, never complains about tedious tasks, and costs almost nothing? While finding human help for repetitive fundraising tasks can be challenging and expensive, AI tools like ChatGPT are revolutionizing how nonprofit development offices operate.
Join Andrew and Rhen as they explore the practical ways artificial intelligence can become your most valuable (and affordable) team member. They'll share specific strategies for leveraging AI in fundraising while highlighting the crucial boundaries every development professional needs to understand.
Andrew begins this episode by emphasizing that fundraisers should expect failures as normal parts of the job. There's no way to avoid potential donors who respond unfavorably, and to effectively handle this inevitable rejection, fundraisers have to remember that rejection isn't personal. Donors have countless reasons for declining that rarely relate to the fundraiser themselves.
After sharing their list of daunting statistics for fundraisers, Andrew and Rhen follow up by discussing coping strategies for perceived failure. Long story short: a resilient mindset and supportive community help fundraisers persist through challenges, knowing that facing and overcoming failure is fundamental to eventual fundraising success.
Yes, you read that correctly! In this week's episode of the Petrus Development Show, Rhen quizzes Andrew on which fundraising concepts he would choose to kill, date, and marry. Listen as Andrew shares his thoughts on which fundraising ideas that should be nixed, which should be further explored, and which ideas merit long-term commitment.
Ever faced a frustrated donor? If you've been fundraising for any length of time, chances are you've been on the receiving end of donor displeasure.
Donor frustration comes in many forms - from upset letters and negative social media comments to exasperated responses when you reach out. Andrew and Rhen tackle these awkward situations with practical advice for becoming a supportive listener.
Their key insight: when donors express frustration, it often stems from genuine care about your organization and a desire to see improvement. As a fundraiser, learning to separate a donor's anger from their feelings about you personally is essential for navigating these challenging interactions successfully.
As spring blooms, so does the opportunity for growing monthly giving. May sees a surge in new sign-ups, and in this episode, Andrew and Rhen share creative strategies to engage and inspire new monthly donors.
(For more on the nuts and bolts of monthly giving programs, check out episode 139 of the Petrus Development Show. Listen HERE.)
It's a recurring question the life of a fundraiser: "How much money should I request from a donor when I meet with them?" If that's a question that continues to baffle you, we have good news! Andrew and Rhen return with an episode on tools you can use to determine the appropriate dollar amounts for donor asks.
In this epsiode, Andrew shares his experiences with determining donor ask amounts. He highlights tools he uses to help him come up with his ask range, and he discusses the clues you can look for in your initial interactions to help you determine ask amounts down the road. Most importantly, however, Andrew emphasizes the need for boldness when you make your asks. The consequences of being bold are often much less than the lost opportunity that comes with caution.
Andrew and Rhen return to the podcast to discuss how organizations improve their chances of success when hiring development staff. As Andrew sums it up, he'll always choose to hire for passion and train for skill. Andrew also shares several soft skills that he seeks in potential development staff, and he closes by reminding organizations that once they find good development directors, they should be prepared to invest in them for the long-term.
In this episode, Andrew answers the following questions:
* What characteristics should you look for when hiring a new fundraiser?
* If a new fundraiser fails, what likely caused the failure?
* Can introverts be successful fundraisers?
* What salary should you expect to pay a new development director?
If you'd like to access the free sample incentive plan that Rhen mentions in the episode, you can find it HERE. We hope you'll find it useful!
The phrase "stacking the deck" often has a negative connotation, leading people to think you're doing something unfair or manipulative. Good news! As we share in today's podcast episode, we think that "stacking the deck" in fundraising terms can be a wise and helpful strategy in many situations.
As Andrew and Rhen explain, when they talk about "stacking the deck", they're really talking about strategic preparation before giving days, matching gift and capital campaigns. This intentional preparation allows you to often have a handful of known donors committed BEFORE the event even begins. In laying this groundwork and announcing success early, you encourage new and returning donors to give because they see your momentum and want to join in. Simply put, the odds are already in your favor before your campaign officially starts!
Note: If you're planning a giving day in the near future, click HERE and check out our self-paced online course titled "Raising Money with a Giving Day". Petrus would love to help boost your giving day results!
We are thrilled to invite you to our 2025 RAISE Regional Workshops. As Andrew and Rhen share in the episode, Petrus is changing things up in 2025. Instead of hosting a large multi-day annual conference in 2025, we're changing our education strategy and offering 3 single-day fundraising workshops in different regions of the country. In making this shift, our annual RAISE event becomes more accessible for more fundraisers. We would love for you to join us in New Orleans, Notre Dame, or Denver in 2025!
We return with an episode that explores how fundraisers should handle advice from donors, particularly when it comes with strings attached to financial contributions.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen chat about various ways to handle donors who, in addition to offering funds, also want to offer advice about how your organization should run its programs. Andrew wisely distinguishes between valuable expertise-based advice (such as from building experts on construction projects) versus well-meaning, but potentially misaligned, suggestions based on personal preferences or outdated experiences. When it comes down to it, Andrew emphasizes the importance of staying true to organizational mission even if it means declining donations with restrictive conditions.
Happy New Year! We're back with our first Petrus Development Show episode of 2025, and we return with a discussion about fundraising attire. Yep, you read that correctly. We're talking about clothing. In this episode, Andrew and Tara share details about how a fundraiser should dress for donor meetings and events. We find this topic especially important because, as a fundraiser, your clothing should never be a distraction (for you or the donor!) in meetings.
Join Rhen as he questions Andrew and Tara about all the clothing basics - from shoes to accessories and everything in between. What you wear to donor meetings matters. Not only do you want to feel comfortable and confident in front of donors, but you also want to appear professional, approachable, and authentic.
In response to repeated inquiries about foundation funding, Petrus offers this special deep dive into how to maximize grantwriting success. Join Andrew and Rhen as they explore strategic approaches for nonprofits seeking grants.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer these questions AND MORE:
* Where can you find foundations that might support your organization? Are there specific places to look for appropriate grant opportunities?
* What does it take to put together a successful grant proposal?
* What kind of projects do foundations like to fund?
* How can you improve your chances of getting a grant?
* How should you respond after you receive notification about your request?
Andrew and Rhen cover all of these basics, and they offer important insights into how to improve your chances of getting the grants you want. But, in the end, it all comes down to this: Treat foundations as major gifts prospects, and do the necessary research and relationship building work.
We're glad you're back for our second Petrus Development Show episode highlighting etiquette tips for fundraisers. As with our previous episode on good dining behavior, Andrew and Rhen offer specific rules for formal table manners. Again, we know this is a unique topic for one of our shows, but as we all know, fundraising is about relationships. If your dinner etiquette is rude or unappealing, it absolutely affects your ability to raise funds and grow donor relationships.
If the summary for part 1 of our etiquette series was "do no harm", this second episode can be summed up with a short "follow their lead". Watch your host and model your behavior after theirs. In doing so, you are less likely to embarrass or offend!
We're shaking things up this week and going in a unexpected direction - we're talking about table manners and more! In this episode, Andrew and Rhen, as the leaders of our Petrus finishing school, discuss all things etiquette. While, at first glance, this topic might seem superficial and tedious, Rhen and Andrew cover essential guidelines for fundraising professionals who interact with donors at formal events and meals.
From best practices at cocktail receptions to proper dining etiquette during formal dinners, Andrew breaks down how to navigate these social situations professionally and gracefully. His advice focuses on two key approaches: strictly following traditional etiquette rules, or at minimum, following the principle of "do no harm". The primary goal of any donor interaction is to avoid any social missteps that could impact future donor relationships.
From the fundamental importance of a clear case for support to the often-overlooked power of donor stewardship, Andrew and Rhen unpack what really matters in building a sustainable fundraising program.
Learn why winging it without proper planning holds organizations back. And, hear why personal donor outreach can't be skipped (even though it's scary!). Plus, get a bonus tip about why you don't have to go it alone in fundraising. Whether you're new to fundraising or looking to strengthen your foundation, this episode provides practical insights to help you move forward successfully.
At the end of the episode, Rhen mentions several resources that Petrus has to assist with overcoming the roadblocks discussed in the episode.
- Find Petrus Development on LinkedIn (click HERE!) and start gathering wisdom from experienced fundraisers.
- Consider signing up for Petrus's Basic Online Advancement Training (nicknamed BOAT) is a 10-week, online course that offers a blueprint for building a self-sustaining fundraising program for your organization.
- Do you need to create (or update) your organization's case for support? If so, check out our Petrus resource, "Case Components Worksheet", to help you get started. Click HERE to receive the free download.
As Andrew shares early in this episode, 30 percent of nonprofit giving is done in December. For this reason, your end-of-year appeal letter could be a major winner for your organization. Listen as Andrew and Rhen discuss ways to make your end-of-year appeal planning as fruitful as possible. If you take nothing else from this episode, remember this: a clear and direct ask is the most important part of the appeal letter.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:
* Why are end-of-year appeals so important?
* Are direct mail appeals worth the effort and expense? Can I stick to email for a year-end appeal?
* Who should receive our year-end appeal? When should end-of-year appeals be sent?
* What should be in the appeal letter itself? Can you share some strategies for making our appeal letter more successful?
Do you need help getting started with your end-of-year appeal letter? If so, click HERE for our editable Canva templates that you can customize to meet your organization's needs!
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen return with a short discussion on the pros and cons of giving days. (Let it be known, however, that we at Petrus think the pros definitely outweigh the cons!) This episode is great for anyone who is curious about giving days and their potential for fundraising success.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:
* What is a giving day? Why should fundraisers consider focusing efforts on a giving day?
* What are some examples of large national and regional giving days?
* What are the pros and cons of joining a national giving day? What are the pros and cons of hosting your own stand alone giving day?
* What goes into a successful giving day?
When done well, giving days provide nonprofits with focused opportunities to connect with donors. That said, giving days require thorough preparation in order to produce results. Would it help for you to have additional step-by-step instructions on how to host a fruitful giving day? If so, check out our Petrus course called, "Raising Money with a Giving Day!" Click HERE for course details and registration options.
This week's episode of the Petrus Development Show is a unique one. Join Rhen as he interviews Andrew Robison, owner and president of Petrus, about the history of Petrus and Andrew's role in making Petrus what it is today. If you've ever wondered how Petrus got its start and became what it is today, this is the episode for you!
Andrew shares his journey with Petrus, detailing his progression from part-time consultant to full-time staff member, from president to owner. He offers a unique perspective into Petrus's development over the past decade.
In addition to outlining the history of the organization, Andrew highlights the joys and the challenges that come with owning and building a successful business. He shares pieces of his vision for Petrus's future, and he offers testimony to how remaining grounded in prayer, scripture, and life outside of business has kept him sane and moving Petrus forward boldly and faithfully.
Petrus consultant Matt Bond joins Rhen on this episode of the Petrus Development Show to discuss all things donor visits. This is another nuts and bolts interview geared especially for new fundraisers. Listen now as Matt and Rhen walk you step-by-step through scheduling and hosting successful donor visits.
In this episode, Matt and Rhen answer the following questions:
* I've been told I need to go meet donors. How do I figure out who to meet?
* Now, I have a list of people to meet. How do I get that meeting? What should I say to successfully request a meeting?
* We've scheduled a meeting. Where should we meet? How do I dress? Who pays for the coffee/the food? What should I order? How do I find my prospective donor in public?
* We're sitting down to meet. What does a meeting structure look like? What questions should I ask? How do I close our meeting?
* The meeting's over. What do I do next?
If you enjoyed the tips in this episode, consider some of the other services Petrus offers. As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus offers its BOAT (Basic Online Advancement Training) course as a way to learn fundraising skills while building a network of peers to support you in your work. For more information on our fall BOAT cohort, click here. (And, if you haven't already, be sure to listen to this podcast episode for that $200 discount code!)
In this episode, Rhen and Andrew share stories from their early days as fundraisers, and they reassure new development officers that the world of nonprofit fundraising is, indeed, navigable. This discussion is both a dose of encouragement AND a list of expectations and best practices. If you're new to fundraising and need a specific path forward, this episode is for you!
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:
* Popular opinion is that fundraising is just begging for money. We know that's not true, but what is the alternative? What is fundraising?
* As a new fundraiser, what can you expect for your new position? What are your responsibilities?
* Conversely, what are your director's responsibilities and what should you and the director expect from one another?
* What will your board or other leadership council expect from you? What do donors expect from you?
* What if you're fundraising part-time while you do another job for the organization? How do you split your time?
* What can you expect as results in your first year of fundraising? And, in the subsequent few years?
* Fundraising can be frustrating, especially as you're doing all the work and not seeing the desired results. How do you handle feelings of self-doubt?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus offers its BOAT (Basic Online Advancement Training) course as a way to learn fundraising skills while building a network of peers to support you in your work. For more information on our fall BOAT cohort, click here (And, if you haven't already, be sure to listen to this podcast episode for that $200 discount code!)
A successful capital campaign requires lots of pre-planning as a warmup to the actual campaign. The more you prepare prior to the campaign launch, however, the greater your chances of campaign success! Listen in as Andrew and Rhen discuss, in detail, all of the things that should happen before you embark on a capital campaign.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:* How do you know when your organization is ready to execute a successful capital campaign? What are some indicators that your nonprofit might not be ready to take on a campaign? * How do you develop vision for a campaign? * What kind of data/database to you need to have in place to be ready for a campaign? * How can you get a good estimate of what the cost will be for the campaign project? How much time do you need to allow before a building campaign in order to get drawings, land, etc.? * What happens to your annual fund during a capital campaign? Can you fund both?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus is offering a free capital campaign prep checklist for listeners. Use this document to make sure you're covering all of your bases BEFORE you begin your next capital campaign. If you'd like to receive this resource, please click here for more information.
Andrew and Rhen return this week for a fun episode on fundraising trends. The best fundraisers don't make assumptions about what works. Instead, they look to data to make informed decisions about fundraising activities. Listen as Andrew and Rhen give statistics about average success rates for a variety of fundraising activities. Use these statistics to set reasonable expectations for your success!
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:* What's a typical conversion rate for an appeal letter's results? Is there a difference between direct mail and email appeals? * What kind of fundraising success should I expect from social media posts and requests? * Can a phone-a-thon be successful? What can organizations do to improve results? * Why should fundraisers focus on monthly giving? * Are grants worth the time and effort? What about banquets and galas? * What is a good success rate for major gifts asks?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus is offering a free annual fund checklist for listeners. Use this checklist (along with the data from this episode!) to choose activities that can help you build a more robust annual fund. If you'd like to receive this resource, please click here for more information.
This is nuts and bolts episode for anyone who wants to start hosting matching gift challenges. Andrew and Rhen will walk you step-by-step through the logistics of organizing a matching gift challenge, and they offer insight to all of the creative possibilities for these challenges. After listening to this episode, you'll certainly be ready to begin your own matching gift challenge plans! In this episode,
Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:
* What is a matching gift challenge?
* How do you find donors who are willing to offer matching gifts?
* How do you structure your matching gift challenge and maximize results?
* Should monthly gifts be included in the challenge? If so, how?
* What happens if we get to our deadline and and haven't met the goal of our challenge? Or, the alternative, what happens if we hit our goal early?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus is offering a free annual fund checklist for listeners. The checklist shares several ideas (in addition to matching gift challenges!) for how you can build a more robust annual fund. If you'd like to receive this resource, please click here for more information.
