By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – This year’s iGiveCatholic one-day online giving campaign raised more than $5.6 million from 23,000 donors across the United States. The Diocese of Jackson raised $72,521 for parishes, schools and organizations.
This is the third year the diocese has participated in iGiveCatholic. Organizers sought to take advantage of a national philanthropy effort called Giving Tuesday, which falls on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving as a charitable counterpart to the consumerism of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. More dioceses have joined every year, making it a truly national effort. “It was so awesome to be join with other dioceses around the country. It helps us show our communities all the wonderful work Catholics are doing in our dioceses, said Rebecca Harris, executive director of The Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Jackson. The foundation covers the cost of participating so parishes and schools can keep all the money they raise.
The idea is simple, iGiveCatholic provides an online giving platform for parishes, schools and diocesan-sponsored organizations. Those who choose to participate select a particular project they want to fund. The organizations can promote the projects however they want. Many use videos, social media or internal community communications to raise awareness about their effort. Then, on Tuesday, Nov. 27, the website accepts donations for 24 hours.
This year’s top earner was the Carmelite Monastery in Jackson. The sisters need a new heating and air conditioning system at the monastery. “Most of us got sick last year because we had no A/C, we had no heat,” explained prioress Sister Jane Agonoy, OCD. They now have $17,000 to put toward the project. This is a good start, but will not pay for the whole system. “We go by faith, but proceeds were good enough to get started. We told them to start with where the sisters live.
The rest will just follow,” she added.
Sister Jane said she wants to thank all their benefactors from her heart. She believes the Sisters were successful in part because of efforts this year to raise awareness about the community and in part because people appreciate their work. “They can feel our prayers. Our benefactors might never see us in person, but they can feel our prayers. We really, really pray for them. We gather as a community seven times a day to pray the prayer of the church. It is our life. It is a sacrifice, but we do it for love,” she added. The Sisters also need to replace a collapsing brick wall around their property, but Sister Jane has faith that that project will also be completed.
Diocesan schools did well during the campaign. Jackson St. Richard came close to raising $10,000 to improve technology. Madison St. Joseph School will put $9,000 toward a new bus. Madison St. Anthony raised almost $7,500 and Jackson Sister Thea Bowman School raised almost $6,000.
“IGiveCatholic is a fun way for everyone in the Diocese of Jackson to feel connected. Following the leaderboard and watching the numbers climb is very exciting,” said Jennifer David, principal at St. Richard. She said their project falls in line with other improvements at the school. “Their generous gifts will make it possible to continue implementing our newly revised technology plan. We want St. Richard students to have access to cutting-edge technology as a way to enjoy and enrich their learning,” David added.
St. Joseph School principal Dena Kinsey said a bus will help both the students under her roof and those who may have siblings at other schools.“A school bus would allow us to shuttle students to school in the morning from Jackson, for families who find the commute to St. Joe a hardship. Our students are involved in many activities. A bus would provide transport to retreats, enable our fine arts students to perform at local elementary schools and nursing homes, take students to visit children at Blair E. Batson hospital, to away games for athletics and other activities,” she added.
Kinsey appreciates that the effort is elevated beyond the diocese. “I appreciate that IGiveCatholic is a national campaign which utilizes Giving Tuesday as a platform to come together as faithful stewards towards a specific goal, connecting with our current donors, and giving us the opportunity to build relationships with new supporters,” she explained.
Vicksburg Catholic School used videos to promote its project – a new awning to keep students dry when they leave St. Francis Xavier elementary on rainy days. “We have been talking about an awning for years,” said Kristi Smith, development director. Other needs, she said, would always take precedence. IGiveCatholic gave the school an opportunity to earmark money specifically for the project.
“We started piecing together those videos a couple of weeks ago when we were having torrential rains,” explained
Kristi Smith, development director. The kids sang their own version of ‘Raindrops keep falling on my head’ in the promotional video on the school’s iGiveCatholic page. On Nov. 27, the school posted other photos and videos on its social media pages to encourage people to donate. Thanks to donors, the project is 61 percent funded. The school may utilize the videos and shoot some new ones as they continue their effort to raise the remaining money needed.
Parish projects included wireless internet access for Madison St. Francis Parish and rectory roof repairs at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle.

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – The Diocese of Jackson raised more than $92,000 in one day during the #iGiveCatholic 24-hour giving blitz held on Giving Tuesday, November 28. Jackson ranked fourth of all the dioceses involved The national campaign raised $2.6 million. Seventeen dioceses and archdioceses participated, a huge jump from last year, in the online giving effort which started in the Archdiocese of New Orleans three years ago.
The Office of Stewardship and Development coordinates the effort and pays the participation fee for the Jackson diocese. Christopher Luke, coordinator of stewardship, is the project leader. He set up what he called a ‘war room’ in the chancery office to watch the leaderboards live, encourage participants, manage the social media presence and interact with the media. Not only did the effort raise money, a television story in Jackson and print stories in other communities raised awareness of the work of the Catholic church throughout the state.

Callie Combs, development director for the Archdiocese of New Orleans coordinates the national effort. She said the success in Jackson proves that anyone can make this campaign work. “You get the tools – it’s all about how you use them and how you market this,” she said. #iGiveCatholic offers graphics, a social media calendar and suggestions for marketing on its website. Many parishes and organizations use those images and suggestions to spread the word about their projects. Combs added that this is a great opportunity to increase participation and awareness among those who want to help, but may not have deep pockets. “You can give $25 and you are making a difference,” she said.
Jackson St. Richard School edged out Madison St. Francis of Assisi Parish as top earner this year. The school raised almost $10,000 for lab equipment for their Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering and Mathematics (STREAM) lab. Development Director Wendi Shearer said the school used a combination of traditional and non-traditional tactics to alert people to the campaign. “We understand that while the #igivecatholic campaign has been designed as a social media push, not all of our parents and parishioners are active on the Facebook/Twitter/YouTube platforms. Acknowledging this, we leveraged some of the other resources offered by the #igivecatholic team – flyers, signage, and the oldest tactic there is – picking up the phone and calling people,” she explained.
St. Francis Parish leaders will make a joyful noise with the more than $9,000 they raised to repair the electronics controlling their bells as well as to purchase song books for their youth. The parish posted videos to social media throughout the day explaining the projects they wanted to complete and having a little fun. “The biggest key to success was setting clear, definable, and reachable goals,” said Sallie Ann Inman, office manager for the parish. She called it a team effort. Once they identified their projects, the staff got estimates for the work so they had exact amounts to raise.
“These goals were definitely discussed in advance of Giving Tuesday so that we had at least two weekends to put the word out to the parish from the pulpit and in the bulletin. We also promoted the project on our Facebook page and sending out text notifications on the MyParish App. We leaned heavily on social media in general, and Facebook in particular. Our priests got involved by making videos about our projects that were posted on our Facebook page,” said Inman. Staff members were watching the results throughout the day and posted about once an hour. She said the real success was getting more people interested and involved in two important parish projects.
Jackson Sister Thea Bowman School almost doubled the amount they raised last year. Shae Robinson, principal, said they posted messages and updates all the way up to midnight. “We decided this year to just let the accomplishments of the students speak for why people should give to Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School. We invited people to stop by for a visit and tour our school. Once we get a conversation started, we never miss an opportunity to promote our school or the iGiveCatholic global on-line giving day. I feel we were really successful this year, because we have people who truly support the mission of our school,” she said.
Starkville St. Joseph ended up raising more than $8,000 for a new roof. Other top earners included Cleveland Our Lady of Victories Parish, and the Carmelite Monastery in Jackson.

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – For the second year in a row, the Diocese of Jackson is participating in #iGiveCatholic, a 24-hour online giving blitz designed to take advantage of Giving Tuesday. Donors can support their favorite parish, school, mission or organization with a donation and challenge others to do the same.
For a full list of participating organizations, log onto www.igivecatholic.org and make a difference in education, ministry or more.

