#iGiveCatholic shatters record with $12.7M in donations

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

2020 may have been a year of global suffering and even despair, but the challenges seem to have done nothing to dampen the spirit of those across the country who want to financially support the mission of Catholic churches, schools and ministries.

The sixth annual #iGiveCatholic online giving campaign Dec. 1 raised a record $12.7 million in 24 hours for Catholic entities across the country, shattering last year’s record of $7.4 million.

The program was launched in 2015 by the Catholic Community Foundation of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and this year, four additional dioceses and the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) participated, swelling the number of entities to more than 1,668. The campaign attracted individual 48,269 donors across the country.

“After six years, you can see that this is a real tool that’s needed in our community, and it isn’t just some fad that comes and goes,” said Cory Howat, executive director of the Catholic Community Foundation (CCF). “Now, It’s also helping other dioceses like Philadelphia – older dioceses that have an established Catholic base yet still need innovation.”

Howat said the results prove that even in the tough environment created by the isolation of the pandemic, “we are able to hear the voice of the people.”

“They love the church, they love the individual ministries of the church and they love being a part of something,” Howat said. “This is ideological fundraising. People want to feel connected to the church, and giving money and being generous is an easy way to participate in that connection.”

The Archdiocese of New Orleans had one entity finish within the overall Top 10 in donations. Ozanam Inn, a homeless shelter for men, finished in 10th position by raising $112,100.

Leading entities across the U.S. were Catholic Charities Appeal (Philadelphia), $437,830; St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Appeal (Wynnewood, Pennsylvania), $285,459; House of Formation-Vocations (Houma-Thibodaux), $269,825; St. Anne Parish, Youngsville, Louisiana, $193,348; Catholic Charities of Acadiana (Lafayette, Louisiana), $178,769;

The Catholic University of America-Caldwell Chapel (Washington, D.C.), $177,538; Holy Family School, (Ashland, Kentucky), $155,464; Manhattan Catholic Schools (Manhattan, Kansas), $128,424; and Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Student Center (Lafayette), $126,974.

The Archdiocese of New Orleans’ 153 participating churches, schools and ministries received more than $1.24 million from nearly 4,100 donors.

Following Ozanam Inn were St. Benilde School (Metairie), $92,075; Tulane Catholic Center, $88,725; Second Harvest Food Bank, $86,935; Divine Mercy Parish (Kenner), $70,676; St. Michael Special School, $51,400; Christopher Homes, $38,329; St. Joan of Arc Parish (LaPlace), $36,200; Covenant House New Orleans, $33,325; and Legionaries of Christ, $27,600.

Howat said adding the NCEA to this year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign resulted in another 400 schools participating across the country.

“We also got calls from several dioceses on how they could get in for next year,” Howat said.

One of the innovations for this year’s campaign was the use by several entities of “person-to-person” pages that allowed a wider audience to get involved, Howat said.

“So, no longer was it just St. Benilde School raising money, but it was the St. Benilde Class of 1983 getting involved,” Howat said. “We were able to see schools use the technology to localize and personalize the fundraising.”

St. Benilde also was at the forefront in promoting the day, creating a snappy “Back to the Future” video with Father Matthew Johnston, pastor, and Thomas Huck, principal, using the classic movie to call attention to certain historic dates in the school’s past to attract more interest. Father Johnston and Huck also conducted a livestreamed telethon in the evening to bring in more donations.


“St. Benilde is setting up a reputation that’s going to be hard to beat,” Howat said. “It’s great, because it shows the connection between the pastor and the principal.”

Divine Mercy Parish in Kenner also livestreamed a musical pitch in which Father Robert Cooper, pastor, offered to sing “The 12 Yats of Christmas” for every $1,000 donation. The parish raised money not exclusively for itself but for Deacon Larry Oney’s Hope and Purpose Ministries’ school in Africa.

“It was neat because the parish wanted to get behind an outside ministry in the form of tithing,” Howat said.  

Next year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign will be held Nov. 30, 2021.

pfinney@clarionherald.org