Development directors make many donor visits alone, and that's just an accepted fact of schedules and logistics. Not everyone can come to every visit. That said, there is a time and a place for bringing someone else with you on your visits, and Andrew and Rhen discuss how to best prepare for partnered visits and make the most of your time together with the donor.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:
* How many donor visits should you make per month to be successful? And, based on those numbers, how many of those visits should include a team member?
* What members of your team should you bring on donor visits?
* How do you know when it's the right time to bring someone else on a donor visit with you?
* How do you prepare your director or other team members to join you on donor visits? Are there best practices for how you interact and play off of each other during the meeting?
* What can you do if your director doesn't want to be involved in donor meetings?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus has a sample phone script you can use for calls to request donor meetings. Would you like to see it? If so, click here for more information.
We return this week with a Petrus Development Show episode on communications planning for development offices. Rhen is joined by Andrew Robison, our Petrus president, and the two share their ideas on strategic communications for the second half of this year.
A successful development communications plan is often an intentional cycle of informing and asking. We inform through our newsletters and ask through our appeal letters. Andrew and Rhen suggest a schedule for communications pieces for August through December, and theythey offer tips on how to create successful communications pieces.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:
* What is recommended communications schedule for the 2nd half of the year?
* What kind of planning and preparation goes into each communications piece?
* Why do we put so much emphasis on direct mail? Couldn't we just send electronic appeals?
If you're interested in checking out of the templates that Andrew and Rhen discuss, please click here for more information.
Andrew Robison, Petrus president, and Rhen Hoehn, Petrus's director of marketing, are together again on this week's episode of the Petrus Development Show! They spend their time discussing how to set development staff expectations for a new fiscal year. It's another nuts and bolts show about a specific fundraising topic, and it's not one to be missed!
Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:* What are reasonable expectations for new development staff in their first year? What specific numbers could you consider as goals? * Should new fundraisers be able to raise their own salary in their first year? * When you have an established development officer, how do you go about setting metrics for a new fiscal year? * Can you offer staff a commission on money raised? (Short answer: NO!)
As Andrew and Rhen discuss, Petrus happily offers a sample incentive plan that you can use with fundraisers in your office. If you'd like to receive this resource, please click here for more information.
Andrew Robison, Petrus president, is back on this week's epidsode of the Petrus Development Show! Andrew and Rhen spend their time together discussing the all-important topic of budgeting. While budgeting may not seem like a terribly excting interview topic, Andrew and Rhen outline why the budgeting process can be transformational for your development office.
In this episode, Andrew and Rhen answer the following questions:* Why should you spend time on the budgeting process? * What is the budeting prcoess? How do you set numbers for income and expenses? * If you're a new development office, what is reasonable expected growth for your first few years? * Do you have specific estimates for expected growth over the years? * What is a good expenses to income ratio for a development office? * What kind of spreadsheet tool can you use to assist with budgeting?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus is offering free access to our recommended budgeting template. If you'd like to receive this resource, please click here for more information.
Rhen is again joined by Tara Doyon, director of operations and senior consultant for Petrus, in this week's episode of the Petrus Development show. Tara and Rhen broach the potentially intimidating topic of planned giving, and they work to make the idea of planned gifts more accessible for fundraising professionals.
The primary lesson that Tara and Rhen share in this discussion is that fundraisers don't have to be the planned giving experts. On the subject of planned giving, it's best to know the basics. Beyond that, fundraisers simply need know which community experts can offer assistance with the specifics. The most important thing that fundraisers need to do regarding planned giving is to find ways to start the conversation with their donors.
In this episode, Tara and Rhen answer the following questions:
* What is planned giving? What are typical types of planned gifts?
* Who are top planned giving prospects? Who should you be talking to about planned gifts?
* How do we encourage planned gifts?
* What is a gift acceptance policy and why is it necessary for your organization?
As Rhen mentions at the end of the episode, Petrus created a free planned giving cheat sheet to help you get the planned giving conversation started. If you'd like to receive this resource, please click here for more information.
Learn about the great speakers at RAISE24 - The Catholic Fundraising Conference.
As a pocast listener, you can access 15% off registration when you use the promo code RIVERWALK at checkout!
Level up your fundraising game, build a network of fellow Catholic fundraisers, and have a lot of fun doing it!
RAISE24 - The Catholic Fundraising Conference | June 24-26, 2024 | San Antonio, TX
petrusdevelopment.com/raise24 for more details
It's time for another change! We continue our Petrus Development Show Q+A series on important development topics, but this week's episode features a new voice from the Petrus family. Join us as Rhen interviews Matt Bond, Petrus consultant and executive director of the Santa Fe Family Life Center in Oklahoma City. Matt and Rhen discuss a variety of potential donor events, and they share their thoughts on which events are most worth the time and effort.
Rhen and Matt are very clear about the challenges of beginning large fundraising events such as galas and golf tournaments. Instead, they share ideas about events that are smaller, more manageable, and potentially even more successful in the long run.
Specifically, Matt answers the following questions: * What types of donor events can an organization consider? Do different events have different puposes? * What kind of time and investment should you expect for large events like galas? * Why might several smaller events be better than one large event where you can raise a lot of money at once? * If you go for smaller events, how do you decide who to invite? What does a sample agenda look like for the event? * Is there a best day of the week for donor events? * Can events be an organization's main source of revenue?
The idea of a capital campaign can be a daunting one. Capital campaigns require an organization's full attention for an extended period of time, and the campaign's monetary goal can seem an impossible task. Good news! Petrus can help. Listen as Andrew and Rhen discuss the basics of what a capital campaign looks like and what organzations can to do begin preparing for a campaign. This is an episode about campaign logistics, but it's also a message of encouragement for organizations who may be considering a capital campaign in the near future.
Specifically, Andrew answers the following questions:
* What is a capital campaign?
* Why choose a capital campaign over normal fundraising? Will a capital campaign hurt our annual fund?
* How does an organization determine the amount for their capital campaign?
* What does the capital campaign process look like?
* When is an organization ready for a capital campaign? What can be done beforehand to prepare for a campaign?
Listen to this episode and learn the answers to these questions and more! As mentioned at the end of the episode, Petrus is offering free access to a virtual summit on capital campaigns. If you're interested, click here to sign up!
In this week's episode of the Petrus Development Show, we continue our Q+A series with Petrus president, Andrew Robison. Listen as Andrew and Rhen outline the intial steps for beginning a sustainable fundraising program. Yes, we know this is a very quick primer - it's 30 minutes on the best ways to get started.
Andrew offers detailed answers to the following questions:
* What is sustainable fundraising?
* What does it mean to fundraise based on relationships?
* Where do you start when building a fundraising program? What are the layers of a good development program?
* What activities should you avoid when you're just getting started?
* Where should a new fundraising program start with staff allocation and time management?
* What should you look for in a first-time development staff member?
Listen to this episode and learn the answers to these questions and more! As mentioned at the end of the episode, Petrus Development's BOAT (Basic Online Advancement Training!) program will begin it's spring cohort in the next few weeks. Would you like to get an idea about what BOAT involves? If so, click here to access a free BOAT preview course.
In this week's episode of the Petrus Development Show, we continue our Q+A series with Petrus president, Andrew Robison. Listen as Andrew and Rhen discuss the special blessing that monthly donors are for organizations.
Nonprofit and ministry leaders tend to underestimate the power of monthly donors. Fundraisers receive pushback asking why they are focusing on monthly donors when they should be going out and making asks for big major gifts. In this episode, Andrew and Rhen clearly state the case for growing a strong monthly giving program. Specifically, Andrew answers the following questions:
* Why should fundraisers put effort into monthly giving?
* What can you expect in terms of monthly gift size? Do you send monthly tax receipts for donors?
* What would a monthly giving society look like?
* What should you do when a monthly donation fails?
* What are some methods you could use to encourage more monthly donors? How do you get people to sign up?
* What is a senior class gift program?
Here we go again! We continue our Petrus Development Show Q+A series on important development topics, but we're changing things up this episode. This week, Rhen interviews Tara Doyon, director of operations and senior consultant at Petrus, and Tara shares about all things major gifts.
Together, Tara and Rhen have decades of fundraising experience, and they come together to chat about their advice for fundraisers who are working to increase their major gifts solicitation. Specifically, they discuss the following:
* What is major gifts fundraising? Does a major gift need to be a specific amount to qualify?
* Why do fundraisers go out and ask people for gifts? How do you decide who to meet?
* What is the donor cycle? What is the typical progression for a donor to go from a first time gift to a major gift?
* How do we get face-to-face meetings? Where should we hold meetings? What happens in these donor meetings?
Welcome back to the Petrus Development Show! We continue our Q+A series with Petrus president, Andrew Robison, and this week's discussion is about personality strengths and weaknesses and how those traits affect your fundraising.
Andrew and Rhen begin this show with a fun question. Which of the following tools do you most closely identify with: a hammer, a measuring tape, a screwdriver, or a saw? As they'll explain, your choice might have a lot to say about your personality type.
From there, Andrew and Rhen turn to a more formal personality testing model, closely resembling the Myers Briggs test, and they discuss 4 core pairs of attributes. They outline specifics of these attributes, and they explain how fundraisers can develop professional strategies that are inclusive of both their strengths and their weaknesses.
Specifically, Andrew answers the following questions:
* What are the 4 core pairs of attributes we consider for personality types?
* What do the different attributes say about what your fundraising strengths might be?
* Can introverts be successful fundraisers?
* Is one personality type better than another?
* How can you build fundraising and executive teams that allow for complementary personalities?
Listen to this episode and learn the answers to these questions and more!
As mentioned at the end of the episode, Petrus has a worksheet outlining considerations for choosing a new donor database, and you can sign up to receive it by clicking here.
Finally, we welcome your fundraising questions for potential use in future shows. Are there questions you'd like to hear Andrew answer? If so, email us at podcast@petrusdevelopment.com with your question, and it just might appear in a future Petrus Development Show episode.
While we start this episode with a joke, donor databases are a very serious matter. As you'll learn in this Q+A with Petrus president, Andrew Robison, choosing the right donor database can make a world of difference in your fundraising capabilities.
Andrew and Rhen kick off their discussion on donor databases with an explanation of why organizations need to invest in a fundraising database instead of relying on spreadsheets of donor info. From there, they share tips about what to look for when purchasing donor databases.
Specifically, Andrew answers the following questions:
* What types of reports do you want your fundraising database to be able to give you?
* What other things should look for when searching for a new database?
* When setting up your database, what specialty fields might you want to add? Is there any data we shouldn't include in the database?
* How much time does your organization need to allocate for database maintenance?
* What's the process for moving from one database to another?
(And, a laugh for your day: Q: Where do dads store dad jokes? A: In a dada-base!)
We're continuing our Q+A podcast series with Petrus president, Andrew Robison. In this episode, Andrew and Rhen discuss gift acknowledgment and donor stewardship. While this may not be the most exciting part of a fundraiser's job, it's essential. And, you might be surprised. The act of thanking donors is likely to be more powerful than you expect.
Do you have questions about how and when to successfully thank donors? If so, Andrew and Rhen answer these questions and more.
- What is required of organizations when thanking donors?
- What should organizations do beyond the mandated donor acknowledgment?
- What is an acknowledgment matrix and should you create one?
- What should organizations expect in terms of grantwriting success?
- What are some creative ways to thank donors?
- If someone has never made a donor thank you call, what advice would you give to get them started?
Listen to this episode and learn the answers to these questions and more! As mentioned at the end of the episode, Petrus has a worksheet outlining the anatomy of a thank you call for fundraisers, and you can sign up to receive it by clicking here.
And, we're back! After a Petrus Development Show hiatus, we return with an interview with Petrus president, Andrew Robison. Andrew and Rhen, Petrus's marketing director, are back with a new episode about goal setting, and it's a good one!
It's the beginning of a new year, and Petrus is all about goal setting. Organizations have goals, and fundraisers need to have goals, too. That said, have you ever wondered what goals you, as a fundraiser, should be making for your work? If so, Andrew and Rhen answer these questions and more.
* Are there specific activities fundraisers should consider for their goal setting?
* If so, what are the metrics that fundraisers should be tracking? And what are realistic numbers for those goals?
* Can and/or should fundraisers receive a commission based on total money raised in a specified period?
* What should organizations expect in terms of grantwriting success?
The gem of this episode is in the details. Andrew and Rhen share specific numbers for potential development goals, and they offer different examples based on the organization's size and the fundraiser's experience. As mentioned at the end of the episode, Petrus has a sample incentive plan worksheet for fundraisers, and you can sign up to receive it by clicking here.
This week (November 29th through December 1st), Petrus Development is offering an amazing sale on registration fees for RAISE24. Register by Friday, December 1st, and receive 15 percent off the super early bird price of $899, bringing the registration fee down to $765. (Click here to register!)
In honor of this sale, we share a special episode of the Petrus Development Show that highlights some of our favorite speakers from last year's RAISE23 conference.
If you're considering RAISE24 registration and want to know more about what you'd gain from the conference, check out this podcast. In this episode, you'll hear clips from the following speakers:
Eva Daniels offers tips on storytelling and how ideas that sound so simple may not always be easy.
* Dcn. Charlie Echeverry shares about Latino Catholics,the role they play in today's Catholic church, and how we, as fundraisers, can better engage this vital population.
* Bryan Wilburn and Joe Hendrickx* emphasize the importance of face-to-face donor visits.
Like these speakers, our RAISE24 presenters will offer inspirtation and practical tips to help you do your fundraising job with more passion and more success. Come join us in San Antonio in June 2024!
In this episode, Andrew chats with Sarah Newman, vice president for Innovest, an investment consulting firm. Andrew and Sarah discuss how Innovest helps nonprofits, especially faith-based nonprofits, make sure their investment portfolios are aligned with their mission and values. Together, Andrew and Sarah discuss the importance of ongoing education for Catholic organizations about the potential for morally aligned investments and partnerships.
In this episode, Andrew takes a break from his regular interview series to share episode 4 of Petrus’s new podcast, Reflections on Nouwen’s “A Spirituality of Fundraising”. The show’s host, Justin DeMoss of Your Philanthropic Advisor, interviews Fr. Matt Lowry from Holy Trinity Catholic Newman Center at Northern Arizona University. The two reflect on Chapter 4 of Nouwen’s book, “People Who Are Rich”.
In this episode, Andrew chats with RJ Caswell, a leadership coach and organizational consultant from Charlotte, NC. Andrew and RJ discuss the importance of succession planning, leadership development, and collaboration. Together, Andrew and RJ also ponder the unique challenges of small nonprofits, specifically the fact that everyone on the nonprofit staff is a fundraiser, whether they have the title or not!
In this episode, Andrew interviews Matthew Watson, deputy superintendent for Aristoi Classical Academy in Katy and Cypress, Texas. Andrew and Matt discuss history and education, and Matt highlights the unique fundraising challenges of charter schools. As seasoned fundraisers, Andrew and Matt also discuss the importance of clear mission and messaging in recruitment of people and funds.
In this episode, Andrew chats with Dr. Scott Grant, pediatrician and creator and host of the Docs2Dads podcast. Andrew and Scott discuss generosity, and they delve into how we, as parents and family members, cultivate a lifelong spirit of generosity in our children. They speak specifically about relationship building, role modeling, and a series of steps we can take to teach generosity.
