By Lisa Dahm
Hawaii Catholic Herald
The Diocese of Honolulu’s new annual appeal officially gets underway this month, giving parishioners across the state an opportunity to invest in the future of the church.
The Hawaii Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal, “Sharing God’s Gifts,” begins the first weekend of Lent, Feb. 21-22, and runs through June 30. It will benefit diocesan ministries and services including youth and young adult evangelization and catechesis; hospital ministry; prison ministry; food and housing assistance; the Respect Life Office; and Catholic schools.
The annual appeal will also help the diocese meet current operational needs to support clergy retirement as well as vocations, including deacon and seminarian formation.
The goal for the CMAA is $1.5 million — the former annual appeal’s goal of $1.125 million plus $375,000 for clergy retirement and vocations.
The Hawaii Catholic Community Foundation, which manages funds to be used solely for the Diocese of Honolulu and its parishes and parochial schools, is overseeing the annual appeal.
HCCF is a nonprofit corporation independent of the diocese that’s governed by a board of directors, whose members include both clergy and laypeople representing a wide swath of the business and financial industries.
The HCCF board is led by President T. Michael Hogan Jr. Other members include Ouida Yvonne Morris, vice president; Deacon Ronald Choo, treasurer; Paul DeVille, secretary; Ed Haik, director; Bob Harrison, director; Arnold Martines, director; and Bishop Larry Silva, ex officio.
Donation motivation
Each parish in the diocese has a fundraising goal for the annual appeal. Diocesan Finance Officer Lisa Sakamoto said it will be important for people to select their parish when they donate, because parishes will be credited for any funds that exceed their goal.
“When (parishioners) donate online, there is a drop-down menu where they select their parish,” said Terra Jones, HCCF account administrator. “That’s how we keep track of where the funds go automatically.”
Sakamoto said she also hopes to see 100% participation from diocesan employees and clergy by the time the appeal gets underway.
Once the campaign begins, parishes will receive an in-depth, monthly progress report on their donations until the appeal ends and funds are dispersed.
For this appeal, people will be able to scan a QR code with their smart device to reach the secure donation page on HCCF’s website.
Jones said the diocesan Blackbaud program for online giving is exceptionally secure.
“Blackbaud has one of the industry’s lowest fraud dispute rates, and they’re PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) compliant to protect credit card data and save transactions,” Jones said. “Donations are safe and secure.”
If donors are not comfortable donating online, Jones said they can contact her and she can process their payment over the phone. Donations are also accepted through PayPal and Venmo.
Assisting with communication for the annual appeal is Prenger Solutions Group. The specialized consulting firm serves more than 120 Catholic dioceses nationwide with fundraising, communications and technology solutions.
PSG also provides specialized software used by more than 1,000 parishes throughout the U.S. to engage their parishioners on social media.
After completing research through surveys and listening sessions, PSG identified the Diocese of Honolulu’s needs and found that donors were interested in their funds supporting church ministries. Before the campaign began, the foundation team spoke with pastors to learn what their parishioners valued and needed for their communities.
Katie McCurdy, senior development and database consultant with PSG, has been assisting the Diocese of Honolulu in developing the new annual appeal for the past two years.
“I think that collaboration and just really listening to the priests, taking to heart what they’re saying, is something that’s super special about the Diocese of Honolulu and speaks to the leadership,” she said.
McCurdy said she assisted with creating campaign brochures and the new logo, and also helped train pastors and staff on the appeal process.
“When I joined the Diocese of Honolulu, the thing that sticks out to me about its staff is just the love of the church and wanting to do right by the church and by all your supporters,” McCurdy said. “It has been my total honor (working with the diocese); they’re such a great group. They’re so passionate.”
Scan the QR codes to watch a video promoting the annual appeal and to reach the donation page. Parishioners can also go to www.hawaiicatholiccommunityfoundation.org/catholic-ministries-annual-appeal for more information and to donate.
Above: The diocese’s new annual appeal benefits ministries and services at the parish level, including support for youth and young adult evangelization and catechesis. Top, Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Wahiawa regularly hosts Mass for the Samoan community, bringing faithful of all ages together to worship. Bottom, children in the Vietnamese Holy Martyrs Catholic Community prepare for their first holy Communion at the Co-Cathedral of St. Theresa in Honolulu. (Photos courtesy Dann Ebina)
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