Successful campaign efforts wrapping up in First Wave
If you would like to learn more about the campaign priorities or see when your parish will be participating, please visit OneFamilyFullyAlive.org.
Active appeals for the One Family, Fully Alive in Christ! Campaign are wrapping up in 19 parishes across the Diocese of Wichita. To date, thanks to the generous support of donors in both the Silent Phase and Wave One of the campaign, more than $19.1 million has been raised toward the overall campaign goal of $50 million.
With an impressive fundraising total so far, there is an even greater potential for more support from Wave One parishes on the horizon. Personal outreach is still underway in many communities and most of these parishes have not yet hosted their Commitment Weekends, a parish-wide event that signals the end of active fundraising and typically results in a boost in both participation and total dollars raised.
Response has been excellent
“We are thrilled with the response from Wave One parishes so far,” said Mike Wescott, diocesan Director of Development and Planned Giving. “Our pastors and lay leaders have gone above and beyond to make this a joyful experience for their people and set the tone for the rest of the campaign. Their leadership will impact their parishes – and our entire diocese – for years to come.”
To help ensure the success of the diocesan campaign, each parish has been given an aspirational financial goal or target that they aim to achieve during their active appeal. These goals help parish communities understand their role in the overall campaign and enable them to plan how their Parish Needs funding can be used on the local level. Once a parish exceeds its aspirational goal, 80% of funds raised over goal at that parish will be directed to that parish for local projects and priorities. Several Wave One parishes have already exceeded their financial goals, and several others are likely to reach their goals in the coming weeks.
Bishop Kemme grateful
“I am beyond grateful for the leadership of the pastors who participated in this first wave of parishes,” said Bishop Carl A. Kemme. “This whole process is new for our diocese, and it’s inspiring to see so many people rally around these important projects and priorities early in the campaign. Together, we are building up the Catholic Church in our region, now and for many years to come.”
As the campaign winds down in Wave One parishes, 32 parishes in Wave Two are now working closely with the campaign team to prepare for the campaign kickoff later this year. The preparation and planning phase will take place from July through September, and active fundraising will kick off in October and run through the end of the year.
“It’s exciting to work with a whole new group of pastors and parish leaders to prepare for the campaign,” said Connor Meier, assistant director of Development and Planned Giving. “The more people learn about the priorities of this campaign, the more excited and engaged they become. We love being out in parishes, meeting with people, answering their questions, and building enthusiasm for the future of our local church.”
Families asked to participate
As the parish waves progress, every registered Catholic family will be asked to make an extraordinary gift or pledge in support of the campaign’s priorities: salary enhancements for Catholic school teachers, the purchase and development of a family and youth camp, restoration work at the Cathedral, support for Individual Parish Needs, and additional funding to serve the poor and vulnerable in our communities.
When each parish participates in its respective wave of the campaign, every registered individual or family will receive an appeal packet with a specific pledge request amount for consideration. Mailed appeal packets will include a letter from Bishop Kemme, a case statement outlining the priorities of the campaign, information regarding their parish’s local project, and instructions on how to make a gift or pledge to the campaign.
“During our last diocesan campaign, we took a different approach that did not involve pastors and parishes as much,” Wescott said. “This time around, Bishop Kemme wants us to show our strength and unity as one family of faith – every parish and every family can do something, and every gift will make a difference.”
This campaign invites everyone in the diocese to embrace extraordinary stewardship – to give what they can over and above their already generous, ongoing support of their parish, the diocese, and other Catholic causes. While the amount of gifts will be different for everyone, the goal is to inspire support that is meaningful, sacrificial, and proportional to the blessings each has received.