Advancing Our Church

Today, we are joined by Rob Faughnan, CFRE, who will share some of his recent research on parish giving and some strategies to enhance offertory and increase engagement. Rob is a seasoned organizational leader with 20+ years of fundraising and operations management experience in the nonprofit sector. He is recognized for demonstrating a natural aptitude for managing effective major gifts, annual giving, and direct mail fundraising campaigns. Rob was recently the VP of Philanthropy at CommonSpirit Health Texas Division, where he managed all philanthropic and revenue activities across 16 hospitals and multiple Texas-based sites. He also introduced federal grant strategies generating $2.1 million and supplied major gift assistance, resulting in $2 million in philanthropic revenue.  Rob is the former Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. He is currently a Senior Consultant at the Giving Collaborative and the Principal at the Blue Philanthropy Project.

Many thanks to our Sponsor: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you, nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Jim Friend talks with Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J., National Director for the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. Fr. Joe became the national director in 2020. He lives in Milwaukee and travels widely to offer talks and retreats for this ministry. He is also a National Eucharistic Preacher for the Eucharistic Revival. Fr. Joe was ordained in 2011 and he previously taught at all-boys high schools in Kansas City and Colorado and served as a college campus minister in St. Louis. He also served at Mayan villages in Belize. He is featured on the Hallow app, EWTN, Busted Halo, and America magazine. Fr. Joe is the author of two books: “Love Him Ever More: a 9-Day Personal Retreat with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, based on the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius Loyola [Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, 2022] and Abide in the Heart of Christ: a 10-Day Personal Retreat with St Ignatius Loyola, based on the Spiritual Exercises [ 2019].

Many thanks to our Sponsor: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you, nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Join Jim Friend and this expert panel for a conversation about giving to Catholic parishes, dioceses, and other organizations. Our panel includes Bevin C. Kennedy, Cabinet Secretary, Development and Communications for the Diocese of Manchester, Joseph M. Gillmer, CFRE® CSPG CAP, Executive Director of Development for the Archdiocese of Washington, DC and Scott Whitaker, Secretariat Director of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Austin. The panel discusses giving to their Diocesan Appeals/Catholic entities/Catholic Schools, losing donors, IRA Distributions, Major Gifts, Donor Advised Funds, using Artificial intelligence (AI) in Development, and much more.

Many thanks to our Sponsor: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you, nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

On today’s show, Brian Crimmins and our host, Jim Friend, discuss the recent Giving USA 2023 report. The two discuss why philanthropy and the number of donors in 2022 is down from the previous year and what can be done about it. Join this discussion for insights on how religious and nonprofit leaders can take action to be successful in fundraising in 2023. Brian and Jim discuss relationship building, some macroeconomic factors, and even how Ai is currently being used in Development Offices.

Brian Crimmins is the Chief Executive Officer at Changing Our World, Inc. and the Global Managing Partner of ONE HUNDRED. He is a frequent contributor to publications covering the nonprofit sector. Brian has been invited to speak around the world on Catholic Philanthropy, Catholic Education and social impact. Brian is a global leader in social impact. He is a popular public speaker with the world’s foremost speaking agency, the Washington Speakers Bureau. Brian is also the author of The Generosity Crisis: The Case for Radical Connection to Solve Humanity’s Greatest Challenges.

Many thanks to our Sponsor: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you, nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: August 7, 2023

Join us for a discussion about the relationship between Development and Communications. How do we optimize those roles to work in unison toward the goals of your nonprofit organization? Join Jim and Jennifer Melville Trefelner, APR, CPRC, the Director of Communications and Development for the Diocese of Palm Beach. Jennifer has been a guest on Advancing Our Church many times over the years. She brings a unique perspective and tremendous experience to this conversation. Check out Jennifer’s full bio here. This conversation was recorded on July 10th, 2023.

Many thanks to our Sponsor: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: May 14, 2023

Today we welcome Katie Boller Gosewisch, the Executive Director of the U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Human Trafficking, which was founded in 2013 by a group of Catholic Sisters who were committed to ending human trafficking and supporting survivors. They’ve created a national network of resources and support made up of 110 congregations of women religious and another 70+ individuals and groups spread throughout the United States. They are also a member of a much larger global network, Talitha Kum, which is an international network of consecrated life working to end human trafficking.

