DENVILLE The refrigerator in the kitchen of the convent at Assumption College for Sisters here started to make a wheezing sound a while ago — a sure sign that the barely-running appliance soon would expire.
So the Sisters of Christian Charity, who operate Assumption College, let their imaginations run — much better than their ailing fridge — in helping to ask for donations for a larger replacement through the website, www.iGiveCatholic.org, on Nov. 27, during Giving Tuesday — while using some humor. On their fund-raising page on the site, they posted a funny story about the finicky appliance as being ready to “give up the ghost.” Also, an eye-catching photo depicted sisters standing at the fridge with a question posted in one corner, asking, “Hey sisters, is your fridge running?” One of the sisters replies, “Barely!” wearing an exasperated facial expression. Their lighthearted approach helped them raise $8,440, during the 24 hours of Giving Tuesday, a day that encourages global philanthropy.
On that day, the sisters joined dozens of parishes, schools, religious communities ministries and individuals from around the Diocese to help raise more than $25,000 at press time for the various purposes for the one-day campaign through iGiveCatholic and other similar websites. These entities served as pilots for iGiveCatholic with the plan to invite all parishes and ministries to participate next year, said Mary Beth Green, operations manager of the diocesan Development Office.
“Your thoughtfulness will certainly touch the hearts of the sisters and help us focus on the studies, rather than a wheezing fridge. Thank you…[and] God bless you!” the sisters posted on iGiveCatholic. The rest of the generous donations will pay for groceries, which will provide lunch at the convent for the 22 student-sisters from around the world, who came to study at Assumption College, said Louis Scarpa, its director of institutional advancement, who devised the clever fund-raising campaign. “The humor paid off. The campaign was a big success. The donors connect with the mission of the sisters. They are the hands of Christ and we become the hands of Christ when we help them,” he said.
iGiveCatholic enables Catholic organizations in the U.S., some U.S. territories and other countries — including in the Paterson Diocese — to create inviting web pages that describe their various outreaches and ask for donations — much like the popular fund-raising site www.GoFundMe. com. These ministries often post interesting copy, photos or videos to promote their outreaches, just as the Sisters of Charity had done. Piloted years ago by the New Orleans Archdiocese, iGiveCatholic “kicks off the charitable season and brings the Catholic community together to give thanks and give back on Giving Tuesday, an annual observance that follows Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” states the website of #iGiveCatholic. It raised a record $5.6 million nationwide — surpassing the $3.6 it raised last year.
“This year, participants made their wants very specific. People got very creative,” said Green, who noted that the Development Office piloted participation in the Diocese by absorbing iGiveCatholic’s cost for parishes, schools and ministry to sign up for their own online campaign. It has been difficult, she said, to calculate firm totals, because many of these entities were still collecting donations, mainly in the form of checks, which have to be added to the contributions that they received for Giving Tuesday. “For these organizations, this wasn’t just about raising money; it was also about heightening awareness about their specific ministries — reaching out to people to let them know that they’re out there,” she said.
A seven-minute, eye-catching video helped St. Ann Parish, Parsippany, raise $1,680 to help pay off its $50,000 loan for its extensive church roof project. In the video, Father David Pickens, St. Ann’s pastor, stands on the church roof, wearing a yellow hardhat and showing some of the leaky roof before the replacement and then after the work had been completed. St. Ann’s finished work on two sections and has three more sections that need to be replaced, Father Pickens said.
“iGiveCatholic was easy to set up online,” said Father Pickens, who credited Sean Hughes, database administrator of the Development Office, with shooting and editing the video — a service that he also performed for other participants. “I like that iGiveCatholic is a one-day campaign with preview days,” he said.
Also in Parsippany, All Saints Academy — a collaboration of the three parishes in town, St. Ann, St. Peter the Apostle and St. Christopher — raised money through iGiveCatholic to subsidize under-funded students. Carlos Roldan, director of the food pantry at Father English Community Center, Paterson, raised funds for its parent organization, diocesan Catholic Charities. St. Peter the Apostle raised funds for its General Outreach program, which helps people in need with such necessities as medical and utility bills and food. In Clifton, Casa Guadalupe, the diocesan house of discernment for women, raised money to help residents attend the next World Youth Day next year in Panama.
“Thank you so much everyone for your support. Please know we are praying for you!” the Casa Guadalupe community posted on iGiveCatholic after. The house of discernment also noted that its efforts have borne fruit by having had “nine women enter religious life, seven women become full-time missionaries, five women enter into sacramental marriages and nearly 40 women heal from their wounds and grow in faith. Your support will help build the future for women.”
Using another fundraising site on Giving Tuesday was Morris Catholic High School, Denville, which raised more than $35,000 — with more coming in — for its #MCMerryMatch campaign on the site flipcause.com — put together by Kate McMurray, its communications director, along with media internship students. Morris Catholic posted a 40-second video of students singing a humorous interpretation of the song “The 12 Days of Christmas” and another clip to thank contributors. Donations included matching gifts from its Board of Trustees. The money will be used for special projects and financial aid for students — enabling Morris Catholic to continue “to make a great Catholic education accessible to students,” said Father Peter Clarke, its president.
Also on that day, the Sisters of Christian Charity of the Eastern Province, the order that runs Assumption College, posted an entertaining iGiveCatholic page that helped raise $750 to fund its Activities Department at its new motherhouse in Mendham. This department offers a range of activities for the residence’s 165 Sisters, mostly aging, including music, dancing, plays, talks by speakers, retreats, exercise and information on health. On their page, the Sisters posted a video of one Sister, who has difficulty with speech, enjoying the activity of singing and a photo of nuns lined up in wheelchairs holding cards that spelled out “Keep us active.” Later, the Sisters returned with a photo to spell out “Thank You.”
“We were happy to be able to raise some extra money for the activities of our senior Sisters through the iGiveCatholic campaign on Giving Tuesday. The sisters pray daily for all their benefactors and are grateful to the Diocese for sponsoring this program,” said Sister Mary Edward Spohrer, provincial superior of the Sisters of Christian Charity.