Giving

Bannon Offertory Program

The Arlington Diocese launched the Bannon Offertory program in the fall of 2005.  The reporting parishes that implemented the program experienced an average increase of 20% the first year of the program.  In the second year of the program, the parishes that conducted a renewal phase experienced a 5-10% increase over their first year’s increase.

An additional benefit of the program is that it will also increase the household count in the parish because it successfully secures commitments from people who regularly attend Mass but have not registered.

Catholic Diocese of Arlington

The Program

The Offertory program invites parishioners to reflect upon their current level of offertory giving and to consider whether or not that amount is appropriate as a sign of their gratitude to God.  The program is directed toward active parishioners. Each is invited to increase, decrease or keep their annual offertory commitment the same, based on their gratitude.  Each pastor is asked to craft a homily that encourages parishioners to move away from "giving to need” and move toward "needing to give" as a practicing Catholic.

Solicitation Process

The program incorporates an in-pew solicitation process that involves having parishioners actually complete their commitment cards prior to or during Mass.  People are informed of the process and what is being asked of them through Announcement Weekend components and the mailing of a campaign brochure prior to Commitment Weekend. However, no response forms are provided as part of the mailing. The reason for this is that the response rate and the average gift size are directly related to the method of solicitation. Direct mail gets a lower response rate and average gift than does an in-pew solicitation.  Also, programs conducted through direct mail often require 3 or 4 mailings to gain results.

Parish Responsibility, Campaign Methodology and Calendar:

Each parish will recruit a committee that will implement the campaign. Members are trained at three separate workshops that take place approximately one month apart.  In 2008, the diocese will be offering Parish Offertory workshops in August, September and November.

Parishes are provided with sample bulletin, post-Communion announcements and a four-page brochure that each parish will prepare. All documents are provided on a computer disc, in MS WORD, to make editing easy.  

The actual process is visible in the parish for only three weekends. They are Announcement Weekend, Commitment Weekend and Follow-up Weekend.  Upon conclusion of the commitment process, parishes send a letter to those who have made a commitment that acknowledges their commitment and asks them to begin their new contribution level on a specific weekend.  Quarterly reminders will also be sent out that will simply report the commitment that the parishioner has made and the amount that they actually contributed during the quarter.

Cost for the Parish:  

Each parish will need to cover expenses for their materials and postage. This cost averages $2 to $3 for each household in the parish.

Questions:

Please contact Jeanne Combos, Director of Annual Appeal Programs at
(703) 841-2764 or
j.combos@arlingtondiocese.org