A capital campaign is an effort to raise money in a fairly short time (three to five years) to pay for a significant project or build up an endowment or heritage fund for future use. For a Catholic diocese or parish, this refers to gifts and pledges over and above a parishioner’s regular giving to the Sunday collection. Parishioners who make pledges to the Diocese of Hamilton’s campaign will have three years to fulfill their commitment.

Over the course of the campaign, every household in every parish in the Diocese will be asked to make a sacrificial gift.

After a three-month planning study in spring and summer 2018, campaign preparations began in August 2018. The active campaign is taking place in four “waves,” beginning with a pilot wave that began in February 2019. The campaign will conclude when the last wave finishes in early 2021.

Every parish will first assess its needs and determine the projects to which the funds raised for the parish will be directed. Each pastor will appoint key volunteers who will work with the Diocese and the Steier Group to form a campaign team. That parish team will help with campaign events and do personal follow-up to other parishioners to solicit gifts. Priests also will be asked to help with solicitations of some prospective donors.

This is a parish-focused campaign, and 75 percent of the funds raised by each parish will stay with that parish for the goals and projects of its choosing. An additional 10 percent will be directed toward assisting parishes most in need of support. The remaining 15 percent will be dedicated to shared diocesan ministries.

Donors’ gifts and pledges will be held in trust for the parish and initially kept in a dedicated diocesan account. The Diocese will disburse the parishes’ funds to them after the payments have been received and the parish is ready to undertake their projects. The campaign’s Clergy Committee has worked with the Diocese to outline when the funds will be distributed to the parishes.

The Diocese of Hamilton searched for a firm that best fit the Diocese’s needs and interviewed some of the leading Catholic fundraising companies in North America. At present, there are no Canadian fundraising firms who have experience running diocesan campaigns of such a scale. The Steier Group’s tremendous experience with Catholic diocesan and parish campaigns, the quality of their on-site campaign managers, and – perhaps most of all – their love of the Church and commitment to living and encouraging Christian stewardship played big roles in the decision.

Frankly, we hope you continue to support your parish directly through your regular Sunday giving. This campaign is not intended to divert funds that go toward normal operating needs. The campaign is a special effort to meet needs that go beyond the routine and that can help to set up parishes (and the Diocese) to thrive for years to come. In short, supporting this campaign is supporting your parish directly – as well as other parishes in need and various diocesan ministries.