Katie brings over 20 years of experience and great skill to her role, having served as the Executive Director for two Minnesota-based nonprofits: Living at Home Network and WeCab, both of which focused on serving vulnerable populations with important access to resources like transportation, safe and affordable housing, and medical care. I think you’ll find during this conversation that Katie is a committed and vision-driven professional. She holds a Master of Arts in Systematic Theology from St. John’s University and a Bachelor of Arts in Theology and History from St. Mary’s University.

During the show, Katie shares about the Bark App, which monitors text messages, YouTube, emails, and 30+ different social networks for potential safety concerns, so busy parents can save time and gain peace of mind.

Many thanks to our show’s sponsor, Changing Our World.

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: May 01, 2023

Today we will be talking about Evangelization with our special guest Tom Quinlan. As Catholics, we are called to spread the Good News of the Gospel and share the love of Christ with others. This is what evangelization is all about, and it’s a crucial aspect of our faith. Pope Francis has emphasized the importance of evangelization, calling on all Catholics to be missionary disciples and to go out to the peripheries to share the joy of the Gospel. But what does evangelization mean, and how can we do it effectively in our modern world? In this episode, we’ll explore these questions and more as we discuss the vital role of evangelization in the Catholic Church. In this episode, one resource that Tom discusses is Divine Renovation. Here is a link to their ministry.

Tom Quinlan has served in parish, diocesan, and national catechetical leadership roles for nearly 30 years.  He has served on Catholic boards: National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, Paulist Evangelization Ministries, and now, Alpha in a Catholic Context.  He has spoken in dioceses and conferences throughout the country, including at Franciscan University and the LA Religious Education Congress.  Tom is the author of three books, two on the Eucharist and one on catechetical leadership (Excellence in Ministry: Best Practices for Successful Catechetical Leadership).  His style strives to bring spirituality, theological reflection, and pastoral application into synergy.  He lives in the Des Moines (Iowa) area with his wife and two boys, where he directs the St. Joseph Evangelization Center and serves 24 parishes in the region.  Tom welcomes hearing from Church leaders and can be contacted through LinkedIn or via email.

This episode is sponsored by: Changing Our World

A big thank you to Podastery Studies for producing this episode.

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: April 10, 2023

We’re pleased to have Dr. Laura Sicola on the podcast this week because communication is a common thread in the work of Advancing Our Church. Laura talks with us about communicating through storytelling, using common and accessible language with our audiences, and she touches on crisis communications. Laura also speaks about the importance of aligning our verbal messaging with our nonverbal cues, how to motivate and mobilize a board through your meetings (telling the story of the numbers), what vocal fry is, tips on Lectoring, tonality, the importance of using the right microphone and much more.

Laura Sicola is a leadership communication and influence expert, speaker, and author of Speaking to Influence: Mastering Your Leadership Voice. Laura is the founder of Vocal Impact Productions in Philadelphia, PA, and is known for her coaching and live on-camera training that turns executives into confident, inspiring leaders, whether on stage, on camera or just on the phone in order to get the results they want and make a positive, lasting impact. Check out Laura’s podcast “Speaking to Influence” on iTunes, YouTube or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

Vocal Impact Productions: https://speakingtoinfluence.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola/
Twitter: @laurasicola

This episode is sponsored by: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: March 26, 2023

We welcome Andy Lesnefsky, the President of Vagabond Missions, a national organization that shares the Gospel with inner-city teens by equipping young adults to serve as Catholic missionaries. Since 2018, Vagabond Missions has quadrupled its footprint by opening missions in 4 new cities. Vagabond has staff serving inner-city teenagers in Pittsburgh, Wichita, Steubenville, Mobile, Oklahoma, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, and Greenville, NC.

This episode is sponsored by: Changing Our World

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.

Published: March 12, 2023

A partnership between ACS Technologies and Villanova University’s Center for Church Management in the Villanova School of Business examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on church giving. With over 1000 U.S. Catholic parishes participating nationwide, the findings were revealing. Join Jim Friend and ACS Technologies’ Terry Poplava to learn about the far-reaching implications for our Church. For more information, download the full report.

This episode is sponsored by: Changing Our World

Follow the link on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXcXKJUs3kw

Recorded: February 15, 2023

Don’t miss the webinar series FORGING FORWARD, a virtual philanthropic conference designed to bring you nonprofit experts from around the country.

Join Jim and Kristin Friend and their family on Kristin’s Crosses YouTube Channel for “Today’s Catholic Prayers.” Jim and Kristin offer the daily Gospel and Reflection along with the Rosary and Catholic Prayers of the day. Click here to visit the YouTube Page and subscribe. If you would like to join the Kristin’s Crosses prayer group on Facebook, click here to request to join.