By Christopher Luke
JACKSON – #iGiveCatholic returns to the Diocese of Jackson on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The one-day giving blitz offers parishes, schools and organizations a chance to raise money online with support from the Catholic Foundation and the iGiveCatholic organization. Twenty-eight people completed the first training for participants on Wednesday, September 27, in Jackson. Training will continue until the final session, a webinar set for Tuesday, October 24, at 2 p.m.
During this mandatory training, representatives will learn how to register their ministry on the #iGiveCatholic website, promote the giving day using volunteers, social media, newsletters, emails, bulletin announcements, etc., and thanking and following-up with donors.
Trena Robinson, Director of Advancement and Communications/Public Relations for the Mound Bayou St. Gabriel Mercy Center is participating for a second year. “Attending the #iGiveCatholic training session was very informative. I learned about the new requirements as well as the updated technology guidelines. The marketing ideas session was very intriguing,” she said. “Examples of how to reach more donors through the use of social media were given.” Last year, the proceeds from #iGiveCatholic were used towards the renovation of the cafeteria at St. Gabriel. This year, the proceeds will be allocated to a new roof on the learning center.
#iGiveCatholic is a 24-hour online crowdfunding effort that is held the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The Catholic Foundation has made this opportunity possible by paying the entry fee for the entire diocese. The campaign involves 16 total arch/dioceses with a goal to raise $3.5 million in gifts. The goal for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson is $150,000. #iGiveCatholic isn’t just a fund-raiser. It is also an opportunity for the Catholic community to affirm its faith as disciples of Jesus Christ by sharing gifts out of love for God and one another.
In 2016, the campaign included the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Houma-Thibodaux, Biloxi, and Austin, Texas. This year the campaign has extended to the Archdioceses of Atlanta, Ga., Kansas City, Kan., and Mobile, Ala., the Dioceses of Helena, Mont., Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn., Lexington and Owensboro, Ky., Lubbock, Texas, and Paterson, N.J.
Last year, donors exceeded the $1.5 million goal, giving $1.8 million dollars with a total of 6,826 gifts. The Catholic Diocese of Jackson raised $132,736 from 1,019 givers.
How does #iGiveCatholic work? Donors will visit iGiveCatholic.org, the online platform and search for their participating parishes, schools, ministries, and not-for-profit organizations. From November 10-26, donors can schedule gifts to their favorite ministry. Donors can also donate on the actual giving day. Leaderboards on the website will keep track of donations to each organization. The minimum donation is $25.00 and there is no maximum.
Parish, school, or not-for-profit organization representatives have a little time left to sign up for the effort. All it requires is a training session and some enthusiasm. Contact Christopher Luke at 601-960-8481 or email at cluke@jacksondiocese.org to get details.

JACKSON – Parishes and schools have started adding their information to the #iGiveCatholic page for the Diocese of Jackson. At press time, 10 organizations have created profiles for the Tuesday, Nov. 29, event. This year, six Catholic dioceses in the southeast region are involved: the Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Dioceses of Austin, Baton Rouge, Biloxi, Houma-Thibodaux, and Jackson.
To celebrate the unique Catholic heritage of philanthropy, #iGiveCatholic is a giving day created to rally the Catholic community on #GivingTuesday, Nov. 29, a global day of giving. Secure, tax-deductible donations will be accepted on www.iGiveCatholic.org during a 24-hour period.
The monetary goal is to raise $1,500,000 for parishes, schools, ministries, and not-for-profit organizations during one day.
The underlying goal of the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day is to inspire the Catholic community to come together with giving in support of organizations that shape souls: parishes, schools, ministries and not-for-profit organizations.
The Archdiocese of New Orleans was the first to offer the faithful there the opportunity to support their favorite Catholic organization, encouraging people to participate in Giving Tuesday and to post the hashtag #iGiveCatholic on social media. The blitz was successful from its very first year, earning a million dollars in donations.
The social media aspect of the campaign is part of what has Ann Roberson, development director for Vicksburg Catholic Schools, excited. “When we look at some of your younger alumni and our young parents, we can better reach them on social media than in many other ways,” she said. She said the school promoted its ‘Spooky Sprint’ 5-K race on social media and got donations from people in Massachusetts who could not come to participate, but saw the social media post and wanted to help.
Each parish school or organization will have its own page on the website where organizers can say a little about how the donations will be used. They are encouraged to have fun promoting their participation. “We told them they can post videos of flash mobs, make yard signs or memes, whatever they can dream up to draw attention,” said Rebecca Harris, executive director of the Catholic Foundation. The Foundation is sponsoring #iGiveCatholic for the diocese, covering the cost of participating and coordinating the training. “Organizations can start promoting their participation far in advance of the actual day of giving. This helps spread the word a little farther and may result in more donations as people share their posts,” added Harris.
Look in the next few editions of Mississippi Catholic for a final tally of participants.