In this episode, Andrew sits down with Nic Prenger, founder and CEO of Prenger Solutions Group. Nic shares about his digital consulting work at Prenger Solutions Group, and Andrew and Nic chat about technology tools for fundraisers, fundraising for the Catholic church and its associated challenges, and tips for Catholic donors.
In this episode, Andrew interviews Karen Houghton, founder and CEO of Infinite Giving. Together, Andrew and Karen discuss Infinite Giving’s mission as an investment adviser for nonprofit organizations. Karen shares her expertise in nonprofit financial management, and she and Andrew discuss ways that organizations can leverage modern, financial technology to open up more program funding and attract high capacity donors.
In this episode, Andrew interviews brothers Tom and Dan Thimons. Together, Tom and Dan founded My Catholic Will, the only online Catholic will-writing platform. Andrew invites Tom and Dan to share about My Catholic Will, how they got it started, and what they hope it will become in the future. The Thimons brothers share tools that fundraisers can use to encourage planned giving with their donors, and they also remind all listeners to consider planned gifts to their favorite organizations in their own wills.
In this episode, Andrew interviews Abram Meunzberg, digital strategist for On Fire Media. Andrew invites Abram to share about On Fire Media’s mission and the work he does for his clients. The two also discuss digital media, messaging, and how fundraisers can improve their digital media strategy, making it more engaging and useful. Abram and Andrew both encourage listeners to be bold and proactive in consulting with experts to improve an organization’s online presence.
In this episode, Andrew interviews John Knowles, president of the Catholic Finance Association and executive director of the Diocesan Fiscal Management Conference. Andrew and John spend their time together discussing finance, fundraising trends, and the Church’s relationship with emerging technology. They also stress the importance of clarity of mission both in fundraising and in our personal lives.
In this episode, Andrew chats with Evan Woolsoncroft, vice president of philanthropy for Heroic Media. Andrew invites Evan to share about his work at Heroic Media, and the two discuss the need for proactiveness, innovation, and smart modeling in ministry.
In this episode, Andrew interviews Jack Ziegler, financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual. Andrew and Jack discuss how we, as individuals, can improve our relationship with money. They also chat about how we, as fundraising professionals, can better serve our donors by connecting them with the specialized expertise of financial advisors. Financial advisors who understand charitable giving have unique skills that can assist donors in making the most impactful donation their finances will allow.
In this episode, Andrew interviews Jeff Schiefelbein, co-founder and culture catalyst for Undivided Life. Andrew questions Jeff about his role as a culture catalyst, and the pair discusses just how important culture is to organizations of all sizes. Jeff describes how he encourages organizations to build transformative, loving cultures of excellence.
In this episode, Andrew chats with Anna Sease, Senior Director of Parent & Family Giving at William & Mary. Andrew and Anna enjoy a lively discussion about creating structure for donors, recognizing and investing in our donors’ needs, and the importance of fostering connection with and for donors.
In this episode, Andrew sits down with Vicente Del Real, founder of Iskali. Vicente tells Andrew about Iskali’s ministry with Latino young adults, and they discuss the importance of vision and community in ministry. They also chat about Iskali’s specific fundraising successes in recent years and how Vicente views Iskali’s role in ministry as a that of co-creator with God.
In this episode, Andrew chats with Kristian Jaloway, general manager for nonprofit advising at John Oberg Advisory. Kristian works as a leadership management coach, specifically for nonprofit and institutional leaders, including priests. Kristian shares what his role as an executive coach looks like, and he and Andrew discuss project implementation, vision boards, and why it’s important to say no to some requests of time, talent, and treasure.
In this episode, Andrew interviews Frank Cummings, Director of Development - Arts and Sciences for the Kansas State University Foundation. Frank shares how he found a career in development that brings him joy, and how he especially enjoys the surprises that come as donor relationships grow. Andrew and Frank also discuss how faith can play a role in development even if you’re raising funds for a secular organization.
In this episode, Andrew chats with Eva Daniel, public speaking coach and founder and owner of The Speak Shop. In this episode Eva and Andrew discuss the importance of improving our public speaking and storytelling abilities. Eva touches on the mistakes people make in their public speaking, and she offers solutions for improvement.
On this week's episode of the Petrus Development Show, we are hosting a crossover event that introduces you to another Petrus podcast called Holy Donors. Holy Donors is a collaborative production between Petrus and RED-C Catholic Radio that tells stories of radical generosity that changed the world, and Andrew is excited to share the first episode of our Holy Donor's season featuring the Venerable Pierre Toussaint.
Pierre Toussaint was born into slavery on the French colony of Saint Domingue (Saint Domingue was what we know today as independent Haiti), and he served as a trusted domestic slave to his master Jean Jacques Bérard. When Bérard and his family fled Saint Domingue in the middle of the Haitian Revolution, they took Pierre Toussaint and his sister Rosalie with them to New York City. In New York City, Pierre made a name for himself as a hairdresser and a philanthropist.
The bulk of this initial episode revolves around a discussion on the history of slavery and on an overview of the Haitian Revolution, a revolution which proved to be a key turning point in Pierre’s life. Andrew's co-host Thaddeus shares details about the dangerous, unforgiving lives of the slaves on Saint Domingue, and he highlights the slaves’ importance in maintaining Saint Domingue’s distinction as a leading producer of sugar and coffee products.
Thaddeus continues the story of Saint Domingue’s history as France’s thriving slave colony to it’s dissolution into violence and rebellion during the Haitian Revolution. Bérard and his family try to outlast the slave rebellion on Saint Domingue, but after 6 years of waiting for the unrest to settle, the family is forced to flee, taking Pierre with them. Their flight from the island is far from a guaranteed success, and we hope you will join us for episode 2 to hear about Pierre’s journey from the Caribbean to NYC and to learn about how a Haitian slave finds tremendous success as a hairdresser.
Recommended reading:
Pierre Toussaint: A Biography by Arthur Jones
Ten Christians: By Their Deeds You Shall Know Them by Boniface Hanley
Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).
For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.
Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Matt Bond, former director of development at the St. John Catholic Student Center at Oklahoma State University. (Matt changed positions between when this podcast was recorded and when it was published! He is now the executive director of the Santa Fe Family Life Center.) Andrew and Matt chat about Matt’s introduction to becoming a fundraising professional, his work on St. John’s $25+ million capital campaign, and his strategies for growing an organization’s donor list.
In this episode, we feature Jacob Laskowski, founder and creative director of 86. Jacob shares his experience in brand development and storytelling, and he highlights ways that professional fundraisers can use the essential elements of brand management to draw donors closer to their organization’s mission and subsequently raise more money for their ministry.
In this episode, we feature Dr. Adrian Sargeant, co-director of the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy, as he gives his keynote address at the Petrus Development Conference in June. Dr. Sargeant shares his research about donor motivation and identity, and he discusses how we, as development professionals, can use his findings to increase giving to our parishes and ministries.
To download the slides that accompany this presentation please visit:
petrusdevelopment.com/episode111
This episode of the Petrus Development show features the keynote address by Matt Regitz of Divine Renovation at the Petrus Development Conference (PDC) in June. Matt joins conference participants to talk about the importance of healthy leadership teams in ministry. By contrasting the characteristics of successful and unsuccessful teams, Matt outlines specific ways in which pastors and lay leaders can work together to build thriving parishes and ministries.
In this episode, Andrew welcomes Dennis Gerber, president of the Knights of Columbus Charitable Fund, to the podcast. Andrew and Dennis discuss donor-advised funds and current trends in fundraising. They chat about Dennis’s work at the Knights of Columbus Charitable (KCCF), and Dennis outlines how Catholic donors can benefit from a fund that aligns with their Catholic values.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Juliette Picciano, former director of the Cardinal’s Annual Stewardship Appeal for the Archdiocese of New York and current president of Cathedral High School in New York. (Juliette changed positions between this podcast was recorded and when it was published!) Andrew and Juliette chat about Juliette’s work on the Cardinal’s Appeal and how her fundraising methods successfully adapted to the pandemic. The two also discuss trends in Catholic giving, and they highlight Juliette’s unique and successful hiring strategy.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Dr. Richard Ludwick, president of the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Dr. Ludwick shares about the mission and vision of University of Thomas, and he and Andrew discuss the unique collaboration between the University of St. Thomas’s MAX Studios with Word on Fire and their project that focuses on the effective use of social media for evangelization.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Jared Zimmerer, the senior director of the Word on Fire Institute. Andrew and Jared chat about the Catholic presence on social media and how we, as Catholics, can use social media as an important tool for evangelization. Jared also shares about Word on Fire’s exciting new project with the University of St. Thomas’s MAX Studios.
In this episode, Andrew visits Michael DiStefano and Kailash, the co-founders of Fidei, an email service created on the basis of shared Catholic values. Andrew, Kailash and Michael discuss how the technology we use in our daily lives intersects with our Catholic faith and how we can better align our values with the services we choose.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Mary Macuga, the director of the Catholic Foundation of the Archdiocese of Brisbane. Mary has 22 years of experience in Catholic fundraising, and she and Andrew chat about the unique challenges of fundraising in different parts of the world and the universal need to be authentic and transformed in our fundraising.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Mark Randall, the executive director of the Pontifical North American College (a.k.a the NAC). Together, Andrew and Mark share about their fundraising adventures, and Mark offers advice for startup ministries and seasoned fundraising professionals.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Kate Bryan, the founder and CEO of 1 Girl Revolution, an organization dedicated to telling the stories of women who are changing the world through their lives. Kate is also the author of Living the Feminist Dream: A Faithful Vision for Women in the Church and the World. Together, Andrew and Kate discuss 1 Girl Revolution and how storytelling, purpose, and authenticity are essential to fundraising.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Craig Miller, the president of FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. Together, Andrew and Craig talk about FOCUS, its ministry to college students, and the organization’s unique fundraising challenges. They also discuss the tremendous growth of campus ministry in recent decades and how that important trajectory will hopefully continue in the future.
In this 100th episode, Andrew visits with Bishop David Konderla from the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma. Andrew met Bishop Konderla when they worked together at St. Mary's Catholic Center in College Station, and the pair discusses the successes of the campus ministry’s multi-decade capital campaign. Bishop Konderla also offers insight and advice into how a bishop can (and cannot!) support parish and ministry fundraising campaigns in his diocese.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Justin DeMoss of Your Philanthropic Advisor, a seasoned fundraising professional, entrepreneur, and adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University. During this conversation, Andrew and Justin discuss the need for nonprofit organizations to be innovative and build trust with their donors and their community. They also discuss strategies for creating an organizational culture that embraces innovation and takes risks.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Rob Kaczmark, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Spirit Juice Studio. Spirit Juice is a firm dedicated to producing video content for Catholic ministries and nonprofits. During this conversation, Andrew and Rob were able to talk about trends in video, strategies for how to utilize video in fundraising and some of his favorite projects over the past 15 years.
In this episode Andrew visits with José Manuel de Urquidi, founder and president of Juan Diego Network, a podcast network with over 70 shows highlighting Catholic stories for Latinos. Andrew and José discussed what José was thinking when he decided to launch a podcast network, what growing a podcast network has been like and how ministries and nonprofits can utilize podcasts to expand their mission.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Dr. Mike St. Pierre, Executive Director of Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA). When Mike joined CCMA in 2015, he was able to bring new life and new energy to the organization. Andrew and Mike discuss CCMA, how Mike decided to leave a successful career in Catholic schools to lead the organization, and about his approach to remote work…even before it was cool. They are also able to discuss the importance of professionalism and how to organize your schedule using an Agile method. Be sure to listen till the end for Andrew's Key Take-Aways.
In this episode, Andrew sits down with Bill Woolsey, Founder and President of FiveTwo Network. They discussed the qualities of a good founder, mistakes that founders typically make and what it means to be a sacred starter. If you have started or are thinking about launching a new ministry or company, you definitely want to check this out.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Erica Waasdorp, author of Monthly Giving: The Sleeping Giant and Monthly Giving Made Easy, as well as President and Founder of A Direct Solution. She has been in the monthly giving game for close to 30 years and has tons of expertise in this area. Together they discussed the question about subscriptions versus monthly gifts, six easy steps for launching a program and strategies for how to keep your donors giving for a long, long time.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Ryan Carney, Chief Advancement Officer of Society of St. Vincent de Paul. They discuss Ryan's journey with development and the challenges that he has experienced and conquered throughout his years with non-profits. They also discuss the work they are doing at St. Vincent de Paul and how he helped one local chapter back from a pretty bad case of mission creep. If you have ever dealt with mission creep or if you are struggling to identify your organizations true mission, you'll want to take notes.
In this episode, Andrew shares with us the new Women in Philanthropy Podcast Show.
Dive into this clip from Episode 2 and discover what you can gain from learning from female leaders and how women are learning from other women.
In this episode, Andrew shares with us what the experience is like at a Petrus Development Conference.
In June of 2021, we hosted the Petrus Leadership Conference in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado with one hundred development and ministry leaders from around the country. Over the three day conference, we had more than 20 presenters talking about the techniques and mechanics of fundraising as well as inspirational topics such as eulogy virtues and telling a compelling story. In this episode, we will share three brief clips from the conference just to give you an example of the content and quality of speakers.
On June 12-15, 2022, we will be hosting the Petrus Development Conference in another beautiful location, the Naples Grande Beach Resort in Naples, Florida. To learn more or to register today, go to petrusdevelopment.com/pdc22.
Welcome to Season 4 of the Petrus Development Show. Today Andrew is joined by our newest team member, Joelle Fitzmaurice, Junior Consultant with Petrus Development. In this episode, Andrew and Joelle visit about her background, what brought her into the fundraising world and what she’s learning and doing so far with Petrus.
The Holy Donors podcast tells inspiring stories of radical generosity that changed the world.
Danny was a struggling entertainer down to his last $7 the week before his first child was born, when a pledge he made to a little-known saint would change his life and the lives of many thousands of others.
John dropped out of business school to support his family after the death of his father, but would go on to change entire industries, build the tallest building in the world, and establish one of the earliest and largest Catholic foundations in the US.
Catherine was inspired by the generosity and service exemplified by her step-mother Emma, but a secret that Emma kept from her caused Catherine to rethink her life and opt for a path of service that was very unpopular at the time.
In this episode we bring you a recent interview where Andrew joined Thaddeus Romansky of Red-C Catholic Radio, along with Matt Bond and Rhen Hoehn, to discuss their new podcast project, Holy Donors.
Learn more at holydonors.com
In this episode, Andrew visits with Matthew Warner, founder and president of Flocknote, a technology company with a mission to build a more connected Church. As part of this mission, Matthew is driven to understand and educate priests and ministry leaders on how to connect specifically with the middle 82 percent of Catholics. Those Catholics that are neither dynamic nor absent Catholics but, rather, somewhere in the middle in terms of involvement. Andrew and Matthew discuss communication, leadership, fundraising, ministry and even touch on a few favorite television shows of theirs.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Cory Howat, Executive Director of the Catholic Community Foundation of the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the founder of #iGiveCatholic. If you have ever spoken with anyone from Louisiana, odds are you have heard a good story. Today, Cory shared with us some wild tales of rubber chickens, crying with priests and bishops and even a brief mention of that time he met Michael Jackson that will not disappoint. In the midst of those stories, he also shared so many nuggets of wisdom about fundraising, stewardship, generosity and having a heart for serving the people of the Church. You’ll laugh, you’ll probably cry and you will definitely learn something new about development.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Sarah Du Preez, Director of Development for the St. Thomas Aquinas University Parish at University of Arkansas. Sarah started in her role last summer, which happened to be the same week that the ministry kicked off a feasibility study for a $12.5 million dollar capital campaign. They discuss Sarah's experience in development and her track record of success working on big projects, as well as being nervous and a bit apprehensive about her new role because of the enormity of the project they are in the midst of.
