What are you looking for?
Based on the questionnaire you just filled out, your parish probably falls into one of the following broad categories:
Basic offertory Parish: Your primary source of revenue is your offertory. You might do a few simple charitable enterprises bake sales and pancake suppers, but the revenue from these events is seldom more than $1,000.
Basic Stewardship Parish: Your primary source of revenue is the offertory, but you organize and operate an annual stewardship campaign the encourages people to give of their time, talent, and treasure to the Parish. Your campaign is run by volunteers… you do not have any paid fundraisers on staff besides the Pastor.
Advanced Stewardship Parish: The same as above, but with the addition that you have either paid staff to oversee the stewardship campaign or you have contracted with a consultant firm to help you to run the campaign.
Religious Business – You are a parish or house for consecrated religious that has a primary business like baking communion wafers, sewing vestments, or making beer. You may not have a regular congregation like a diocesan parish, so you have limited or non-existent offertory.
Parish with attached parochial school – You have an offertory as a source of funds, and also receive funds from tuition for students.
Parish located within a University setting – Your parish is mostly college students and staff, so offertory is very limited, but the school receives tuition, grants, and government funds. You probably have fundraising staff that are more competent in their fields than I am.
Diocesan Center (Cathedral) – The offertory from the Cathedral is significant, and you probably do an annual stewardship campaign. In addition, you receive an annual levy from each of your parishes offertory. You probably have a professional development staff who supervises the annual campaign, major gifts, planned giving, and grants.
The Vatican City State – You are the worlds smallest sovereign nation, and have your own (albeit small) military force in the Swiss Guard. You have your own bank and your fundraising is done by Cardinal Archbishops. I don’t know anything that can help you.
