How-To Engage Your Parishioners, Parents, Students, and Donors in Uncertain Times
At the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF), our job is two-fold. We help our donors give through the foundation to life-giving ministries, just like yours. We also offer resources like leadership workshops, data services, and the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day to help your parish, school, or nonprofit connect through the foundation and enrich our community.

In these uncertain times, you are likely worried. With the news changing daily, how do you stay in touch with the people who support you?

We're here to help. CCF has been amazed by the creative, engaging ways that parishes, schools, and nonprofits in the Archdiocese of New Orleans have been reaching out to their communities. See below for tips and examples on how to keep the lines of communication open and engage with your constituents .
Parishes
Despite the suspension of Mass, parishioners are invested in your parish's well-being. Here are three ways to engage your church community from home:

  1. Collect parishioner email addresses. Email is a key way to engage your parishioners. Don't have a robust email list? Have a few volunteers call fellow parishioners and ask for their emails. Here's a calling script. Already have parishioner email addresses? We can help you enter them into ParishSOFT so that you can expand your communications sooner.
  2. Invite parishioners to give online. Your ministry continues, particularly in times of trouble. If parishioners ask how they can give to your church, encourage them to give online via your website. Don't have online giving yet? We've partnered with ParishSOFT Giving on a start-up promotion through the end of March. Click here for the flyer.
  3. Get creative with your ministry. If possible, live-stream and post Mass or invite parishioners to watch via another source. Offer outdoor confession (if allowed), like St. Dominic. Ask your community to take part in your ministry: Mary, Queen of Peace provided digital Mass resources and called for the submission of videos of families praying the rosary together. Invite your community to give back, like St. Benilde did with this mask-making post.

Lagniappe: Dynamic Parish hosted a webinar on bringing parishes online during COVID-19. Listen here and access the slides plus an extensive communications planning document .

Questions? Contact Director of Stewardship and Parish Services Susie Veters at [email protected] for parish outreach information. Contact ParishSOFT and Data Coordinator Ryan Adams at [email protected] for help with the set up and support of ParishSOFT Giving in your parish.
Schools
Even though school hallways are quiet, here are three ways to engage both your school and donor communities:

  1. Keep up with your routines. Schools like St. Benilde and St. Angela Merici posted videos of activities that would be taking place on a typical school day, providing students with a sense comfort and normalcy. The response has been amazing!
  2. Ask your parents and students to keep in touch, and stay in touch with them. St. Margaret Mary asked for pictures of students doing schoolwork, having fun, creating, and helping at home be posted on their Facebook page in an effort to stay connected. President Stanton McNeely offered a brief update from the University of Holy Cross.
  3. Reach out to key donors to see how they are doing. Check in with the key people who help you further your mission. If they want to give back, suggest that one way they can contribute is by donating all or a portion of their state tax liability to fund scholarship opportunities for the next school year through the Aspiring Scholars program. Click here for more information.

Lagniappe: Check out this Partners In Mission webinar "Moving Forward for Catholic School Advancement Programs In This Crisis."

Questions? Contact Director of Advancement J.T. Hannan at [email protected].
Nonprofit Ministries
Nonprofits are wondering how their fundraising efforts will be impacted by COVID-19. Here are three ways to engage your constituent communities:

  1. Communicate and steward donors with transparency. Keep your donors, board members, and other constituents in the know with news about your operations. Thank them for their support, let them know how they can help (Second Harvest Food Bank has fantastic information on their website), and always provide your contact information Register for this free Mission Advancement webinar on utilizing your board.
  2. Offer alternative ways to take part in canceled or postponed events. Even though Notre Dame Seminary (NDS) had to cancel its annual gala, the seminary has been able to promote its online auction. This gives donors the opportunity to bid on items and support NDS despite the cancellation. Register for this free Mission Advancement webinar on what to do if you must cancel your event.
  3. Continue telling your story. Want to offer lightness in your donors' social media feeds? Project Lazarus hosted "virtual pet therapy" to lift residents' spirits. They then asked for followers to submit their own dog photos, offering a fun way to connect supporters to those Project Lazarus serves.

Lagniappe: The Chronicle of Philanthropy has posted some fantastic articles, including " Fundraising During the Corona Outbreak: Answers to 5 Pressing Questions" and " Responding to the Coronavirus Outbreak: Resources to Help Nonprofits."

Questions? Director of Gift Planning Lisa Chmiola is here to help answer strategy or other questions. Reach her at [email protected].
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