Today, they are sitting down together at the official launch of the campaign and next year, they will sit down again for a part 2 conversation about what she has learned through the process. And we are pleased to be here for the journey!
In this episode, Andrew visits with Kevin Cotter, Executive Director of Amazing Parishes, a ministry of the church that offers instruction and education to pastors as well as coaching to help them develop a team around them to make their parish amazing. We all know and have experienced our church leadership transitioning over the years. Many priests and pastors struggle to know how to lead and how to build up an enduring leadership team that can survive those transitions, illustrating a point that parish leadership is so important and critical to the community and to the lives of the parishioners. In this episode, Andrew and Kevin dive into this issue as well as discussing the importance of the apprenticeship model in the church and the need for a strong prayer life both personally and professionally.
Amazing Parish will be gathering for their 2021 conference in Kansas City on June 21-23. Please pray for everyone involved in that and if you want more information on Amazing Parish, check out their website at amazingparish.org.
In this fourth episode of the Blueprint for Development series, we dive into Major Gifts. Tara Doyon, Director of Client Services and Josh Whelan, Vice President of Petrus Development, will take you through the first four areas to look at when building a fruitful and successful Major Gifts program. They also discuss the buzz word process of Moves-Management, what steps to take to get started and setting your mindset for building the Kingdom through development and evangelization.
In this episode, the Blueprint for Development series is on it's third installment. Tara and Sarah are back with Annual Funds, also known as an operating budget or director's fund. How can you create a new or sustainable development program that doesn't depend solely on that one event or those 1-2 major donors? Tara and Sarah give some great starting tips on making that change from dependence to sustainable.
In this episode Tara Doyon, Director of Client Services and Sarah Rose, Director of Communications, continue leading us through the Blueprint of Development series. They discuss what your communication efforts look like today and what they can look like in the future once you implement a sustainable development program at your organization. You don't want to miss out on hearing the great first steps they give on how to begin transforming your messaging to be donor-centric so that you can continue building the Kingdom.
In this episode we are introduced to the first of a four-part series "Blueprint for Development." This series will take you in-depth on how to create a successful development program and putting in place the building blocks you'll need to insure it's sustainability. Join Andrew and Petrus Consultant, Sarah Rose, as they dive into how to set up and create an infrastructure for your organization and your development goals. This "set up" is crucial to insuring that your foundation will remain strong over time.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Bryan Wilburn, the Director of Development at the St. Paul Catholic Newman Center at North Dakota State University in Fargo, North Dakota. They discuss how Bryan got his start in development and what they are doing to advance Catholic evangelism on the plains of North Dakota. As well as how being a great development officer can make you a better spouse.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Gabe Cooper. Gabe is the Founder of Virtuous, a responsive fundraising platform designed to help nonprofit teams build better donor relationships and increase impact with confidence. Andrew and Gabe discuss the power of data and automation and how the ultimate goal is to be able to treat every donor as if they were a major gift donor. They also discuss how Virtuous came to be and their thoughts on the Church as a leader of innovation.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Dr. Matt Smith, Director of Strategic Alliances at OSV Institute for Catholic Innovation. Andrew and Matt discuss the OSV Innovation Challenge that was launched in 2020 which is now accepting applications for its 2021 Challenge. Through this Challenge, OSV is “building up Catholic innovators by offering contestants opportunities for personal development, professional guidance, and idea incubation — and a shot at one of three $100,000 project prizes.”
If you want to learn more or apply for your shot at a $100,000 prize, go to www.OSVchallenge.com for more information.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Patrick Williams, Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs at the Texas A&M Foundation. In the world of development and philanthropy, there are a handful of people who you know were just built to be amazing fundraisers. My guest today is without question, one of those people. From building long-lasting and meaningful relationships, to understanding the art & science of fundraising, to knowing what it takes to recruit, train and retain a passionate and effective workforce and to having the courage to ask for and secure multi-million dollar gifts, Patrick is amazing. This podcast episode is quite literally a master class in major gift fundraising and I know that you won’t walk away from this without a list of strategies for success.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Julia Golding, successful author with works such as the Cat Royal series and the Companions Quartet. They discuss the project that Julia has launched to purchase Tolkien’s home at 20 Northmoor Road in Oxford and turn it into the first literary center devoted to Tolkien and his works. Project Northmoor, as it is called, kicked off in November 2020, with a goal to raise 4.6 million pounds, or $6 million US dollars to buy the house and convert it into a literary center. Andrew and Julia discuss the project and what she has learned about fundraising through her efforts. It's a fascinating conversation with lessons and parallels to fundraising of all kinds. If you want to learn more about the project or make a donation, you can find more information at www.projectnorthmoor.org. So as they say in the books, let the quest begin.
There are few literary phrases that are more well known than Middle Earth, Gandolph the Grey, Hobbits in the Shire and One Ring to Rule them all. These concepts and characters are almost universally recognized and would not exist were it not for the gift of JRR Tolkien and his quest to create a language, world and story called The Lord of the Rings. A lifelong Catholic and member of a group of authors called the Inklings, Tolkien created a world that has inspired countless authors, readers, actors, movie lovers and fans through his writings. One interesting thing about Tolkien however, is that there is no literary center celebrating his life and work anywhere in the world. Centers exist for Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and others but for the inventor of Lord Sauron, Frodo Baggins and Smeagol, there is not. It is an effort to change this that brought today’s guest to us.
In this episode, Sarah and Tara are continuing the conversation of Women in Philanthropy. In Part 3, they visit with Jeannie Sager, Director of the Woman's Philanthropy Institute. During this episode they discuss the transfer of wealth of women and women as professionals working in the development sector.
In this episode, we continue from last week with Part 2 of our Women in Philanthropy series, hosted by Tara Doyon and Sarah Rose. In Part 2, Sarah and Tara visit with Kathleen Criscione, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Registered Play Therapist, mother of 3 and practicing Catholic. Join them as they discuss how to let go of the unrealistic expectations set for working women. And how to create a healthy work-life balance.
In this episode of the Petrus Development Show, Andrew turns the mic over to Sarah Rose and Tara Doyon for the three part series, "Women in Philanthropy."
Today, 54% of adults who identify as Catholic are women. Historically, beginning when Jesus charged Peter with maintaining and building the Church, and for 2000 years following, leadership in the Church has been predominantly male. However, we see changes in today's arena, where more women are involved in church leadership than ever before.
The reality is that we live in a time when having diversity of thought and background in our society and our institution’s leadership is critical to being able to reach out and evangelize the world. The need to engage women and the need to understand what that engagement should and could look like is more important than ever.
And at Petrus, we want to be part of leading and fostering that conversation. This episode, and the next 2 episodes will focus the guests and conversations on the topic of Women in Philanthropy. Today's episode welcomes Kerry Robinson, Partner of Leadership Roundtable.
We are pleased to jump into this first of the three-part Women in Philanthropy series.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Tom Pagano, Co-Founder and Director of Mission Advantage Recruiting, a search firm dedicated to recruiting great talent for the Church. They discuss what it takes to source and hire good talent, what makes a good development officer, what COVID has done to hiring and moving jobs, and how we as an industry can find good development officers for the future. If you’ve never given much thought to what it takes to hire, or if you are thinking about your next couple of career moves, this is a great episode for you.
In this episode, Andrew visits with JM Boyd, President of Glass Canvas and Co-founder of a brand new parish resource, Tilma. Glass Canvas started a few years ago as a full-service marketing firm dedicated to serving the faith-based Nonprofit community. Last year they launched Tilma, a product with the goal of connecting you with your parish and your Catholic community in new ways through the use of technology. Andrew and JM discuss Catholic organization’s taking the tools, resources and opportunities that we all use every day and leveraging them for evangelization and the Church.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Father Meinrad Miller of St. Benedict's Abbey and Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Andrew and Fr. Meinrad discuss St. Benedict of Nursia's life and about the Rule of St. Benedict. They discuss how generosity can lead to temperance, one of the Cardinal virtues and the main one that Andrew has come to associate with Benedict’s life and legacy. Hopefully you can take something away from this interview and from the Rule of Radical Generosity that Andrew shares at the end.
We wish you a wonderful New Year and pray that we can all be healthier, wealthier, wiser and more generous in 2021. God bless and enjoy this episode with Fr. Meinrad Miller on St. Benedict of Nursia.
In this episode, the first of our Holy Donor Series, Andrew visits with Greg and Julie Stevens. Greg and Julie live in Lincoln, Nebraska and both attended at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and were very involved at St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center. This young couple has an approach to tithing and charity that is remarkable and a little counter-cultural, even among faithful Catholics. Through this conversation, Andrew was inspired to evaluate his attitude towards giving, even with over 15 years in the development industry. Hopefully you will walk away inspired as well.
In this episode, Andrew visits with JoAnn Shull, Director of Development at St. Thomas Moore Newman Center at the University of Missouri. In this episode, Andrew and JoAnn discuss making the transition from campus minister to director of development, fundraising and the importance of communication and design work. They also discuss the challenges you can face when you combine family life with working in development, as well as, how to create a tribe that supports you.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Deacon Charlie Echeverry, an ordained deacon for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles as well as the founder and managing director of Black//Brown, a strategic advisory firm that helps leaders and organizations turn diversity into a revenue stream. In this episodes, Andrew and Dcn. Charlie discuss the current and changing population in the Catholic Church and opportunities to engage diverse populations in development. As well as, investing time and intentionality in building a diverse workforce and donor-centric fundraising.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Gregory Perrin, Associate Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas. They discuss how Gregory ended up in development and his different roles over the past 25 years. They also discuss the differences in raising money for a large public university and a small private school and what fundraising for higher education has been like in the midst of a pandemic. Gregory has some great stories and solid advice for anyone in development.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Caitlyn Kano, Executive Director of Compass Catholic. They discuss how we can be generous to our specific capacity and not a perceived capacity of giving. They talk about how even though 10% tithing is a fantastic goal, we are still called be to be stewards of the other 90%. And that once we unite our financials and our faith, we can answer yes to what God calls us to without hesitation.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Brian Russell, Campaign Manager at Caruso Catholic Center at University of Southern California. In this episode of the "COVID Solutions" series, Andrew and Brian talk about pivoting from a long-standing gala to a new virtual event. They discuss the initial steps they took to make the change, the monetary success of the event as well as the pros and cons of such a change. They also talk about the long-term viability of these types of events.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Megan O'Brien Crayne, Campus Minister at Brown-RISD Catholic Community. In this episode of the "What's Working in Covid" series, Andrew and Megan talk about monthly giving and how Megan was able to launch a new donor-matched program for young alumni. They discuss Megan's three-part plan, the hurdles she came up against and how she dealt with them. Through these efforts, they were able to see a large percentage jump in their annual giving.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Josh Whelan, Vice President and Senior Consultant of Petrus Development. This is the first episode of Season 3 for the Petrus Development Show. In this episode, we get to know Josh and hear some of his history which has led him to his work today. Andrew and Josh talk about Josh's experience in development and philanthropy. As well as Josh's faith and how to find the best practices for your organization and, ultimately, your personal journey.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Scott Weeman, Founder of Catholic in Recovery. They discuss the connection between the Church and recovery. And they talk about what fundraising looks like in an arena that, historically, hasn't been viewed with high importance. And how fundraising and recovery is so much about building relationships. “So much of what we are seeking in life, it comes down to wanting authentic relationships.” This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.
In this episode, Josh Whelan, Petrus Vice President, moderates the Career Counseling Panel with panelists: Frank Shannon, Valerie Pletcher and Dan Moraczewski. These three outstanding panelists have a combined 60 years experience in fundraising for the Catholic and non-profit sector and share great insights into the philanthropy world and the development career path. This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.
In this episode, Josh Whelan, Petrus Vice President, visits with Matt Bond, Director of Development at St. John's Catholic Student Center at Oklahoma State University. They discuss the current Capital Campaign that is taking place at St. John's Catholic Center. They will discuss the $25 million campaign to build a new Church and Student Center, expand the campus ministry team and establish an endowment. They have raised over $15 million in gifts and pledges and will launch the campaign to the public in September. In this interview, you will learn steps to launching a campaign and get insight into what to expect. This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.
In this episode, Andrew visits with John Cannon, Founder of SENT Ventures. They discuss the challenges that Catholic entrepreneurs face and how to find success in chaotic times. During this episode they talk about Saintly stories, fantastic failures, lasting legacies and divine inspiration. And even more deeply, new ways of serving the Church and the people of God. This interview originally took place during the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.
In this episode, the Petrus Team recaps moments from the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020. From recalling their favorite quotes and stories from the speakers to epiphany moments, they unpack it all. Don't miss out for their take-aways and how you can continue to be "Always Forward" in your ministry, especially in these uncharted times.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Joe Hendrickx, Major Gifts Officer at St. Paul's Newman Center at NDSU and Frank Cummings, Director of Development at School of Faith. They discuss how to make calls and get appointments with donors and potential donors. They talk about the anatomy of a phone call and walk through different troubleshooting ideas when the donor says no. And how to deal with motivation versus action. Frank and Joe presented this talk at the Petrus Virtual Conference 2020.
In this episode, Tara Troy Doyon, Petrus Development Consultant, engages us with 10 tips for Donor Zoom Calls. This Petrus Lunch and Learn session is so helpful in wading through all the changes we are dealing with in this new time for fundraising. Tara breaks the process down so easily and makes it achievable. Let us know what tips you try.
The 2020 Petrus Leadership Conference scheduled for June 7-10, 2020 in Breckenridge, CO has been rescheduled for June 6-9, 2021. Join us instead for the Petrus Virtual Conference on June 8-10, 2020. The Petrus team, expert speakers, and entertaining guests will be streaming LIVE for 55 straight hours. Program will include sessions and interviews on fundraising, leadership, ministry, stewardship, communications and more. In addition, we will stream Mass, adoration, musical concerts, Happy Hours, games, tournaments, and more. Can't sit still for 55 straight hours? Not a problem. Attendees will have access to all recorded sessions, documents and resources for 365 days following the Virtual Conference.
Attendees will gain valuable knowledge and insights into strategies sure to increase giving to their nonprofit organization. Attendees will also be able to network and build relationships with fellow development officers, priests, and ministry leaders within the Catholic and faith-based nonprofit community. Petrus consultants will be available and scheduling personal one-on-one time with all attendees to discuss their situations and help identify individual strategies for fundraising.
Cost is $149 per individual OR $249 for access for everyone at an organization.
Register at https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/pvc20.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Liz Schriner, Director of Market Engagement & Special Gifts at Franciscan University of Steubenville. They discuss how to approach fundraising in new ways. From innovation and extension to Catholic impact investing and donor advice funds. They will also discuss how to step forward into this new era of current and post pandemic philanthropy.
Show Notes:
Liz Schriner is the Director of Market Engagement and Special Gifts at Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is originally from New Zealand. She earned a degree in agriculture science and entered into public relations in that field. Her journey led her to America in her late 20s where she met and married her American husband. For the next 15 years they entered apostolate and pro-life work, traveling with their three children, living the camper life. Living the faith life. This led to grassroots work. After 15 years on the road, with their children growing too big for the camper, they settled in Northwest Ohio. Liz home-schooled her children while re-entering the workforce. She started a franchise in the publishing world but desired to take her missionary heart and meld it with her business head. Entering the advancement field at Franciscan was a new field but enabled her to combine the two.
