The Catholic Fundraiser Podcast

You may have heard that Facebook stopped allowing ads to target groups based on religious interests.

In practical terms, Catholic apostolates could previously tell Facebook to show their ads to anyone who liked topics such as Our Lady, the Rosary, the Divine Liturgy, and the Pope.

Now, it's not allowed to ask Facebook to show ads to people based on their religious interests.

Is Facebook censoring Catholics?

What does this mean for your apostolate?

I outline what has changed, how to use Facebook still, or if you should abandon the platform.

Here is what you should know regarding Facebook's changes to Catholic interests:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/is-facebook-censoring-catholics-latest-changes-may-provide-evidence

When you drive, you see signs on the side of the road indicating dangers up ahead.

"Road Work Ahead"

"Slippery When Wet"

"Railroad Crossing"

When you fundraise, you should also see signs of dangers ahead. These signs usually come in the form of hunches, advice, and experience.

Today, I want to share three warning signs for fundraising. You could say these signs indicate the pitfalls to avoid. Each is extremely important and should not be overlooked:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/3-pitfalls-catholics-should-avoid-when-fundraising/

Emails.

Appeal letters.

Phone calls.

Events.

Social media.

There are many different ways you can ask people for donations. But how do you get the courage to ask? Today, I want to share with you some recommendations on how you can overcome the fear of asking for donations.

You've likely considered using volunteers to help you fundraise.

It seems logical to use the "divide and conquer" strategy, right?

When you fundraise with volunteers, I recommend you listen to Kenny Rogers' advice:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/waste-of-time-to-fundraise-with-volunteers/

You got to know when to hold 'em,

Know when to fold 'em,

Know when to walk away,

And know when to run.

Let me explain further:

Waste of Time to Fundraise with Volunteers?

Learn more by clicking here:

We are two days into Lent. As you know, the three pillars of Lent are:

1) Prayer

2) Fasting

3) Almsgiving

How do you approach fundraising/almsgiving during this holy season?

Here are three recommendations for you and your Catholic apostolate:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/fundraising-in-lent-3-recommendations/

You or an acquaintance is involved in school fundraising.

I receive many inquiries about fundraising for a Catholic school.

Sometimes the questions come from a network of homeschooling parents who want to launch an actual "bricks and mortar" school.

Sometimes the leadership team of a longstanding school with hundreds of students has questions about expanding their enrollment.

Whatever the case may be, there are certain fundamentals that you never want to forget. Here is what I think they are:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/catholic-school-fundraising/

We all want to find that one donor who can write a MASSIVE check.

Well, how do you get the big BIG check?

How do you find the MAJOR donor?

I've had my share of success stories in the arena of a major gift fundraising, and if I could offer you some advice, it would be this:

Using old-fashioned fundraising tactics to expand your apostolate might seem like a solid plan.

But tread carefully.

You might get stuck in the past and not reach your goal; however, you also don't want to use progressive and untested tactics.

So, what is the future of fundraising?

I do not believe in crystal balls, but if I had to guess, I have a hunch it looks like this. Check out my future fundraising forecast:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/the-future-of-catholic-fundraising/

There are countless opinions about reaching new people and finding new donors.

And there are a lot of fundraisers telling you their way works.

But there is also a time-tested approach that rises about the rest.

It’s the approach that makes the most sense in today’s world of computers, smartphones, and tablets. While you may be hesitant to take your apostolate online, it is worth pursuing because of how easy and cost-effective it is to find new people and donors.

Let me explain why:

https://catholicfundraiser.net/how-to-reach-new-people-and-find-new-donors/

I ran my first fundraising campaign 10 years ago.

But it wasn’t until a few years later that I discovered something that made my fundraising explode.

I know “explode” might sound over-the-top, but looking back, that is how it felt. 

Suddenly, I went from making slow and steady progress with my campaigns to experiencing giant leaps forward. I saw a significant increase in donors and donations.

You could say that I discovered a few secrets about fundraising. Yes, there are some things that many people - including you - do not know about fundraising.

Today is your lucky day! I am going to share these fundraising secrets. Here you go: