FADICA News

Since his election a year ago today, Pope Francis’ message of hope and compassion has strongly resonated with Catholics and non-Catholics alike. In order to understand the impact of Pope Francis on current and future Catholic giving to the Church and related activities, Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA) commissioned a nationwide survey of 1,003 Catholic adults. Additional financial support for the survey was provided by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of National Collections. “It is clear that Pope Francis and his message of mercy and joy, and a special concern for the poor, are inspiring U.S. Catholics in their giving,” said Alexia Kelley, President of FADICA, a nonprofit member association that works to strengthen and promote Catholic philanthropy. “These results also show that Hispanic Catholics, in particular, are moved by Pope Francis with respect to their giving,” said Kelley. Findings from the FADICA survey conducted by Zogby Analytics: One in four (24%) U.S. Catholics have increased their giving from last year.  Of those who have increased their giving in the past year, 77% say Pope Francis has inspired their giving; including 42% who say the Pope has had a significant impact on their giving.  Half (50%) say they are motivated to help others because of the Pope’s message of compassion to the poor. The FADICA survey indicates that Catholic giving practices will continue to grow in the near future. More than two in five (44%) Catholics say that Pope Francis’ message of hope, love, and charity will inspire them to give more

FADICA joins Catholics around the world in celebrating the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.  This unique ceremony, held on April 27th, marked a historic moment for the Catholic Church and the first time two popes have been canonized simultaneously.  We join in celebrating this holy and joyful moment, the canonization of two beloved popes, in the history of the Church.  To read Pope Francis’ remarks and other information about the canonization, visit the Vatican’s dedicated page.  You can also watch the Vatican video of the liturgy, that has been translated into English.  

The FADICA Graduate Fellow (“fellow”) serves as part of a staff team to deliver high quality services to the association’s members.  The Fellow will support the Director of Program & Member Services with research on community programs and member priorities, and communication of updates and news of interest through emails and social media.  The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who is adept at research (through various interventions) and the ability to communicate the findings of the research in clear, cohesive ways.   The position provides an exciting opportunity to be part of the organization’s team, as it implements a new strategic plan and creates a next generation of services for members related to Catholic philanthropy and activities.   A generous stipend will be provided. Duties: Conduct Research on community initiatives (e.g., Catholic education/schools, women religious, anti-trafficking, international philanthropy) and draft short summaries about the initiatives The Fellow will work closely with the Catholic schools affinity group, and in particular assist with the development of a matrix of Catholic school innovative programs and models.  The matrix will cover areas of financial sustainability, governance, quality of education, and leadership development.  This project will require online research, data gathering, interviews with various organizations across the country, and writing.  Assist with communication of updates and news of interest through emails and social media Learn and study Catholic social teaching and tradition, and philanthropy practices Requirements: Excellent research and writing skills Ability to gather information and present it in a clear, cohesive format Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)

FADICA, a leading organization of Catholic foundations and philanthropists, seeks undergraduate interns to assist with the goals and projects of the organization. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter who is interested in learning about and engaging in the world of philanthropy, the mission of the Catholic Church, and/or community service and the common good. Summary: The Interns serve as an integral part of the staff delivering high quality services to the association’s members.  Interns will work with the Director of Program & Member Services to determine a learning plan and establish goals.  Interns will select projects based on their interests in the following areas: social media and communications, meeting and symposia planning, issue research, or marketing and membership development. The position provides an exciting opportunity to be part of the organization’s team, as it implements a new strategic plan and creates a next generation of services for members related to Catholic philanthropy and activities.   A generous stipend will be provided. Duties: Specific duties will be based on the learning goals and project outcomes chosen by FADICA and the Interns, but will include the following:      Research community initiatives (e.g., Catholic education/schools, women religious, Church vitality, anti-trafficking, international philanthropy) and draft short summaries about the initiatives      Assist with social media and other forms of communication; may include writing, creative development, publications, etc.      Learn and study Catholic social teaching and tradition, and philanthropy practices Requirements:      Excellent written and verbal communication skills (including making phone calls)      Proficiency with Microsoft Office