Liz grew up Catholic in New Zealand, but during her teen years, her parents decided to focus on good citizenship rather than being involved in Vatican II. But her Nanna, an Irish Catholic, continued to pray for the family. When Liz was in her late 20s she was involved in a severe car accident, one which she should not have survived. She believes her Nanna's prayers and faith, played a role in saving her life that day. After the accident, Liz continued to live in her business head but now had a daily question of "what is the purpose of my life?" One year after her car accident, she found herself at the local evangelical church where she was brought back to her faith and it was this that led her to America. When God speaks to us, it will be in unexpected times.
During her 15 years on the road, they devoted themselves to serving the homeless, disenfranchised, immigrants, etc. They realized it was very personable, person to person work.
Her husband ran for President as an independent beginning in 1998. Due to this and him also being a reporter they were able to discuss social justice, catholic teachings, family life, average citizens doing more, with the media.
Franciscan University
Liz works in the spirituality of fundraising. In her role, she is there to process and facilitate gateways of fear and burst those fear bubbles. To build trust and ask for a call to prayer. It is then given to the Holy Spirit and benefactor.
She engages with new benefactors and through the Franciscan innovation and extension, looks five years down the road. So Liz finds benefactors for projects that are five years down the road.
Catholic Impact Investing
Matches men and women in their 30s-40s who are generous and have prosperity/wealth with ways to create ROI in their giving, launch apostolates and create sustainable funds for their philanthropic work.
Donor Advice Fund
Creating what is an excellent, philanthropic management tool. They have been working closely with the Knights of Columbus in this capacity.
Step in Faith Initiative
To help with those affected by the pandemic, especially financially, Franciscan University will be offering free tuition to all incoming freshmen students this Fall semester, helping online students with funding and flying all graduating seniors to the school for their graduation ceremony rescheduled for August. Fr. Dave says that you must step in faith with a boldness. While Franciscan University is doing this without expecting a return on investment.
Liz would give two pieces of advice to new development officers. The first is to be yourself. To carry the love of Jesus and to share the messy parts with those you're building relationships with. And second, to know your objective and to be mindful of that. Whether your objective is to build relationships, to make an ask or discuss a project. Be mindful of that when you're stepping into a meeting. And bonus, be all about trust, address the fear bubbles and build trust.
Personal
Liz is a mother, a walker and a gardener. She has made a garden in every home she's had. And she find comfort in silence. She'll use a quiet drive to pray a rosary and to be still in silence.
Lightening Round
If you could fund-raise for any organization at any time, what would it be?
Franciscan University or for the earthquake in Christ Church, New Zealand
If you could get a donor meeting with anybody dead or alive, who would it be
Whoever God puts in front of me
Is there enough money out there for everybody?
Yes, because God is not put in a box. There is enough for whatever God desires
Who are three people who have influenced you the most in the fundraising world?
Edith Stein, Pope John Paul II, Bernadette Hays and her team at Franciscan University
If you could go back in time, would you do it all over again?
Absolutely, for the right cause
If you would like to connect with Liz, she can be found at lschriner@franciscan.edu or 419-792-9059
Andrew's Take-Aways:
Liz's explanation of the art of fundraising, don't be like anyone else but yourself.
The interesting idea of Catholic Impact Investing which treat grants as investments or loans. Very interested in seeing how that works.
Step in Faith initiative, courage to do the right thing even if we don't know how or if it will benefit us.
Action Item:
Write down or type 15 radical ideas for shifts or changes that you can make during this pandemic. Basically, 15 ways that you can step in faith. These can be institutional or personal. Write down 15 because the first 5 will be pretty obvious, it's once you get beyond the ones that are staring you in the face that you get to the good stuff.
If you have questions, or want to share a success story, email me at andrew@petrusdevelopment.com or send us a Facebook message. We’re always happy to help. God bless.
Be bold and the Lord will provide. #thistooshallpass
Andrew visits with Sarah Rose, Consultant with Petrus Development. They discuss how to develop authentic and intentional relationships as a development officer. They will also discuss how to develop skills and confidence in your work in the development world. And how to deal with distractions when they feel too important to your work to be labeled as a distraction.
Show Notes:
Sarah Rose has been a Consultant with Petrus Development for almost 10 years. She earned her degree in Communications from St. Edwards University and her first job out of college was in marketing for a software company. While she did not enjoy her time in that career she was able to spend a lot of time with her young adult Catholic group in Austin. It was during that time that she realized that she wanted to explore working in development for a non-profit. She was encouraged to do informational interviews and that was when she met Peter de Keratry of Petrus Development.
Petrus Consultant
Sarah has been with Petrus for going on ten years and her first clients included Baylor University, Vanderbilt University and Tulane University. She had a big learning curve and was able to shadow a few consultants. She would shadow them making calls and doing on-site visits to donors. It was a mentorship. She also attended a week long development training program. It was baptism by fire; jump in and start doing it.
She tells a story of working on a feasibility study and having to share an office with her boss. She sat directly across from him and made phone calls while he sat there and watched. There was no getting out of making calls. It was an opportunity to grow.
Successful Clients
Development is an art and a science. Art is the authentic aspect. It's being an active listener, being vulnerable. Her most successful clients have a strong faith and prayer life and are able to pull back the curtain and be authentic with their donors.
Science is the purposeful and intentional aspect of development. It's the tracking and reporting part.
To be successful you need to be able to lean into being authentic and intentional. Our role in development is asking people for help. We need people to help, to walk with us.
Distractions
What are some distractions that development officers deal with?
In Jesus' ministry, he dealt with constant disruptions. As a mom of three, Sarah has many distractions. It's different for everyone. But there will always be an aspect of your job that you find uncomfortable and we allow ourselves to be distracted from that by other aspects of our job. Example, if writing is uncomfortable, we'll spend our time making calls or going to meetings or joining committees. All of which are good things for our job, but we need to be writing as well. So you need to address the uncomfortable and deal with it.
If you work at a church, there will be people coming by and multiple distractions. When you listen to the interruptions (lean in with intention) you can find a theme. Maybe the youth minister needs open office hours, etc. There is usually a need that's not being met when there are interruptions.
When Sarah works with her clients, she discusses this. What makes you uncomfortable and how can we resolve it. Do I need to stare at you while you make phone calls?
If you, as the development director, don't do it - nobody else is going to do it.
Donor Stories
There was one client who struggled with the authentic aspect. Once Sarah had made a script for calls and the client had more experience, she was able to be authentic. The more she did it, the more confident she grew.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Sarah describes her strengths as being optimistic, idealist, creative and dreaming up stuff. Her weakness is that she usually has her head in the clouds. The strategy that works for her, she's discovered, is that if she can take that dream and create a plan and break it down into obtainable steps, she can be successful. It helps with the hard part.
Good choice, bad choice, whatever, God will be with you. You just have to make a choice and act.
Gifted Writer
Her mom was a journalist, her sister an English major. She comes from a family of writers and readers. Writing is a concrete practice of intentional communication. Writing is a commitment.
Sarah encourages her clients to make a development specific journal. It encourages them to practice writing. It's a safe place to express your fears and successes in development.
A common piece of advice to new development directors is to push to think about what works for you. What is your style? Try it out and tweak it with intentional.
Find a system that fits for you that will set you up for long-term, replicate-able, sustainable success.
Personal
Sarah has the hobby of chaotic family! She has a 7, 5 and 3 year old. And is intentional with her family time. She loves to read and is currently reading the Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter books with her kids. She loves to be outside and plans to hike Mt. Denali for her 10 year wedding anniversary.
Lightning Round
If you could fund-raise for any organization at any time, what would it be?
Something fun and colorful. Maybe a children's museum or children's book
If you could get a donor meeting with anybody dead or alive, who would it be?
Her favorite saints. St. Catherine of Siena
Is there enough money out there for everyone doing good work?
Yes. But is it good work?
If you could go back in time and offer yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
Be yourself. When she has been off the map has been when she hasn't been herself.
Who are three people who have influenced you the most in the fundraising world?
Her parents, a mentor from college, Pauline, the former director of family ministry at her church, Terry
Andrew's three takeaways
Loves how development has both an art side and a science side. While we've all probably heard that before, it was nice that Sarah gave names to the sides. It was helpful when Sarah compared that to her family dynamics, needing to have different relationships with her husband and her kids, but still has to be authentic and intentional with everyone, just in different ways.
We talked a lot about distractions. Even Jesus had distractions in His ministry. The important thing is to know what your goals are and always go back to what your personal and institutional mission statement tell you to focus on.
Writing exercises can make us better with words and more equipped in our conversations with donors.
BONUS: What are your feelings about money? How does that inform your experience as a development officer or as a ministry leader? We all have feelings about money in some way, but we need to understand what those are and insure that they don't corrupt your message to your donor.
Action Item
Find a journal or something to write in, and spend a few minutes to write down why you love about development work and how you feel about money. You can start by answering these three questions:
Do I feel like I'm wealth or poor?
Does the idea of having more money motivate me to work harder or just makes me feel selfish and greedy?
When I meet someone new, a donor perhaps, do I form an opinion of who they are based on my perceptions of their wealth.
You can write about anything you want, but hopefully these questions get you started.
If you want to connect with Sarah, you can email her at sarah@petrusdevelopment.com or send her a text or call at 512-845-1096.
If you have questions, or want to share a success story, email me at andrew@petrusdevelopment.com or send us a Facebook message. We’re always happy to help. God bless.
Be bold and the Lord will provide.
On Day 14 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Bishop Mike Sis of the Diocese of San Angelo, TX joined to talk about the call to holiness in light of the pandemic.
Some of the points discussed include:
•Be serious and sincere, but don’t give in to panic or fear
•Stay informed, but don’t overindulge in news and information
•Don’t just endure this struggle – embrace it, appreciate it, and live it
•Search for celebratory moments
•Find activities to enjoy that encourage well-being
•Appreciate the things that we are missing now
•Savor the Liturgy of the Hours or the Psalms
•Use our silent time to ask God what He wants us to do
•Reflect on the nation of Israel in the time of the Babylonian Camptivity and Jesus and his 40 days in the wilderness
•Keep our eyes on Jesus Christ
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
Carlos de Quesada of of VeraCruz Advisory Group joined Andrew to discuss what nonprofit organizations need to know about the recent CARES Act that was recently signed into law to provide relief funding for individuals, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Day 13 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus Valerie Villarreal, project manager at Instagram, discussed utilizing social media content for your ministry in this time of crisis.
Some of the points discussed include:
•Being vulnerable to build trust
•Providing inspiration and hope through content
•Building group connection with online tools to combat isolation
•Scalable resourcing – growing capacity for gaining resources to scale ministry, finding ways to communicate at scale
•Right now we have a grace period for lower quality production, it resonates with everybody who is working from home in their pajamas right now. Don’t have stage fright, just get the content out
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
On Day 12 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus Brenda Cannella, CFO for the Archdiocese of Denver, shared from his experience in budgeting and planning in a time of crisis.
Brenda discussed her experience in assessing fundraising results from the midst of the 2008 financial crisis and applying those lessons to development planning during her time with FOCUS.
She also talks about budgeting and forecasting, assessing vulnerabilities to stress test budgets, utilizing “rainy day” funds when rainy days like this arrive, and considerations for taking advantage of the CARES act for small business loans as part of the recent federal stimulus plan.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
On Day 11 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Debra Richmond from the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Houston shared 3 best practices for designing online giving pages and driving traffic.
Next, Rhen Hoehn from St. Albert the Great University Parish at Michigan Tech University told about his experience building a monthly giving program and gave tips for stewarding current monthly donors while adding new monthly donors.
3 Best Practices for Online Giving
-Make your site easy to find, especially in Google, and make your donation page easy to find on your site
-Make your donation page easy to use, simple, and reduce clutter
-Make it easy for the donor to contact you
Tips for Adding and Stewarding Monthly Donors
-Always include monthly giving as an option in appeals, and try tailoring appeals and matching gift challenges toward encouraging monthly donations
-Get to know your monthly donors – thank you calls, face-to-face meetings, etc
-Don’t be afraid to ask: leave monthly donors on appeal mailing lists, consider using an appeal or matching challenge to ask existing monthly donors to increase their gift size
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
Day 10 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus was an open question and answer session. A number of live polls were taken among the call participants to get a better sense of the Catholic development landscape during the pandemic.
Some of the many topics discussed included the eligibility of nonprofits for stimulus funds, the impact of check-in calls and other communications with our donors right now, the changes and struggles we are dealing with as fundraisers right now, and suggestions for coping with stress in this tough time.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
On Day 9 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Larry Massey from the Scanlan Foundation shared from his experience in grant writing and grant making and offered a list of 6 tips for securing more grants.
Use this slow time to clean up your database.
Don't Xerox last year's proposal and send it again. You must innovate and adapt.
Send proper thank yous.
Get to know foundation trustees and build relationships when possible.
Create a Nifty Fifty. This is a list of 50 people that you would like to meet. Share the Nifty 50 List with colleagues, committee members and friends to open some doors.
Be a professional 24/7. Embrace the difficult job of Catholic fundraising and celebrate your gift.
People come first
Diversity matters. Ensure diversity at the tables of decision-making.
Be decisive and confident (“Go ahead and do things. The bigger the better if your intentions are sound.” – John Raskob)
Remain truthful and positive. Keep perspective- immediate and near future.
Communicate with consistency and frequency. Communicate solutions, not only problems. Highlight positive stories.
Leaders: Care for personnel. Care for constituencies (mission). Care for finances and operations.
Live out of mission in adaptable ways. Be nimble. Practice innovation and creativity.
Lead with core values
Out of suffering springs new life (Paschal Mystery)
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
On Day 8 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Kerry Robinson, Global Ambassador from the Leadership Roundtable shared lessons she has learned and maxims she has development about leadership in a crisis. Her 9 maxims include:
People come first
Diversity matters. Ensure diversity at the tables of decision-making.
Be decisive and confident (“Go ahead and do things. The bigger the better if your intentions are sound.” – John Raskob)
Remain truthful and positive. Keep perspective- immediate and near future.
Communicate with consistency and frequency. Communicate solutions, not only problems. Highlight positive stories.
Leaders: Care for personnel. Care for constituencies (mission). Care for finances and operations.
Live out of mission in adaptable ways. Be nimble. Practice innovation and creativity.
Lead with core values
Out of suffering springs new life (Paschal Mystery)
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
On Day 7 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Kate Sell of Mission Advancement Partners shared tips and ideas for creating and adapting a strategic plan in the midst of a crisis.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
As part of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Matt Regitz, Parish Coach for Divine Renovation and David Light, Finance Council Chair for Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Tomball, TX joined us to discuss bridging the gap between ministry and finance. They discussed how this crisis has the potential to move us from maintenance to mission quicker and more deliberately.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
Week 2 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit kicked off with another Q&A Session which included inspirational stories from development officers in the field.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
As part of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Andrew Robison, President reviewed communication appeals from parishes and Newman Centers and discussed positive and effective language. Also in the session was a discussion around budgeting for fiscal year 2021 when ministry goals will be shifting. Josh Whelan, VP of Petrus and Matt Bond, Director of Development for St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church at Oklahoma State University advice and personal testimony on the topic of budgeting.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
As part of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus, Darin Paine, PhD shares a presentation on how to Red Team your Development Program. "When a plan is in place we often focus on what it will accomplish. However, we may miss critical considerations or get derailed by unexpected variables. But, what if considering the unexpected was part of the plan? What if the unexpected had already been discussed? Red Teaming is a way to question the plan, to identify weaknesses, to give your rogue colleagues a voice - without being a jerk - and incorporate more of your organization. With historical roots to modern day military training, Red Teaming can help you conquer the competition by challenging everything. Based on Bryce G. Hoffman's book, Red Teaming."
