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Q. What is Encountering Christ?
A. A capital and endowment campaign, Encountering Christ has raised $98 million in gifts and pledges for local parish needs while supporting clergy, enhancing growth and development across the diocese and strengthening ministries, Catholic education and faith formation. Every parish and mission in the diocese participated in the first phase of the campaign during a series of waves in 2018 and 2019.
Q. Why did the Diocese of Austin embark on Encountering Christ?
A. Through our pastoral plan, Encounter that Leads to Transformation, we developed a roadmap for a vibrant and secure future for this diocese. Encountering Christ was essential to fulfilling the mission of our diocese as we outlined together.
Q. Is the campaign over?
A. No! Once parishes completed the active fundraising phase of their campaigns, they entered a five-year fulfillment phase. During this equally important period, donors have the opportunity to fulfill their generous pledges.
Q. How are campaign funds being allocated to parishes?
A. Thirty cents of each dollar collected from pledge payments and one-time gifts are being placed in the corresponding parish’s DIAL account, beginning with the first dollar. When the parish goal is met in cash payments, that amount increases to 70 cents per dollar. The local needs parishes identified for their campaigns are being tackled as funds are received, with parishes from early waves already completing projects.
Q. How are campaign funds for the shared ministries the diocese outlined in the campaign brochure being distributed?
A. The funds allocated to the shared ministries of Encountering Christ are being distributed based on the percentage allocated to each ministry in the campaign case statement.
Q. When will the diocese begin fulfilling these needs, like for clergy, Catholic schools and religious education, Catholic Charities of Central Texas and campus ministry?
A. Available funds are being directed to ministries as needs arise. With campaign gifts, the diocese has already created the seminarian endowment, invested in the priest’s pension plan and trust and started construction on the expansion of the St. John Paul II Residence for Priests. As more pledges are fulfilled, more items will be checked off the diocese’s list.
Q: How will donors know what the diocese has accomplished with campaign gifts?
A: The diocese will keep donors up to date on how campaign funds are being used in the Catholic Spirit, our diocesan newspaper, Reflections, our diocesan newsletter, on the campaign website at encounteringchristcampaign.org, and on social media.
Q. How should payments be made to fulfill a pledge?
A. When donors pledged their gifts, they chose to fulfill their campaign pledges with monthly, quarterly or annual payments. The Diocese of Austin provided a gift acknowledgment letter confirming the preferred schedule for payment reminders. If a donor does not receive a gift acknowledgement letter, or would like to change their payment schedule, please contact the campaign office at (512) 949-2400.
Payments on Encountering Christ pledges should not be made to the parish or included in the parish offertory basket. The diocese is facilitating this process to ensure parishes are not burdened with auditing payments during the five-year pledge fulfillment period.
Q. Can a donor fulfill a pledge with a credit card or automatic bank withdrawal?
A. Yes, the diocese recommends all donors fulfill their pledges with a credit card or an electronic fund transfer (automatic bank withdrawal), but especially those who opted to pay on their pledge monthly. Encountering Christ received more than 21,000 pledges during the campaign, and a significant percent of donors chose to make monthly payments. If all monthly donors fulfill their commitments by credit card or automatic bank withdrawal, they will save the campaign considerable costs associated with monthly reminder statements, return envelopes, postage and staff time for processing payments.
Q: What happens if pledges are unfulfilled?
A: A pledge is a commitment made with the best of intentions. However, the diocese understands that life circumstances change. If a donor has a question or concern about their pledge, please call the campaign office at (512) 949-2400.
Q. Are gifts to the campaign tax-deductible?
A. Donors will receive an acknowledgement of their gifts for tax purposes. Please also consult with tax and financial experts.
Q. What was the cost of the campaign as a percent of revenue?
A. The cost of the campaign relative to the financial goal was approximately 6 percent. This cost includes professional fundraising counsel for more than two years, printed promotional materials for more than 130,000 families, specially produced campaign videos, database management and gift acknowledgement and pledge fulfillment for thousands of donors. All costs are flat fees for services performed.
The Diocese of Austin paid all campaign costs, allowing the parish share of the campaign to be allocated exclusively to the needs parishes identified.