At the Inaugural Public Dialogue of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, FADICA President Alexia Kelley emphasized servant leadership as a key “factor” in Pope Francis’ papacy.  On a panel alongside the New York Times’ David Brooks, PBS’ Mark Shields, and the USCCB’s president’s spokesperson Kim Daniels, Alexia said that Pope Francis shows the way to Catholics on how to move beyond the division in the Church, to move toward healing and to be part of the solution. She observed that young Catholics have been moved by the witness of the Pope’s actions, his inclusiveness and authenticity, but noted that they haven’t yet heard the whole story on Catholic social thought.  With a robust understanding of the rich Catholic social tradition, young Catholics can become a powerful force and movement for the Church.   The dialogue was moderated by John Carr, director of the Initiative at Georgetown University. Watch the video of “The Francis Factor:  Implications of Pope Francis and Catholic Social Thought for American Public Life.” Stories of interest regarding the Dialogue: Kelley noted that Pope Francis embodies a spirit of servant leadership, and Brooks said that the pope has fully embraced being counter-cultural, “looking like a Christian.”  From Lessons from Rome for DC, a blog post at Busted Halo, written by Michael O’Loughlin. Panelist Alexia Kelley, president and CEO of Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, said she found Pope Francis offering a servant-leadership style that can help inform public life in the U.S. “He’s showing it not just in an intellectual sense

Specialty Family Foundation Chair and FADICA member Deb Estes penned a post “Catholic Schools: a Pathway out of Poverty,” on the blog of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Ms. Estes describes a renewed focus on the long-term sustainability of Catholic schools in light of many challenges, and the work of FADICA’s new Catholic Schools affinity group in “supporting, studying and sharing these solutions.” Learn about the innovative strategies that her foundation and other members of FADICA have implemented to improve Catholic school education and governance. Read more here: http://usccbmedia.blogspot.com/2013/08/catholic-schools-pathway-out-of-poverty.html

FADICA member Christine Healey authored this OpEd, “A Partnership for Camden Schools,” which was published  this month in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “Last month, the state assumed full control of the public schools in the Camden School District. Of the 75 lowest-performing schools in the state, 23 are in Camden. The state’s intervention affirms what many of us have long known: Despite its best efforts, the district consistently fails to educate its students or provide them with the love of learning they need to break the cycle of poverty.” Read more

Thanks to the generous partnership and commitment of two FADICA members, congregations of Catholic sisters will have an opportunity to strengthen their fundraising and development efforts through a new program at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. The comprehensive resource development program for women religious is supported by more than $2.6 million in grant funding from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and the GHR Foundation. “Advancing Mission: Women Religious in the 21st Century,” includes training for congregational leaders and an opportunity for congregations to secure multi-year grant funding to build congregational fundraising and development capacity, as well as ongoing support through coaching and peer learning.    “The Fund Raising School and the Lake Institute have stepped up with a training program that takes into account the opportunities and challenges facing Catholic sisters today,” said Steven M. Hilton, Chairman, President & CEO of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Amy Goldman, Chair and Executive Director of GHR Foundation noted, “The GHR Foundation deeply appreciates Catholic sisters for the indelible institutions that they have built in this country and their legacy of service to all.   You can find the full press release here.

With sincere joy and heartfelt prayers, Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities (FADICA) welcomes Pope Francis.     We join our prayers with Catholics and people of good will throughout the world in sending our blessing to the new Holy Father. May God be always close to him and may Jesus guide his steps in service to our beloved Church and the people of God.    Pope Francis’ humble spirit, his love of the poor, his commitment to the Gospel, and his example of servant leadership will be a blessing for all of the faithful. FADICA members look forward to the powerful witness Pope Francis will offer the world. We are eager to support our new shepherd in relieving human suffering, supporting our Church, and building–piece by piece–the kingdom of God in today’s complex world.

Over 70 FADICA members and guests gathered earlier this month for FADICA’s thirty-seventh annual membership meeting and symposium, Nurturing our Tradition and Engaging our Future: New Leadership, New Collaboration. The symposium showcased new and innovative leaders from a number of Catholic charitable organizations, including Caritas Internationalis and Jesuit Commons. Symposium dialogue and panel presentations focused on creating innovative models of collaboration, youth engagement, and the need to harness new technology and social media to achieve greater mission impact. Panels covered both domestic and international sectors of Catholic nonprofit and charitable efforts, and guest speakers included Michel Roy, General Secretary of Caritas Internationalis (Rome), and Christine Healey, Executive Director of the Catholic School Development Program (NJ). At the annual meeting, FADICA’s Board of Directors elected new officers of the organization.  Sr. Sally Duffy, SC, President of the SC Ministry Foundation was elected Chair.  Forrest N. Jenkins, Director and Immediate Past Chair of the Assisi Foundation of Memphis, was elected Vice Chair;  John C. Vatterott, Trustee of the Joan and John Vatterott Foundation, was elected Treasurer; and Deborah A. Estes, President of the Specialty Family Foundation, was elected Secretary. “FADICA members, as Catholic philanthropists, bring Jesus’ ministry and Catholic social teaching to life in their own communities and around the world.  I look forward to working with all of our members and partners to support our Church and the people of God as they serve the common good and the most vulnerable,” said FADICA’s newly elected Chair, Sr. Sally Duffy, SC.  Members also launched several new “affinity” working groups