Development Directions

A free resource for pastors, principals, development directors, volunteers and anyone
engaged in the ministry of Catholic development.

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Are Your Catholic Development Efforts Ready for the New 2009-2010 Fiscal Year?

By Frank Donaldson, President

Back a few weeks ago when my ten old daughter had just gotten out of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School in Slidell, Louisiana for the summer, she asked me, "Daddy, when you were growing up, what kinds of stuff did you do during the summer months to stay busy when you were young?" (I had to wipe off the cobwebs for this one). To set the stage, she has been playing organized basketball for the past five years of her life and has really enjoyed participating on an AAU Team for the past two years. The Basketball Training Center where she works out and practices does have a number of special camps (shooting, guards, forwards, ball handling, etc.) and regular AAU practice twice per week with her age group, but nothing to take up the whole summer. In addition, my wife and I believe that the game of basketball is a great sport for her because of three reasons:

1. It keeps her in excellent physical shape and gets her out of the house.
2. Being an only child, it allows her to play on a team with other girls and enjoy their company and the value of teamwork.
3. It gives something in her life that she enjoys and can do fairly well - nothing great, but fairly well.

You see, I have always believed in the value of the summer months - whether it is getting ready for another basketball season, or getting ready for another school year. NOW is the time to be planning, working, and relaxing. The Catholic Development efforts that you will launch and/or continue in 2009-2010 require a lot of preparation to make sure you get the best results you ever had. Listed here are some questions, where with 35% of the time spent on relaxing and re-charging your battery, the other 65% can be spent - like my daughter - getting ready to have to greatest year ever!

• Have you worked out your Catholic Development calendar from July 1, 2009 thru June 30, 2010?
• Have you evaluated your efforts from the 2008-2009 fiscal year?
• Have you decided on how you are going to introduce the Catholic Development efforts of your parish and/or school to the new people coming on board later this summer? (New faculty and staff, parish council members, new parent leaders, new ministry leaders, new advisory council, etc.)
• Have you recruited your Annual Fund Chair Couple and Associate Chair Couple for the 2009-2010 year?
• Have you recruited your Division Chairs for the Annual Fund for your high school, your elementary school, your parish, or your parish/school?
  • Major Gift Division
  • Leadership Gift Division (parish and school leaders)
  • Parent Gift Division
  • Parishioner Gift Division
  • Alumni Gift Division
  • Community Gift Division
  • Friends Gift Division
• Have you decided on your Annual Fund theme, case points, literature and overall schedule for the year?
• Are you planning on building your Annual Fund around 20%+ growth in people over last year and 5-10% retention of your donors from last year?
• Are you working on your Annual Report that should be coming out in August or September?
• Is your Core Team in place and ready to roll up their sleeves?
• Is your web site up to date and ready for the next fiscal year?
• Do you have your Total Stewardship 2009-2010 Plan and Process ready to roll out for the next 12 months?
• Have you decided on your special event fund-raisers for 2009-2010 and do you have your leaders in place to make those successful?
• Do you have your new registration and informational forms ready for parents, alumni, parishioners, and others to fill in during 2009-2010, and do these forms capture the e-mail addresses; the talents, skills and areas of expertise; and, what other gifts these folks would like to share with your parish and/or school?
• In regards to your Catholic Development (Advancement, Total Stewardship, People Engagement) efforts, have you and your team of leaders created the following:
  • Your Mission Statement for Catholic Development
  • Your goals and values
  • Your priorities for 2009-2010
  • The names of the people working in Catholic Development and a brief listing of their Areas of Responsibility
• Have you decided on what professional growth opportunities you are going to take advantage of during 2009-2010?
• As you close out 2008-2009, have you wrapped up all of the data entry for that fiscal year?
• Have you worked out your "people fuel" events for the year - those vehicles and methods where you can "pipeline" to your parents, parishioners, alumni, new prospective families, past parents, students, faculty and staff, etc.?
• Are you planning on 50-100 "eyeball to eyeball" visits with individuals, families and businesses this coming fiscal year - visits that can be made by parish and school administration and leaders?
• Have you worked out your Publication and Communication schedule for 2009-2010?
• Have you decided how important it is for your parish to be seen as "warm and welcoming?"
• Are your alumni reunion dates all set up and "ready to roll" for 2009-2010?
• Have you completed plans on how you will educate your new Board and/or Parish Council members on their roles?
• Is your Development/Advancement/Total Stewardship/People Engagement budget setup for 2009-2010?
• Do you have a written Plan of Action for your Catholic Development efforts for 2009-2010?
• Have you pinpointed your Areas of Improvement for 2009-2010?
• Is your New Parish Family Welcome process in place with good leadership?
• Is your Enrollment Management Plan in place for the new school year?
• Have you made the decision yet on how you are going to move your Catholic Development efforts to next level? (Remember: When we always approach a problem the same way, we will always end up in the same place).
• Do your long-range plans include the beginning thoughts on how you are going to approach the second decade of the 21st century - in the following areas:
  • For Schools:
    • Spiritual Life
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Student Life
    • Academics
    • Technology
    • Athletics
    • Administration and Finance
    • Development and Marketing
    • Buildings and Grounds
  • For Parishes:
    • Liturgy and Worship
    • Education
    • Total Stewardship and Development
    • Youth and Family Life
    • Evangelization
    • Communication
    • Parish Outreach

