CHARLOTTE — Catholic school leaders, in partnership with the Diocese of Charlotte’s Development Office, are taking a new approach to annual giving for the needs of the 19 Catholic schools in western North Carolina.
Instead of one effort formerly known as the MACS Education Annual Fund, each of the nine Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools will spearhead its own fund development program and determine how best to prioritize donations from year to year. The diocese’s 10 other schools – nine parish-based schools as well as Bishop McGuinness High School – will use the same approach.
Since it was established in 1993, the MACS Education Annual Fund raised approximately $9.5 million for Catholic education.
“From a philanthropy and giving perspective, we decided that our community of families and supporters are eager for their local school to benefit directly from annual fund support. Therefore, we are moving away from the MACS Annual Fund to focus more specifically on individual school fund development,” said Dr. Gregory Monroe, superintendent of Catholic schools, in a letter to the MACS community also signed by Jim Kelley, diocesan director of development.
Monroe explained that this new phase of fund development will allow schools to more effectively address their specific individual needs and promote student success in a more prominent way.
“Each school can determine how best to fund priority needs in areas like Catholic identity, technology, curricular resources, cultural enrichment, teacher grants and professional development,” he said.
“I see the individual annual fund appeals being particularly beneficial to older schools with more established local legacies,” said Michelle Kuhn, the new principal of St. Ann School in Charlotte. “St. Ann is a special place that has been incredibly important to area Catholic families for decades.”
She hopes that by reaching out directly to families – inviting alumni back to the school to see all of the updates that have been made and giving them an opportunity to reminisce about their years spent at St. Ann School – more people will want to invest in current needs and future success of the school.
“In addition to a robust annual fund, I would like to see a substantial St. Ann Endowment upon which we can draw for scholarships,” she added.
All 19 schools will receive guidance from Ben Hoke, the new development director for Catholic schools. He will assist each school to focus on enhanced funding initiatives and dynamic annual, major, and planned giving programs for strengthening each school community.
“We are designing plans to increase involvement and financial support,” Hoke said. “My goal is to help each school raise more money, both immediately and long term.”
Kelley believes the new partnership with each school principal, their staff and leadership volunteers will “aim to customize a school-by-school approach to fully realize a stronger culture of teamwork and philanthropy.”
— SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter