Centennial Campaign for Excellence participation "overwhelming"

By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
Posted November 21, 2002

The Centennial Campaign for Excellence raised the most dollars of any campaign in the 100-year history of the Diocese of Sioux City.

As the active phase of the campaign has concluded, Jim Wharton, director stewardship and planned giving, reported that it raised $14.3 million in pledges. It surpassed the diocese's 1993 priests' retirement fund campaign - A Time to Remember - which raised over $9 million in pledges.

"Over 12,000 donors participated in the Centennial Campaign for Excellence," he noted. "I'm overjoyed and have so much gratitude for the sacrifices that people made to campaign."

While the campaign fell short of its ambitious $20 million goal in cash gifts, organizers of the campaign are pleased with the outcome.

"We really did set a stretch goal," Wharton acknowledged. "We are very pleased with the outcome considering there probably wasn't a worse time to do a campaign. With the stock market at historical lows, livestock and grain prices low and the priest abuse issues - you couldn't have made a tougher environment to raise money. Having said that, still coming in with this number is an astounding statement of people's faith. In addition, it is important to know that campaign calls are still being made which will get us closer to our goal."

A few years ago, the diocese had gone through some strategic planning and through that process came up with a list of about $24 million in needs.

The four distinctive needs areas were Catholic schools, Catholic Charities, faith formation programs including both youth and adult, and multicultural ministries.

The diocese then hired the Omaha-based development firm, The Steier Group. Jim Steier, president of the firm, was the lead consultant for the project.

"It is typical for us that when we go work with an organization that they have done some strategic planning and taken a look at what they might want to accomplish in the next five to 10 years," explained Steier. "We took that information - those various goals as outlined - and conducted a feasibility study throughout the diocese."

The Steier Group reported back on their findings of the study they conducted in March to May of 2001. They determined that the diocese could reasonably establish a goal of $20 million if they were to solicit for both cash gifts as well as estate gifts.

In the end, the diocese opted to go for a lofty $20 million cash goal. As it turned out, the cash pledges at this point are $14.3, however the estate gifts of over $7 million put the total pledges at over $21.3 million.

Here is an outline of the original goal. The campaign hoped to raise $10.5 million for the Catholic Schools Endowment Fund, $4.5 million for the Catholic Charities Endowment Fund, $3 million for Adult Formation, Religious Education and Youth Ministry Endowment Fund and $2 million for the Multicultural Ministries Endowment Fund.

At this time, the campaign has raised in pledges about $7.52 million for Catholic schools, $3.22 million for Catholic Charities, $2.15 million for faith formation programs and $1.43 million for multicultural ministries. More than likely, as solicitations continue, these figures will increase.

"I think this is one of the most positive things that the diocese has done in a long time in terms of talking about the importance of the universal church," said Wharton, who described the campaign as a positive experience for both donors and organizers. "It was a prime example of people considering the good of the church. They weren't that concerned about territorial issues."

He pointed out that many people gave generously because they strongly believed in supporting the four major needs areas. The stewardship director described the four areas as "the right causes at the right time."

"As we look at this campaign, one of the few things that Bishop DiNardo wanted to stress was stewardship," said Steier. "Stewardship in its simplest form is realizing that all we have are gifts from God and that we are called as Catholics to share those gifts with our parishes, with each other, with our diocese, with the world."

This campaign in particular, he added, was true stewardship because the diocese was asking people to give of their time, talents and financial resources for needs that in many cases were not directly related to their parishes.

"That is really noble in my mind because we as humans tend to look at things in terms of how something will help me or my family," said Steier.

At the same time, all parishes will benefit from the standpoint of training and resources offered by the Office of Faith Formation including such things as catechist training for parish religious education programs as a result of campaign dollars.

Both men extended gratitude to the many pastors and lay people who volunteered their time to support the campaign. Volunteers from across the diocese, from every parish and/or cluster, helped in the effort through making personal visits.

"We believe very strongly that personal visits are one of the significant keys to a successful campaign," said Steier. "Stewardship very much encompasses the idea of inviting people to be a part of something."

According to Steier, the campaign utilized about 3,000 volunteers. He acknowledged that asking fellow parishioners for money is not an easy job.

"It is overwhelming - the number of people who were willing to help make this campaign a success," he said. "If I looked at overall factors for why this campaign was a success they would be that the goals of the campaign were important, the leadership of Bishop DiNardo and the clergy, support of the diocesan development office and overall stewardship of the parishioners from across the diocese."

Knowing that personal visits are key, it was with that same idea in mind that the bishop took the centennial campaign on the road via a campaign caravan. After the major gift portion of the campaign concluded in December of 2001, the parish phase kicked off in January of this year. This section of the campaign was divided into two blocs with Bloc I including Northeast, Southeast and South Central. Southwest, Central and Northwest were in Bloc II.

Bishop DiNardo made a caravan, visiting several parishes and schools, as each bloc phase was announced. He used the occasion to explain the rationale of the four key areas of the campaign and to answer questions by parishioners and media.

"The bishop was really devoted to the campaign," said Wharton. "Wherever we took the bishop, the possibilities for participation were always higher. When they had a chance to hear his clear and articulate message on what we were trying to accomplish it was very convincing. I think it is still a convincing argument - this is a campaign that deserves the support of the people of the diocese."

He explained that while the active phase of the campaign is complete, it is not necessarily over.

The campaign is a five-year effort. The diocese will be collecting, accepting and even soliciting additional contributions during that time.

"We wanted every parishioner in the Diocese of Sioux City to be asked," said Wharton. "A number of them said no, but everyone had the invitation and opportunity to participate."