Results!

As I sit here early in the New Year reviewing a spreadsheet from our late fall campaigns, I felt compelled to draft a quick report of how these parish appeals performed. I think the results speak for themselves.

Seventy-nine Catholic pastors are receiving a final report from The Cunneen Company outlining the results of their offertory enhancement appeals. If their parish is realizing our typical Fall 2008 results, they are seeing positive results. The average 1,000 family parish conducting a Cunneen offertory campaign this Fall has realized the following:

 23% increase in weekly giving
 30 to 50 families signing up for electronic giving
 25 new envelope or regular givers
 15 new families on the parish database

Even in these difficult economic times, parishioners continue to prayerfully reflect on the blessings they have received, their need as Catholics to be good stewards, and the very real need of the parish to receive additional funding to maintain the parish facility, fund essential ministries, and meet the needs of its parishioners.

While I would enjoy attributing the success of these fall appeals to the effectiveness of the Cunneen program, I feel that most of the explanation lies in the unwavering faith of the tens of thousands of Catholic families who understand that, in times of distress, churches need more of their help not less.

Many of the people who read this blog are in a position of leadership in their diocese, sharing the burden of assisting parishes, pastors, and lay leaders as they navigate their parishes through these difficult times. While Cunneen cannot make the economy improve or make the uncertainty any more certain for your parishioners; we can assist your diocese and the parishes it serves in designing a program to properly address the pressing financial concerns that every parish is facing.

We can also accept all financial risk for the program by providing your diocese and its parishes with a guarantee that protects 100% of the investment in our service.

 A New York Catholic Diocese has recorded a twenty-five percent increase in regular giving across its parishes
 A New England Diocese is currently seeing a twenty-three percent increase in regular giving among a third of its parishes.

Thank you to the 79 pastors and parish leaders who worked with Cunneen in the late fall on offertory enhancement appeals. We are thrilled with your results!