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
Red Teaming by Bryce Hoffman: https://brycehoffman.com/books/red-teaming/
Join Tara Doyon, Petrus Consultant and Director of Stewardship and Development at St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University as she leads a discussion about "Communicating with your Donors" during the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
Video Recording of Virtual Summit: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCUcssQJBzQ-Gy-aQMSR0pg/
Join Andrew Robison, President as he kicks off Day 1 of the COVID-19 & Fundraising Virtual Summit by Petrus with a prayer, introduction and Open Q&A Session. Guests on the episode include Mike St. Pierre, Executive Director of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association and Tara Doyon, Petrus Consultant and Director of Stewardship and Development at St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University.
"Over the past week, it seems like so much has changed. With thousands of confirmed cases of Coronavirus, or COVID-19, in the U.S., it seems like every hour another group is announcing a closure or cancellation. The question on our minds today is how will this affect our ministries? Regardless of who you serve, there will be shifts and changes that we have to be mindful of and adapt to.
At Petrus, we are committed to continuing to serve our clients and the nonprofit community now as much as ever. While this may be a scary time, it does not and should not be a time of inaction. In 2 Timothy, Paul says that the Lord “has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” Let us continue to work together on behalf of our ministries and our benefactors to build the Kingdom of God.
Join us for our FREE VIRTUAL SUMMIT every day from MARCH 17 - APRIL 3 for conversations and presentations about topics relevant to fundraising during and after the COVID-19 Pandemic."
Links & Resources:
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/virtual-summit
https://www.facebook.com/petrusdevelopmentpage
https://www.facebook.com/groups/petrusdevelopment
CCMA Remote Work 101: https://youtu.be/5lj0wyYW0-g
Duke Catholic Live Stream of Mass: https://youtu.be/9RpXu76ZW6A
Video Recording of Virtual Summit Day 1: https://youtu.be/Hs6fkfmhJh8
In this episode, Andrew visits with Michelle Sutton, Director of Development at the Duke Catholic Center. They discuss a variety of strategies in fundraising within campus ministries. Talking about interacting and building relationships with their students, parents and community. And how to build a sustainable annual fund by creating long-term strategy.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Tom Ahern, communications guru and author of six books, including How to Write Fundraising Materials that Raise More Money and What Your Donors Want and Why. They discuss a variety of topics and strategies, all in the world of communications. Tom is a huge advocate for “donor centric” messaging and firmly believes that is the way to raising more money now and building long-term donor loyalty.
Tom also shares his thoughts on some new research on “identity based fundraising” and how nonprofits can incorporate very simple changes into their communication pieces.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Jeanne Mancini, President for the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. Andrew and Jeanne discussed her personal commitment to the pro-life world, how they have transformed their development program in recent years and what it was like to host the president at the March. Jeanne also shared about a very surprising phone call she received the day after the March.
It is a New Year and a great time to jumpstart your Development efforts! Listen to our webinar presentation by Tara Doyon, Petrus Consultant and Director of Stewardship and Development at St. Pauls Catholic Church at Indiana University. Tara shares the Top 10 things you can do to begin raising critical funds to support your ministry mission. If your organization has a development program in place but need an extra boost, these 10 strategies will help you take a critical look at what you are doing and how you can make improvements.
https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/webinar
As we continue to inch closer to the Petrus Leadership Conference on June 7-10, and we get much closer to the January 31 cutoff for Early Bird Registration Rates, we wanted to share with you a few of the great speakers who will be presenting at the conference.
Andrew also shares some memorable (and infamous) moments from the last couple Petrus Leadership Conferences.
Join us in the mountains of Colorado this June to be educated, inspired, and share some time in fellowship with other Catholic development professionals!
Registration, conference and lodging details can be found on our website at petrusdevelopment.com/plc20 or at missionfollowsmoney.com.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Cristina Barba, President of The Culture Project International. Andrew and Cristina discuss her personal and professional background and how The Culture Project came to be. They also discuss the struggles and hopes of starting The Culture Project and the issues they are seeing in schools as they strive to restore culture through the experience of virtue.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Jason Shanks, President of Our Sunday Visitor Institute. Andrew and Jason discuss his personal and professional background and the path that brought him to Our Sunday Visitor. They also discuss how OSV is taking steps to bring innovation and growth into fundraising. They discuss the OSV Challenge and the new ideas that are coming from the endeavor.
In this episode, we flip the mic and interview the host, Andrew Robison. Andrew shares about his background, some of the successes and failures that he has experienced after 15 years in this business and that time that he was in a plane crash and nearly died (spoiler...he lived but missed his catering job the next day).
In this episode, Andrew visits with Kathryn Whitaker: Catholic wife and mother of six, Business Owner, Graphic Designer, Blogger, and Author of Live Big, Love Bigger. Andrew and Kathryn discuss her professional background and her work in graphic design, especially with Catholic non-profits, with great tips, including the importance of cohesiveness in your brand and telling your ministry's story. They also discuss Kathryn's book, an extension of her blog, which sprung from the traumatic birth experience of her fifth child, and led to a more intentional, Christ-centered family life.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Julie Kenny. Julie is the National Program Director for iGiveCatholic. Julie explains the origins of iGiveCatholic, why iGiveCatholic exists and what it is designed to do for Catholic dioceses, parishes, schools, and ministries. Andrew and Julie discuss how the movement-turned organization began, the mechanics of the iGiveCatholic platform, some basic questions about the platform and certain concerns that some considering it might have regarding donor data and security. Finally, Julie addresses the future of iGiveCatholic and plans for moving forward. Ultimately, as Andrew notes, the movement is driven by the question - "How can we serve the Church in a way that is responsive to the culture and technology?"
In this episode, Andrew speaks with Tim Glemkowski, Co-Founder and President of L'Alto. L'Alto Catholic Institute exists to help parishes meet the challenges and opportunities of this New Evangelization head on by helping them Win, Build, and Send missionary disciples. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati's famous battle cry, "Verso l'alto" means "to the heights" and L'Alto Catholic Institute seeks to inspire Catholics to seek after the heights of holiness and mission. Tim is also one of the founding members of Revive Parishes. Revive serves pastors, staff, and volunteers of parishes to help form joyful missionary disciples among the faithful. Tim's new book, Made for Mission: Renewing Your Parish Culture was just released and can be found on amazon. Andrew and Tim discuss the risk of mission in this interview. Tim's goal is to make Jesus Christ the center of personal and parish life.
In this episode, Andrew speaks with Stan Guimont, Account Manager with Palmer Non-profit Communications, a commercial direct mail provider that works with the general non-profit world. Stan has been an account manager with Palmer since 2005. As an air force veteran, Stan began working in advertising in the mid eighties, then spent some time as a radio account executive. He then worked for a publishing company whose clients were mostly non-profits. Stan has found a fulfilling career with Palmer using his creativity and natural sales ability to help his clients. He demonstrates a deep and genuine care for his clients and their needs and provides a wealth of knowledge about direct mail best practices.
In this episode Andrew visits with Chris Hanzeli about two of his different roles in development and his masters research. Executive Director of Institutional Advancement for the Western Dominican Province, Chris Hanzeli has a Masters of Philanthropy and Development through St. Mary's University in Winona, Minnesota.
Director of Campus Ministry for the University Catholic Center at the University of Texas at Austin, Fr. Larry Rice discusses his role at the UCC and also his previous role as Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry at St. Thomas More Newman Center at the Ohio State University. He compares and contrasts working in campus ministry at these two schools. Fr. Larry just celebrated his 30th anniversary of ordination to the priesthood with the Paulist Fathers. He understands campus ministry and the principles of development and takes his role as supervisor seriously. Share this episode with a priest.
Evangelical Catholic has been forming missionary disciples since the early 1990s. The Evangelical Catholic works nationally to support dioceses parishes and university campus ministries to lead self-sustaining evangelization movements through their customized coaching service and online learning management system. Evangelical Catholic currently works with over 100 Catholic ministries across the nation.
Jason Simon is the President of Evangelical Catholic. In this episode he discusses his journey through Evangelical Catholic, his faith journey, and how that relates not just to fundraising but to running an organization.
Dennis and Marie Wierzbicki, benefactors to the "One Church, Many Disciples" Capital Campaign for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City sat down with Peter de Keratry at the 2019 Petrus Leadership Conference to share about their experience as donors. Dennis is the president of Ditch Witch and Marie is a volunteer for many nonprofit organizations in and around Oklahoma City. Dennis and Marie shared lessons they have learned along their philanthropic journey, how they have encouraged their children to be philanthropic and what their experience getting involved and giving to the "One Church, Many Disciples" campaign was like.
Dennis and Marie were part of a donor panel at the 2019 Petrus Leadership Conference in Oklahoma City on June 23-26. This is the audio recording of their presentation.
James Baxter, Co-Founder of Exodus 90, has served as its Executive Director since 2015. He attended St. John Vianney Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota and St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology in St. Meinrad, Indiana before discerning God was calling him to marriage and secular life. In 2015, supported by his Board, James assumed responsibility for scaling Exodus 90 from a seminary formation program into a spiritual exercise for the renewal of the Church. James presented at the 2019 Petrus Leadership Conference in Oklahoma City on June 23-26. This is the audio recording of his presentation.
John Flynn, Vice President of Advancement for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), presented at the 2019 Petrus Leadership Conference. This is an audio recording of his presentation.
John discussed the nine virtues of Catholic development officers and the "five rights" of making an ask. To view the slides from his presentation, visit www.petrusdevelopment.com/plc
David Pederson has been the Director of Development for the Catholic Community Foundation for the Diocese of Phoenix since 2013. He has worked in development for over ten years at multiple Catholic campus ministries and the Diocese of Phoenix. In this episode, Andrew and David explore the basics of planned giving: What is it? What types of gifts are made in this type of giving? As well as how to approach donors about planned giving and how to begin a program like that at the Catholic Community Foundation for the Diocese of Phoenix. David offers practical advice for the development professional wanting to explore planned giving as an option for future growth of their ministry.
Mary Hernandez is the Executive Director of Advancement for Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Student Center at the University of Louisiana - Lafayette. Mary is an alum of UL and was a member of the parish prior to receiving an invitation by Fr. Bryce Sibley to help with a fundraising project. Mary accepted and turned a temporary assignment into a full-time position running communications and eventually the development program. In their conversation, Mary and Andrew discuss how the growth of the ministry really spurred growth in their development efforts and how a long-term vision for serving the students of UL has led them to launch a $22M capital campaign to build a new student center.
Show Notes:
Mary’s first job after graduating from University of Louisiana - Lafayette was as a high school teacher. She left that job and went to work for the university in recruitment and orientation. Mary left the job so she could stay home with her children but went back to work when Fr. Bryce Sibley called and asked her to help with a big event at Our Lady of Wisdom.
Mary worked in Communications for OLOW for a number of years before moving into the role of Director of Development.
One of Mary’s early solicitations was with a long-time donor named Kirby. Mary presented Kirby with a large request and he agreed. A few weeks later, Kirby personally thanked Mary for all the work that she was doing and for asking him to take a larger role in development. This demonstrated to Mary that donors are thankful to be invited to give.
A friend of Mary once referred to her as the “Minister of Finance” for the work that she does to minister to donors and for her role as a true part of the Ragin Cajun Catholic ministry.
Fr. Bryce Sibley’s favorite quote is “No money, no mission.” Fr. Bryce is a visionary and pushes the others on staff to be bold and think bigger. This moved Mary to be mindful of the financial health of the ministry and ensure that gifts and donors are appropriately stewarded.
Our Lady of Wisdom converted databases a few years ago and now uses Salesforce to manage their mailing list and giving history. They have 20,000 records but primarily communicate with their “All Givers List” which is approximately 5,000 individuals who have given in the past 5-7 years. They apply additional segments depending on the purpose of the mailing. They send out 3-5 appeals per year.
OLOW has a very active social media presence but have to change their strategy every 12-18 months to adapt to the changing platforms. Their primary focus is to communicate with the students of UL but alumni, parents and donors are cultivated because this content demonstrates the active nature of the ministry.
“The best development work that we can do is to have a strong ministry.”
Fr. Bryce and the staff was interested in exploring a capital campaign to build a new church and student center. They approached their Leadership Council to start discussing a project and the Council surprised them by voting unanimously to start a campaign immediately. They approached their local bishop and he invited them to be a part of the diocesan-wide centennial capital campaign. This ensured that they would have $5M toward their building project.
They have currently secured $9.2M toward the $22M goal but have taken a slight pause while they work to secure land for the new facility.
OLOW has an in-house coffee shop. They were managing the coffee shop for a while but it got to be too much to sustain. Fr. Bryce closed the coffee shop to search for and identify a good partner to manage it properly. Their goal is for the coffee shop to be revenue neutral so that it can be strictly an evangelization tool and not a money maker.
Recommended books:
Searching for and Maintaining Peace - Fr. Jacques Philippe
Conducting a Successful Capital Campaign - Kent Dove
For more information about Our Lady of Wisdom or to connect with Mary, visit www.ourladyofwisdom.org or email her at mary@ourladyofwisdom.org.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Keith Myers, the Director of Advancement for St. John XXIII College Preparatory in Houston, Texas. Keith and Andrew discuss the importance of tying the ministry of development into forming stewards with intentionality of purpose. They highlight the importance of Christ at the center of that intention. Keith learned valuable strategies for success in development though his career, which included IT supercomputer sales. These strategies include setting clear goals and tracking your data. Ultimately, being truly present to another person is of utmost importance.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Fr. Ben Hasse, the Pastor of St. Albert the Great University Parish in Houghton, Michigan and St. Anne Catholic Church in Chassell, Michigan. St. Al's is an active and vibrant parish and home to students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Michigan Technological University, Finlandia University, and Gogebic Community College in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In addition to being pastor of two parishes, Fr. Ben is the vocations director for the Diocese of Marquette. During their conversation, he joyfully tells of his experience in ministry and development for the university parish. He speaks of the practical concerns of running a parish and student center while also emphasizing the importance of relationship.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Kerry Robinson the Global Ambassador of Leadership Roundtable and author of the book, "Imagining Abundance: Fundraising, Philanthropy and a Spiritual Call to Service" Kerry details her experience working in development for the Catholic Student Center at Yale University and later goes on to describe the origins and legacy of Leadership Roundtable, packed with useful lessons along the way.
John Flynn is the Vice President of Philanthropy for FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. In this episode, John and Andrew discuss the impact that development can have on a ministry as well as the importance of having a plan and a vision for your ministry. Two tools for success explored are the Case for Support and the Blue Ribbon Committee. Other successful development strategies are also highlighted. Most importantly, a development officer in the Catholic Church needs to be committed to a life of prayer and participation in the Sacraments.
