Campaign Tops $1 Million Raised
December 7, 2020
By Tom Sonni
From September through December, $1.1 million has been raised in outright gifts and ten-month pledge commitments. This initial response toward a total goal of $3 million has been led by members of the Love Builds Hope Foundation Advisory Board and several key connectors in the community. The process involved a safely designed in-person event and a series of multiple small group Zoom meetings led by Bishop Flores. Attendees were invited to join the Builders Circle - a new community business owners, executives and medical, legal, and financial professionals. Commitments have been made at levels ranging from $1,000 to $250,000. Once the full Love Builds Hope Campaign resumes, gifts that benefit local parishes and the work of the whole Church in the Diocese of Brownsville will be invited and welcomed from every Catholic in the spirit of the “widow’s mite” - received with gratitude and love. “Even now, every gift of every size is gratefully accepted as a part of the love that truly builds hope, needed more than ever by many in these challenging times,” said Miguel Santos, Director of the Office of Strategy and Development for the Diocese of Brownsville.
The Crisis
The Love Builds Hope campaign was launched in February of 2020, focused on the participation of an initial group of 14 parishes. The Pandemic forced a shutdown of Masses shortly thereafter and those parish-based campaign efforts were suspended until parish activities normalize. Mr. Santos commented, “as the crisis extended, the adverse impact on the Diocese of Brownsville and its parishes and schools became more and more clear.” Not only did parishes lose the majority of their monthly revenue coming from offertory gifts, they also lost the income they normally rely on from their parish festivals and other their fundraising activities within their communities. Some parishes and missions, especially the small ones serving in the colonias, lost 80 to 90% of their income and were forced to lay off their staff. Their loss in revenue also had a direct crippling effect at the diocesan level, forcing significant layoffs in ministry offices. Schools lost enrollment as parents lost jobs or had their hours reduced. Additionally, schools also had to forfeit the majority of the income they normally receive from events and other fundraising activities.
The Response – Nearly $500,000 in grants already distributed
The generosity of those responding to the Crisis Response Fund has translated directly into $468,900 in grants already distributed to a total of 40 parishes and schools. A process has been established to submit grant requests to the Office of Stewardship and Grants. Requests are received on a rolling basis by the end of each month. These are first reviewed by the Grants Review and Oversight Board and a recommendation is made on each grant application based on how much in total funds is available. The grant recommendations are then reviewed by the Advisory Board of the Love Builds Hope Foundation, charged with ensuring that all grant distributions align with the purposes articulated to donors. Then the Financial Office manages the disbursement of funds, with the prerequisite that recipients first participate in a training regarding the accountability involved in using the funds for the purposes originally requested.
To see a detailed list of grants distributed and to learn more about the RGV Crisis Response Fund of the Love Builds Hope Foundation, visit the Impact tab of this website.
