Giving Tuesday is chance to help

When churches in the Archdiocese of Baltimore closed to public worship at the beginning of the pandemic, many parishes struggled to finance their expenses. Online giving became a lifeline, revolutionizing offertory contributions.

Even parishes unable to launch their own online giving system received donations through the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s universal giving page, found on the archdiocese’s website.

According to Bernadette Maldonado, new chief advancement officer for the archdiocese, more than $1 million has been donated through Parish Giving since the digital platform launched in the archdiocese in March 2020.

Inspired by the successful results, the archdiocese will participate for the first time in the international annual Giving Tuesday Nov. 30, raising funds for parishes through a digital platform titled #GiveCatholicAOB in collaboration with GiveCentral.

Maldonado said that based on this year’s inaugural performance, individualized philanthropic goals could be established in subsequent years to further enhance funding for parishes and ministries.

Giving Tuesday “galvanizes all the faithful to come together for one global, important day and participate in something bigger than themselves,” she said.

In addition to Giving Tuesday #GiveCatholicAOB, hosted the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, the Department of Advancement will host two other Giving Day initiatives: Annual Appeal for Catholic Ministries Giving Tuesday, March 1, 2022, and Partners in Excellence Giving Day, which takes place during the Back-to-School Breakfast in the fall.

Catholic Charities will continue this year with its campaign “Comfort & Joy,” which was announced last year during Giving Tuesday as an effort to safely celebrate the holidays. According to Shawna Prince, manager of media relations and editorial content at Catholic Charities, last year with the Comfort & Joy campaign, Catholic Charities received 29 percent more donations compared to previous years with Giving Tuesday.

Giving Tuesday supporters are encouraged to engage with the Comfort & Joy celebration and sign up to receive a “joy alert” through its official website.

Todd Troester, director of individual giving at St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore, noted that one in eight people in Maryland and one in four in Baltimore City are food insecure.

St. Vincent de Paul of Baltimore addresses hunger and food insecurity through Beans and Bread, a comprehensive day resource program and soup kitchen, which will be the focus for St. Vincent de Paul’s upcoming Giving Tuesday. Individuals can donate and find more information through the official website and social media platforms.

The online Giving Tuesday #GiveCatholicAOB website will launch closer to the date; parishioners can choose the amount and to which organization they wish to donate. The faithful are also encouraged to share the campaign in their social media platforms.

“Whether or not individuals support the Archdiocese of Baltimore and our parishes or other causes, the key is that they are giving and their gifts will count in big ways to many worthy causes,” Maldonado said.

Click here to participate in Giving Tuesday in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Email Priscila González de Doran at pdoran@CatholicReview.org

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