John Flynn's Work History:
2010-Present: Vice President of Philanthropy, FOCUS (Denver, CO)
2005-2010: Co-Founder, Petrus Development (Austin, TX)
1994-2004: Director of Advancement, St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center (Lawrence, KS)
John got involved with the St. Lawrence Catholic Center while he was a student at Kansas University. Fr. Vince Krische was the chaplain for the football team and he and John built a friendship while John was a player on the team.
John graduated and started a successful insurance business in Kansas City. In 1994, John attended a conference where he learned about the impact that development can have on ministry.
John started on June 20, 1994 with the St. Lawrence Catholic Center. He attended the Omaha Development Institute hosted by Fr. John Flynn. Fr. John recommended focusing on two things to be successful: creating a great Case for Support and recruiting a Blue Ribbon Committee. John also hired a development consultant to help create a plan. John and Fr. Vince worked for two months listing all the things that Fr. Vince wanted to accomplish at the Center. This created a blueprint for the Case for Support.
John and Fr. Vince’s first person to invite to the Advisory Council was John J. Sullivan, a successful businessman in Kansas. John was honored to serve and to make a gift. Fr. John also encouraged Fr. Vince to invite Archbishop James Keleher to join the Advisory Council. John and Fr. Vince invited the Archbishop after having most of the other members confirmed. Showing Archbishop Keleher the Case for Support and the list of members convinced him to serve, and he made every meeting except for two during his time on the Council.
The key to success is to have a plan. Without a plan and a vision for your ministry, you are wasting people’s time.
One of the great success story for the Catholic Church is the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center at University of Nebraska. So many of the leaders of the Church in Nebraska are coming through UNL. They started with a vision to build a fraternity and sorority but have gone on to raise $30M plus to build a vibrant campus ministry and beautiful new church.
Question for any leader in ministry is, “What is the vision for our apostolate? How are we going to change the world? How are we going to better the Church? What kind of impact are we going to have? How are we going to accomplish it?”
Many people ask what the bishop can do for you, but the real question should be what can I do for the bishop. The most impactful contribution that a bishop can give to a church or ministry is to assign a great leader. A priest needs to then build good leadership around them - development director, programming director, etc. In addition, the external leadership of Advisory Board is important. If you have good leadership and follow the proper steps, the money will follow.
The best thing that FOCUS does and brings to ministries is their successful emphasis on evangelization and outreach. Now, FOCUS serves on 155 campuses around the country. They can help take a good campus ministry to great with the infusion of FOCUS missionaries on campus.
Petrus started working with FOCUS in 2009. They had three dedicated development officers working on fundraising at that time. Most of their efforts were spent doing direct mail. Today, there are 21 development officers plus 20 other development support individuals working in the development office for FOCUS. The question of their development team now is “how can we evangelize our benefactors?” If John’s team can help donors grow in their spirituality, then they will want to support more frequently or at a higher level.
To go from good to great as a development officer, you have to apply the discipline of tracking visits, number of attempts, number of hours spent on activities, etc. It is easy to get busy, but you have to be busy doing the right things. There are a number of things that can distract a development officer, but you have to be active with what will produce results.
“It’s not all about the money.” Tracking your visits and calls can give perspective on what it takes to raise money. Being committed to visits and calls will ultimately produce revenue even though it can take time to see those results. A minimum number of visits per month should be 20. A goal for development officers should be to shoot for 30-40 visits per month.
When John started in 1994, the budget of the St. Lawrence Center was $400,000. They only raised an additional $50,000 in his first year. From 2000-2003, they were able to complete a $13M capital campaign. The activity from those early years set them up for success even though the dollars were not coming in immediately.
“I’ve worked with a lot of development professionals over the last 25 years. The ones that don’t perform at a high level are always the ones complaining about keeping track of their numbers. The ones that are most successful never complain about tracking their numbers.”
It’s good to strike a balance between cultivation and solicitation visits but always be prepared to make an ask. Don’t overstay your welcome. Know how much time you have at your appointment and stick to that.
When hiring new development officers, FOCUS looks for two things: great development experience or a great FOCUS experience. Strong communication skills, flexibility, great prayer life, patience, perseverance, and passion are incredibly important attributes.
It is important for development officers in the Catholic Church to commit to having a strong spiritual life, a strong prayer life and participating in the sacraments. This will lead to personal and organizational success.
Always leave a voicemail and leave your phone number twice, once at the beginning and again at the end.
For more information about FOCUS, or to connect with John Flynn, visit www.FOCUS.org or email him at john.flynn@focus.org or 785.423.1303
In this episode, Andrew visits with President of the Scanlan Foundation, Larry Massey. The Scanlan Foundation funds Catholic non profit organizations primarily in the Houston area. Their mission is to promote the Roman Catholic Church of Texas. Larry discusses his role with the Scanlan Foundation, as well as Scanlan's history and impact on the Houston community and the state of Texas. He also gives practical advice for how to interact with foundations like Scanlan and others.
Show Notes:
The Scanlan Foundation was formed on January 25, 1947.
Timothy Scanlan came to Houston, Texas from Ireland in 1837 at 21 years of age. An industrious, civic-minded gentleman, he became one of the richest men in Houston as a merchant and savvy businessman. He was elected Mayor of Houston in 1870 and also served as Postmaster General under Ulysses S. Grant. He was the driving force behind construction of the main, major infrastructure in Houston, including the gas company, water company, trolley, railroad, and more.
Timothy Scanlan and his wife, Edith, had eight daughters, who began other civic organizations throughout the city, such as The Museum of Fine Arts, the San Jose Clinic, and numerous other Catholic Projects. When the last two Scanlan daughters passed away, they gave their fortunes to begin the Scanlan Foundation.
The Scanlan Foundation gave money to the University of St. Thomas as it was founded.
In 72 years since its creation the Scanlan Foundation has given away over $125,000,000 to Catholic ministries in Texas.
The foundation is 1oo% Catholic and gives money to all 15 dioceses in Texas.
Half of the foundation's funds go to Catholic education
About one third of the foundation's funds is given to Catholic ministries.
Larry offers advice to fundees:
Be grateful (send thank you letters)
Keep your databases updated! (Use the correct name in thank you notes)
Know the foundations you work with/their dynamics
Maintain/cultivate these relationships
Don't give up. (May not get funding the first time you apply)
Larry also discusses what characteristics make the best development officers:
Great writing skills
Manners and diplomacy
Culture
Computer savvy/Computer literate
Organized
Sociable/Outgoing/Conversational
For more information about Larry Massey and the Scanlan Foundation, visit scanlanfoundation.org or email Larry at grants@scanlanfoundation.org.
Sarah graduated from Ole Miss and Patrick, from Texas A&M, and both were sent to Wichita, Kansas in their first years as FOCUS missionaries. Both discovered FOCUS in college, at their respective campuses.
Fundraising is a big part of participating in FOCUS and Sarah shares her initial feelings of fear towards fundraising, but had confidence in God's call and her ability to reach her goals. Patrick had no hesitation because his FOCUS team director gave him clear expectations for FOCUS missionaries before he applied. He was also involved in fundraising in college, both within a student organization and through St. Mary's Catholic Center's Class Gift.
First year missionaries train for five weeks in Ave Maria, Florida. After which they continue to fundraise, making calls six days a week for four to six weeks to establish a donor base.
Second year missionaries cultivate their relationships with their mission partners (donors/members of the missionary's support team) through cultivation calls.
They discuss the importance of face to face time with potential donors in achieving support for your mission/ministry. They also explore how interaction with these donors is actually part of the mission itself, how those on a missionary's support team spiritually benefit from financially supporting the missionary.
They discuss their strategies for fundraising and how their approaches changed as time went on. In addition, they discuss their expectations and emphasize the importance of humility in making asks.
Each include that their conversion stories and encounters with God are important stories they've shared with their potential donors/mission partners when meeting to discuss their fundraising goals.
Raising support for their mission work has encouraged these young people to be passionate about their future plans and has helped with practical experience in "asking difficult questions" according to Sarah, and explaining their reasons behind their decisions, so well that it leads to (sometimes unexpected) positive results (ie: Patrick acquiring a job offer from a benefactor).
Participating in FOCUS has helped these missionaries learn the importance of tithing and also the importance of generosity; to welcome others and minister to them simply by purchasing a meal or a coffee for them, etc.
Andrew, lastly asks five lightning round questions:
If you could fundraise for any organization or cause at any point in history what would it be?
If you could get a donor meeting with anyone in the world, living or dead, who would it be with?
Is there enough money out there for every organization that's doing good work?
If you could go back in time and offer yourself one piece of advice what would it be?
Who are three people who have most influenced your growth as a missionary?
From Sarah and Patrick we can learn that in fundraising it is important to be passionate, to be patient, and to trust in God.
On over 150 college campuses in over 40 states and six countries, FOCUS ministers through activities like Bible studies, FOCUS Greek, and Varsity Catholic.
Jason Gerdes is Executive Director of Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministry and president of the Board of Trustees of ALDE. ALDE is a membership organization founded 40 years ago to bring together Lutheran fundraisers working in ministry. Originally called the Association for Lutheran Development Executives, ALDE is now growing and seeks to serve development professionals of all Christian denominations. I had a really great time talking with Jason about his work raising money for and now leading Outdoor Ministries as well as the role that ALDE serves bringing together fundraisers to build community and learn from one another.
Jason attended the Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries as a camper and counselor and was inspired when he was invited to give back to help others attend camp. The development director then asked Jason to come work in the development office and he has worked there now for 17 years.
Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (https://www.nlom.org/) has two camps in Nebraska that serve youth and adults through camping and retreat experiences. The Carol Joy Holling Camp is 40 years old and serves approximately 1,600 kids over the summer. Additionally, approximately 20,000 attend annually for retreat and leadership opportunities.
Blessings by the Bushel (https://www.nlom.org/blessings-by-the-bushel) is a giving program which allows individuals to donate commodities directly to charity which can be a more cost effective manner of donating.
Jason worked with Cacey Fuerst to develop the marketing of NLOM and felt like that helped set them up for more success as a ministry. Casey now runs Tic Tac Toe Marketing (https://www.tictactoemarketing.com/) to be able to serve more clients and ministries.
ALDE (https://www.alde.org/), formerly known as the Association of Lutheran Development Executives, is a membership organization with a mission to “inspire, educate and mentor the Christian fundraising community to spark generosity for mission.” With approximately 600 members, ALDE is growing to serve members from a variety of organizations: congregations, schools, outdoor ministries, retreat centers, youth ministries, higher education, seminaries, campus ministries, districts/synods, church bodies, financial services, charitable foundations, consulting firms, museums, arts/culture, social ministries/services, health care, and more. ALDE has local chapters which serve development officers in regions around the country.
To connect with Jason or learn more about his work, visit https://www.nlom.org/ or email Jason at jgerdes@nlom.org.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Kate Sell, founder and Managing Partner of Mission Advancement Partners. MAP is a collaborative team of individuals who work with Catholic parishes, dioceses and ministries to help them look at their own organizational strengths and weaknesses and develop short- and long-term strategies to better fulfill their mission. In this conversation they discuss how the vision, the team and fundraising go hand in hand to help an organization grow.
Show Notes:
Kate began her career by helping to establish Catholic radio stations across the United States.
The Bible scripture that gives Kate inspiration was the story of Jesus turning water into wine. The servants of the wedding played a critical role in the miracle. They trusted Jesus and were willing to follow instructions to allow the miracle to take place. Kate sees her role in the Church as similar to the servants.
Marketing, management and fundraising are the three strands of a "braid" that allows an organization to grow successfully.
The norm now for strategic planning is 18-24 months. Organizations need short, focused plans to bring clarity to the moment and achieve goals.
"Re-envisioning" is assessing and evaluating how you can live out your mission over the next 18-24 months.
Kate suggests that nonprofit leaders need to always keep in mind the one overarching goal: "If you do nothing else in the next two years, what is the MOST important thing that you can do."
The first question that Kate asks a potential client is "how is your organization responding to the most pressing needs of the Church today?"
Sometimes organizations need to make difficult decisions to abandon old ideas that are no longer important to the mission. One pitfall of planning is that people feel like suggesting that a change means that what was done in the past was wrong but that is often not the case. There is a season for some organizations and ideas but the seasons can sometime end.
For more information about Kate Sell and her work or to connect with her, visit http://revolutionizingmissions.com/ or email her at kate@revolutionizingmissions.com.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Jacob Laskowski, founder and CEO of 86 Creative, a full service marketing and design firm that’s worked with some of the most well known organizations currently serving the Catholic Church. In this conversation, they dive into the principles of design and marketing that most directly affect a charity's ability to fundraise and discuss how organizations can best position themselves to clearly explain their mission and vision.
Jacob began his career with FOCUS as a missionary and then working in their marketing department. Two of his major accomplishments during that time was creating a new logo for FOCUS and rebranding their annual conference as SEEK.
https://www.focus.org/
Later, Jacob decided to start his own business where he could be creative and work with a variety of clients. 86 Creative is a full service design and marketing firm that helps businesses and nonprofits tell their story and look good.
http://86creative.com/
Many of the rules and principles that Jacob uses in his design, he has learned from companies like Apple and Starbucks.
When creating a proposal or case for support for fundraising, Jacob recommends a five-step process.
- State the situation
- State your idea
- Tell how it works
- State your impact
- Ask for support
One piece of advice that Jacob has for organizations is to not try to say too much in their initial message. It’s important to invite people in to ask more questions.
Jacob encourages nonprofits to reach out to volunteers who might be able to help with design projects. For campus ministries, there are likely some students who can offer ideas and suggestions. Board members can also be a resource. Another recommendation is to read. Jacob recommends “All Marketers are Liars” by Seth Godin.
For more information about Jacob Laskowski and his work or to connect with her, visit http://86creative.com/ or email him at jacob@86effect.com.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Linda Domeyer, Director of Leadership Giving at St. Louis University High as well as Consultant for Petrus Development. Linda’s first job in development was for the Washington University Catholic Student Center, where she spent 17 years building a fantastic development program. In this episode, Linda and Andrew talk about how she initially learned about development, her first capital campaign experience, transitioning to a robust annual fund strategy and what she loves most about consulting. Linda also shares about the most expensive failure of her career.
Show Notes:
Linda first exposure to development was when she was working as a group travel host and met a development officer from UNC-Chapel Hill. He explained to Linda that development is different than sales. It’s about connecting with donors and introducing them to ways that they can make a difference for institutions and causes that are important to them.
When Linda began at the Washington University Catholic Student Center, it was to help Fr. Gary raise the money to expand the student center. They were raising about $275K per year and set a goal of $5M for the building campaign. It took a lot of work, but they were successful and actually exceeded the goal and raised $6.5M.
As part of their campaign, they received a $1.25M gift to endow a Chair of Catholic Thought for Wash U. This is a great addition to the university and serves the Catholic Center in a unique and beneficial way as well.
Linda said that the most critical thing activity in the beginning was going out and meeting people.
Following the capital campaign, the Catholic Center’s transition to the Annual Fund was really a chance to start many programs that had not been attended to during the campaign. This included the Class Gift Program, building an EFT base, asking for multi-year annual fund pledges and more. Creativity in the role is what kept Linda in the job after the campaign. Her caution is to avoid chasing down every new idea that comes around.