Yes, the summer months are important - for planning, fine-tuning and relaxing. And, like the basketball player, it will be best not to let the new season creep up on you - where you haven't used those "dog days" of July and August to develop and fine-tune that three point shot or that new written plan for Catholic Development.

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ISPD Webinar Series Announced for 2009-2010 Fiscal Year

Beginning in late July 2009, ISPD will offer a year-long series of $39 Webinars on Catholic Development. There will be one Webinar held each month.

Listed here are the scheduled topics:

• "Understanding & Implementing True Catholic Development"
  July 30, 2009
• "The Role of the Pastor and/or the Principal and/or the President in Catholic Development"
  August 24, 2009
• " The Value and Roles of the Development Core Team"
  September 22, 2009
• "Organizing and Implementing a World Class Annual Fund for Your Catholic School and/or Parish"
  October 26, 2009
• "Enrollment Management: Attracting and Retaining Students in Your Catholic School",
  November 18, 2009
• "25 Ways to Engage People into the Life of Your Catholic Institution"
  December 8, 2009
• "Organizing and Implementing the Total Stewardship Process"
  January 14, 2010
• "How to Invite the ifts"
  February 22, 2010
• "Getting Your Parish and/or School Ready for a Capital Campaign"
  March 9, 2010
• "Integrating Total Quality and Customer Service into Your Catholic Development Efforts"
  April 22, 2010
• "Hosting a Gift Reception"
  May 5, 2010
• "How to Effectively Host Input Sessions and Town Hall Meetings"
  June 8, 2010

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New ISPD Premium Plus Membership Plan

The Institute of School and Parish Development is pleased and proud to offer a brand new, online program called the ISPD Premium Plus Membership Plan which will begin in August 2009.

A Premium Plus Membership provides unique access to a range of ISPD services and information delivered directly to your desktop. Premium Plus provides entry to ideas, expertise and proven approaches/instruments designed to help address the challenges you face in your parish and or school's development/advancement efforts.

Educational Webinars, personal conversations with an ISPD associate, assessment of your efforts, on-line monitoring with you and your Catholic leaders, and much more are all part of a Premium Plus Membership package, helping you achieve your goals in an effective, cost efficient way.

Premium Plus details and registration information will be presented in August 2009 through a major announcement by ISPD. We're excited to offer this Plan and look forward to helping you with on-line consulting.

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FALL 2009 WORKSHOPS

ISPD Workshops Delve into Depth

The one and two day workshops presented by ISPD offer Catholic leaders throughout the country an in-depth experience on a specific topic. For more than twenty years, ISPD has been this country's leader in offering process-driven workshops that are practical, affordable, and interactive. 98% of all ISPD workshops receive a rating of 4 or 5 (out of a 1-5 rating system) by those in attendance. This Fall ISPD will be presenting workshops on capital campaigns, engaging more people into the life of a Catholic parish, the best first steps in Catholic Development, enrollment solutions, long-range planning, and much more. Details will be posted soon with online registration available on our website.

ISPD Also Conducts On-Site Workshops

Offered to Catholic schools and parishes within a single diocese, these workshops are designed to meet your specific needs.

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CATHOLIC SCHOOL ENROLLMENT TALK

ISPD is your Catholic School Enrollment Solution for maintaining and/or increasing the quantity, quality, or diversity of your elementary or secondary Catholic school enrollment. Catholic School Enrollment Talk is our free monthly online newsletter for anyone interested in Catholic school enrollment solutions.

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Visit our ISPD Web Site for Free Resources

• Educational DVDs on Catholic Development
• Development Job Postings across the country
• Monthly Newsletter Archives
• Library of Development Articles

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www.ISPD.com

Visit our web site for free resources and valuable information.
The Institute of School and Parish Development (ISPD) is a national, Catholic development consulting firm created to serve Catholic schools, parishes and dioceses in the areas of planning, marketing, fund-raising, and resource development.