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2023 Annual Parish Appeal
PARISH APPEAL UPDATE –
SEPTEMBER 24, 2023
The 2023 Parish Appeal is off to a good start thanks to you. For the first 47 weeks 300 families donated $132,828. The 2022 Goal is $150,000. The first $150,000 will support parish operating expenses. Remaining funds will be dedicated to the Emergency Fund. The Finance Council and Father Scott thank you for your generosity. There are multiple ways to donate to the Appeal:- Place your Parish Appeal envelope from your packet of envelopes in the collection basket at Mass
- Mail the Parish Appeal envelope from your packet of envelopes to the Parish Office
- Click on this link: https://membership.faithdirect.net/PA832 or text 610- 810-5080 from your smart phone
ASSUMPTION BVM PARISH
2022 Parish Appeal
Case Statement
What is the Need?
Our Assumption BVM Parish family depends on the contributions of every member to fulfill our Parish mission. Offerings of time and talent, through any of our Parish ministries, truly bring us closer to Jesus in a very personal way. Offerings of treasure, while less personal, are nevertheless vital to our Parish life and ministries.
The Parish Appeal was established in 2016 for the purpose of eliminating the second offertory collection for specific expenses, (e.g., snow removal, heating, air conditioning, etc.) and to establish a long-term funding source for capital needs. To date, the Parish Appeal has met both of those financial goals thanks to the generosity of the Parish family members.
To meet the projected financial needs of the Parish in FY 2022 we have set an overall goal of $175,000 for the Parish Appeal and identified two key areas where Parish Appeal proceeds should be targeted. The details are discussed below and are summarized in a table at the bottom of the Case Statement.
1. Contribute to Budgeted Operating Expenses
Based on our estimates of projected expenses and income, we recommend that $150,000 should be directed to the Budgeted Operating Expenses.
Each fiscal year, we define an operating budget that projects our best understanding of income and expenses for the year. Our primary source of income is the Offertory Collection, but due to declining attendance at Mass, especially during the current pandemic, the Offertory Collection has declined ~ 4% in the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2022. In order to offset this decline, we must turn to the Parish Appeal for additional funding. We estimate that we may need up to an additional $25,000 from the Parish Appeal to fill this gap.
The Table below summarizes the results of the parish appeal from 2019 – 2021, and the projected amounts for 2022. Our overall goal for the Emergency Fund is $250,000, and with $81,000 saved to date, we are more than a half-way to the goal.2. Build the Emergency Fund
An Emergency Fund is money that is set aside so the parish can continue to operate during an emergency caused either by failure of a critical system that needs immediate repair or replacement (e.g., HVAC, plumbing, roof, electric) or by fire, flood, or another unanticipated event. We have set a minimum goal of $250,000, and we have collected $81,000 to date. We intend to contribute a full $25,000 to the Emergency Fund from the 2022 Parish Appeal. We also intend to dedicate any dollars, not expended to provide for the additional reduction of the Offertory Collection, to the Emergency Fund.
In addition to unexpected needs there are also major maintenance and repair projects that are anticipated during the life of our parish facilities, but whose exact timing is unknown. For the past three years we have been communicating that we were saving money in the Emergency Fund for major activities such as the replacement of the Church roof. The roof now needs repair, and we are in the process of soliciting bids for a major overhaul of the church roof which will include correcting a design flaw. Fortunately, instead of spending money from the Emergency Fund, we able to pay for the major repairs to the church roof using money saved from our operating surplus, which included money from the Parish Appeal. This will enable us to continue to develop the Emergency Fund toward our goal of $250,000.
Parish Appeal Summary 2019
Actual2020
Actual2021
Actual2022
BudgetParish Appeal Goal $150,000 $150,000 $150,000 $175,000 Parish Operating Expenses $100,000 $150,000 $145,000 $150,000 Emergency Funds $49,000 $12,000 $20,000 $25,000
In summary, the Parish has benefitted from the consistent, dedicated, and generous financial support of the Parish Appeal enabling the parish to fund needed upgrades such as new church carpeting, hearing assisted devices, and establishment of the Emergency Fund.
How will the Parish Appeal be managed?
- Donations will be requested in a tiered manner based on past contributions to both the Offertory Collection and the Parish Appeal. Suggested donation levels will be standardized at $600, $1,200, $2,500, $5,000, $10,000 or higher.
- Parish Appeal Intention Cards will be distributed to our Parish family members so they may confirm their support for the Parish Appeal. Intentions may be designated as One-Time, Commitment-based, or Ongoing.
- Contribution methods will include Monthly Envelop, Electronic Funds Transfer through Faith Direct, or other, e.g., stock transfers.
- Direct, personal communication with our Parish family is critical for the success of the Parish Appeal. We will solicit support from our Parish family by telephone calls, personalized letters, pulpit talks, e-mail messages, and the Parish Bulletin, website, and Facebook page.
- A banner will be displayed in the church narthex and will be featured at our monthly Coffee & Donut Social.