When their campaign ended, they dissolved their campaign committee and established a new Advancement Council. Out of that, they created other committees: facilities, programming, staffing, finance and development. They hand selected the members who were most committed to fundraising and could open doors. Engagement leads to investment. The Advancement Council was charged with always keeping a long-term focus and outlook. Staff can get mired in the day-to-day but volunteers can help set long-term vision.
Fundraising for programming proved to be more challenging than capital because it is tougher to quantify. Development professionals can help this process by guiding ministry staff to keep better metrics for their programs.
Linda has three lessons for new development officers:
- Get good systems in place but don’t spend so much time on systems that you forget to get out and meet your donors. Make activity your priority and track your metrics.
- Build a good network of colleagues. Connect through groups like AFP and the Petrus Conference. Ask questions and don't be embarrassed because you don't know the answer.
- Don’t forget about committed Catholics who were not active at your Catholic center. The largest annual fund donor to the CSC was not Catholic when he attended Wash U but believes in the mission.
For more information about Linda Domeyer and her work or to connect with her, visit https://www.sluh.org or https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/team/linda-domeyer.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Peter de Keratry, Executive Director of Stewardship & Development for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City as well as co-Founder of Petrus Development. Peter’s first real job in development started while he was still an undergraduate at Texas A&M, raising money for the St. Mary’s Catholic Center. Since then, Peter has had a significant impact on the development landscape across the Church and around the world. In this episode, we talk about how Peter learned the art and science of fundraising, why and how they founded Petrus Development and what Peter thinks is the most important thing that any development professional can do for his or her organization.
Show Notes:
Peter began his development career as a student at Texas A&M working on a building campaign for St. Mary’s Catholic Center. He can still remember his first time attending St. Mary’s when he “felt the hair on the back of my neck the first time I stood in Church and sang the Our Father.”
Fr. Mike Sis invited Peter to help raise $4M to a build a new student center and chapel for St. Mary’s. It took over 3 years but they were successful. Peter attributes much of that success to the team of committed volunteers that Fr. Mike assembled to help. They had a core team of three couples: Vince and Judy Sweat, George and Mary Elizabeth Dresser, and Kevin and Anne O’Neill. Also helping was Dr. Ed Davis, Frank Shannon, Porter Garner and many others.
Peter also met an alumnus named Carl Raba. Carl taught Peter a valuable lesson. In a meeting, Carl told Peter, “You are clearly very uncomfortable doing this. You need to stop apologizing and ask me for a gift. This is my outlet for impacting this ministry.”
After graduating, Peter went to work for CCS as a fundraising consultant. There he learned the value of “process” in fundraising. This helped him later on as he helped Frank Shannon run a successful $100M capital campaign for the Citadel.
Peter learned a valuable lesson from a donor at the Citadel. This donor encouraged him to “stop thinking of these gifts in the context of his own economics.” Major donors have significantly more wealth and capacity than development officers and can give greater amounts. Asks to donors should be “commensurate with the donors’ ability to give.”
After the Citadel, Peter founded Petrus along with John Flynn. Peter and John desired to help Catholic campus ministries learn how to fundraise so that they could reach more students on college campuses across the country. The Church has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Catholic colleges but very little in Catholic campus ministry. Since its founding, Petrus has worked with over 100 Catholic ministries. Peter feels proud to have been part of something that has affected the Catholic Church in such a positive way.
One of Peter’s favorite experiences as a consulting was working with Tim Krug who worked for the campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin. Tim was overwhelmed after a Petrus Conference and Peter advised him to call three people, sit down with them in their home and ask each of them for $1,000 per year for 3 years. This the heart of what we have to do in development.
Peter is currently working for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Archbishop Coakley is leading the archdiocese in a capital campaign to build a shrine for Blessed Stanley Rother. Blessed Stanley served as a priest of the diocese and was martyred in Guatemala in 1981 for his faith. The people of Oklahoma have supported this project because they feel like “Blessed Stanley is our saint!”
http://stanleyrother.org/
Peter teaches young development officers that it is not okay to continue to ask for small gifts if they are professional development officers. As a professional fundraiser, people have got to be asking for gifts that are meaningful and impactful for the organization. “You’ve got to step it up a notch, both in activity and in what you are asking for.”
Peter also attended the Masters of Arts in Philanthropy and Development program at Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota.
https://www.smumn.edu/academics/graduate/business-technology/programs/m.a.-in-philanthropy-development
For more information about Peter de Keratry and his work and to connect with him, visit https://www.petrusdevelopment.com or https://archokc.org/stewardship.
In this episode, Andrew visits with Tara Doyon, Director of Development and Mission Advancement at St. Paul Catholic Center at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. Tara began her career in development at St. Paul in 2009 despite having no formal training in fundraising. She learned quickly the benefit of surrounding herself with great mentors and advisors and has had a huge impact on the Hoosier Catholic ministry. In this episode, Tara and Andrew discuss what she focused on in the beginning to be successful, her thoughts on Catholic stewardship and her current capital campaign project at St. Pauls.
Show Notes:
Tara had a great mentor from the very beginning who helped coach her in the best ways to fundraise. One piece of advice was that there are no donors sitting in your office, you have to get out of the office to meet the donors where they are.
LAI Principle: Linkage, Interest and Ability - how is a donor connected to your organization, what is their interest in your organization and do they have the ability to make a financial gift to your organization
When your organization is just starting a development program, Tara recommends casting a wide net. You need connections with many people from many networks to build a strong development foundation.
Development Office is responsible for maintaining the continuity of the message when leadership changes.
Mentality of tithing is different from paying bills. It is an opportunity to participate in ministry and priests and lay ministers should not be ashamed to talk about giving and to ask for donations.
Organizations need to be able to accept donations in the currency that their donors are using. St. Paul Catholic Center was the first church in the diocese to offer a giving kiosk in the church for parishioners and students to use for their tithe. Now, they offer Venmo as an giving tool. Tara prefers that because it integrates with their database and accounting software.
Tara is currently working on a capital campaign to renovate the bottom floor of their parish hall. They went through a planning process whereby they developed a master plan, conducted a feasibility study and then launched a campaign. A previous diocesan campaign was not done well and made many in the community wary of supporting another campaign. St. Paul’s learned how strong the feelings were during the feasibility study interviews and spent extra time explaining the case and specifics of the campaign. They recently launched the public phase of their campaign and donors are responding very generously.
St. Paul’s had a cash reserve when they began their campaign and Tara believes that was useful. However, she recognizes that not every organization can wait until they have savings. Sometimes, the situation requires that the institution move forward with a major initiative despite not having a reserve or despite not being 100% ready.
Tara recommends reading articles from the Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University and Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). These articles can provide tips and advice but are shorter and easy to consume.
Book recommendations:
Imagining Abundance by Kerry Robinson
In this episode, Andrew visits with Jamie Cappetta, President of Our Savior Parish and USC Caruso Catholic Center. Jamie started his career as a street minister in South Boston but found his way into development thanks to an invitation from John Flynn, one of the co-founders of Petrus. In this episode, Andrew and Jamie discuss his career transitions, the great speaker series at Yale Catholic Center, his strong feelings about the importance of goals and metrics, the powerpacked board that he manages at the USC Caruso Catholic Center and much more.
Jamie started his career as a street minister in South Boston. After some time discerning the priesthood, Jamie went to work at the Catholic Center at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst as the director of development. Jamie was later recruited to the Yale Catholic Center and then the Caruso Catholic Center at the University of Southern California.
The Yale Catholic Center, led by Fr. Bob Beloin and Kerry Robinson secured $22M from 1,200 donors to build a new Center. Jamie was recruited to fundraise for a chapel and build up the annual fund.
The More House Lecture Series was an excellent way to engage the students of Yale as well as alumni and benefactors. Jamie was tasked with raising $25-35K in donations for most of the lectures while he was working there. The series covered topics such as Faith & Science, Faith & Law, Faith & Culture, and Faith & Poetry.
At Yale, Jamie explained that, "you have to start in the head to move to the heart."
At the USC Catholic Center, their mission is to Evangelize, Welcome, Convert and Transform the students of USC.
Jamie has applied a more intentional focus on metrics to the ministry at USC. They track activity and results in areas such as Marketing, Advancement, Campus Ministry Programming. The main goal is 10% growth year-to-year but that goal can be different depending on the metric.
"We are in sales, and we're selling Jesus. Over time, I have seen the 'product' get better. Fr. Richard wants us to be the In-n-Out Burger of campus ministry. Making a really good burger, and doing it over and over again and not getting distracted on a lot of other french fries and drinks and stuff."
Jamie helped create a new set of by-laws for the Board. This meant losing 12 members of the Board initially but have now added 12 members to get back to 24 members. The Board also has 2 young alumni and 2 student members. One inclusion in the by-laws is an annual commitment level of $10,000. This is variable based on a member's ability to secure additional funding for the ministry. Jamie admits that, "For me, the number is not as important as having 100% participation." Jamie hopes that "our goal is to have each board member see us within their top 3 to 5 philanthropies."
The Catholic Center is currently in a campaign to raise $30M for endowment and programming expansion. They are currently at $13M in commitments and hope to announce in spring 2019 after reaching $20M.
Jamie has served as a Petrus consultant for many years in addition to his work at Yale and USC. This was valuable in his development as a development professional. "I'm a baseball player and whenever you coach someone in baseball, having to articulate how to do something, it makes you a better player. The same translates in my experience with Petrus. When I have to step back and listen, it forces me to break it down into simple steps and not make it overwhelming."
Some book recommendations:
Stephen Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Henry Nouwen: Spirituality of Fundraising
Sherry Weddell: Forming Intentional Disciples
Pat Lencioni: Five dysfunctions of a team
For more information about Jamie Cappetta and his work and to connect with him, visit https://www.catholictrojan.org or https://www.petrusdevelopment.com/team/jamie-cappetta/
In this episode, I visit with Frank Shannon, Executive Director of Development at St. Mary’s Catholic Center at Texas A&M University. Frank has been at St. Mary’s since 2013. My conversation with Frank covered a lot of topics, including his career before St. Mary’s, how he transitioned from 25 years in higher ed to a Catholic ministry and how the current campaign at St. Mary’s is going.
Frank’s first job out of college was as a loan officer for the Stephenville Savings and Loan but left the S&L business to became a development officer at Texas A&M after a call from Bob Walker, Vice President for Development at the Texas A&M Foundation.
Frank’s training at Texas A&M mostly came from going on donor calls with Bob Walker and other senior development officers. It was during a meeting with Pat Zachry, long-time donor for A&M, that he realized that his work as a development officer was really about the good that he could help do for the organization. He learned how to turn common interests with donors into relationships that allowed him to demonstrate the difference that they can make.
“People don’t give money to institutions, they give money to people.”
After the A&M Foundation, Frank moved to the 12th Man Foundation as Associate Executive Director where he raised money for Aggie Athletics. He believes that his ability to connect with people and engender trust was what made the 12th Man hiring committee decide to hire him. Next, Frank moved to Mississippi State University where he was leading a team of development officers. Frank admitted that the “toughest job in development” is leading a team of fundraising professionals. He was responsible for setting others up for success.
After two years, Frank was recruited to go to The Citadel where he led a team on a $100M capital campaign. This was a challenge, but they were successful in reaching their goal. After finishing the campaign, Frank started an executive search firm and then was recruited back to Texas to work at Baylor University. Frank believes that, “to grow, sometimes you have to leave an organization.” However, you “have to do a good job where you are in order to earn that opportunity to step up.”
Frank was invited to come work at St. Mary’s in 2013 by Fr. David Konderla to help lead a campaign project. Phase 1 of the project was to expand the Student Center. This was a challenging project for a variety of reasons. Frank learned in his marketing courses that, “you don’t sell the steak, you sell the sizzle.” The first phase project was very “meat and potatoes” without much sizzle. The other reason it was challenging was because people knew that the next phase would be to build a new church would was much more attractive. They were successful in the first phase and raised $11.3M toward the project. They have now broken ground on that building project.
Phase 2 of the campaign is to raise $20M for a new church. They do not know what the actual cost will be because the church has not yet been designed or engineered. Of the $20M goal, they have raised $14.5M including at least 6 gifts of $1M or more. This demonstrates a high level of trust because donors are supporting a project without knowing what the final product will look like.
Currently, St. Mary’s has an annual fund of $1.8M but needs to increase to $2.0M for FY 19. Frank knows that this will not be possible without asking individual donors for significant annual fund gifts. He has told donors that they do not want to sacrifice annual fund gifts in exchange for campaign gifts. Their Living Faith Society is a name for their recurring electronic giving program. They currently have $80,000 per month coming in from 1,400 donors. Strategies for growing this program includes presentations at Mass, parents appeals, Christmas appeals, Matching Collection drives, St. Mary’s Gives, personal asks and more.
One strategy that they have implemented for stewarding their existing donors is a new program called St. Mary’s Honors. This event is open to any donor who has lifetime giving to St. Mary’s of $50,000. They are invited to attend a special dinner in the fall where they are thanked by staff and students for their giving.
The St. Mary’s Development Team now has 7 members including part-time help. They set aside three days every year for planning retreats and professional development.
One couple that Frank mentioned as being particularly supportive is Joe and Shelley Tortorice. They recently made a major commitment to the Church Campaign and have been invited to speak to the Aggie Catholic Ambassadors. Joe stressed to the Ambassadors that “we all need to invest in others.”
“The magic happens when the donor gets engaged. That usually happens through a story.”
Some book recommendations:
Mega Gifts by Jerry Panas
Perfectly Yourself by Matthew Kelly
Totus Tuus: Fr. Brian McMaster
Frank attributes much of his success to his fear of failure and his love of people. His final message is that if you are struggling with what to do or how to succeed, you need to do two things, “Just go back to work and keep asking for big gifts.” Three people who have influenced Frank include Dr. Ed Davis, Dr. Bob Walker and Dennis Prescott.
For more information about Frank Shannon and his work and to connect with him, visit https://aggiecatholic.org.
In this episode I visit with Mike Perkins, President and CEO of Heroic Media about his career, what he has learned about fundraising and ministry along the way and how he came into his current role with Heroic Media.
Mike began his career as a youth minister but was asked to help with fundraising projects along the way. When he was discerning how to support his family and remain in ministry, he received two recommendations in the same day to consider working as a development officer.
People sometimes equate philanthropy and sales but Mike believes they are very different. He never “pitches” prospective donors on giving to an organization, but he presents opportunities to support. Mike always believes that he works on behalf of the benefactors and not the organization.
Mike believes that if development officers who choose their organizations wisely can move up in the nonprofit world and eventually become leaders and even president.
Mike’s first job in development was with Texas Wesleyan. Later, Mike worked for Audubon Texas, the University of Dallas, Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA), Petrus Development, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) and now Heroic Media.
Mike recommends getting reading lists from graduate programs in development. Mike suggested:
Certificate in Catholic Philanthropy: University of Mary in Bismarck, ND
Masters of Arts in Philanthropy and Development: Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in Winona, MN
Mike encouraged young development officers to remember that it is easier to raise $1M from someone who can afford it than $1,000 from someone who cannot.
For reading materials, Mike suggested the following books:
Achieving Excellence in Fundraising by Hank Rosso
Conducting a Successful Capital Campaign by Kent Dove
Designs for Fundraising by Harold Seymour
Relationship Fundraising by Ken Burnett
Give to Live by Douglas Lawson
Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Woman Clothed with the Sun by John Delaney
For more information about Mike Perkins and his work and to connect with him, visit: https://heroicmedia.org/