2008 CTODP Plan

St. Jerome
Agenda

 History
 Plan
 Lessons Learned
 Opportunities
History
 $104,001 (163) -2007
 $105,609 (157) - 2006
– 70% from St. Jerome Parish
– 8% St. Thomas More
 30% of school families in St. Thomas zip codes
 Estimate that <25% of school families participate
 No CTC re-direct monies
 Employer Matching limited ($1,300)
Establish Committee

 Cross-functional team
– School
 Pastor, Faculty, Family
– Parish
 Pastor, Parishioners
– Other Parishes/Coalition with West Valley
Schools
Set Goals
 Short-term Financial
– $300K ITC
– $50K CTC
 Long-term Financial
– Cover financial need of school families ($360K)
– Provide reduced tuition costs to all by $1500/year on availability
– Support all KDG and transfers with CTC funds annually
 Participation %
– 80% of school families
 Each family should recruit 4 friends/families to
re-direct
– 100% of faculty/staff
– Increase parish participation by 10%
Numbers to remember
 ~$1.1M and tuition is free
 $500K and we all reduce tuition by over 50%
 4- If all the school families recruited four other
friends/families we’d achieve our goal
 5%-CTODP participation rate vs. 20+%CDA
campaign; one is a redirect of taxes and the other is
a donation
Committee Structure

 Challenging to obtain volunteers

 Five regulars including one from parish
 Establish regular meetings
 Start early in the year
 Constant communication is critical
 Liaison between school and other
parishes/schools
Committee Structure
 School Grade Representatives
– Contact each family in grade
– Coordinate small family meetings
– Support for overall campaign at Festival, masses and Xmas
Concert
– Support for booth at festival and announcements and after masses
– 12 Days of CTODP during Xmas
 Parish Representative
– Coordinate Parish mass speaking spots
– Participate in after mass sign-ups and informational handouts
– Provide education and obtain continued support from Fr. Andres
and Fr. Ben
– Liaison with Religious Education coordinator
Committee Structure
 Neighboring Parish Representatives
– Coordinate neighboring Parish mass speaking spots
– Participate in after mass sign-ups and informational handouts
– Focus: St. Thomas More, St. James, OLV, St. Luke, St. Paul, St.
Helens, St. Rose
 Ministries Representative
– Contact each ministry
 Choir, Eucharistic Ministers, KofC, etc.
– Speak at their meetings
– Support for overall campaign at Festival, masses and Xmas
Concert
Committee Structure
 Matching Gift Representative
– Obtain listing and educate participants on companies that
provide matching gifts
– Support for overall campaign at festival, masses and Xmas
Concert
 Accountant
– Can support financial questions
School Plan
 Start Early-Big Push at the Back to School Bash in August
– Solicit volunteers
– Tempe Schools C.U. Loans
– Raffle for $500 tuition credit
 Class meetings, call tree
 Regular communication to school families
– Email, newsletter, signage, mass, etc.
 Festival booth
 December Push
– 12 Days of CTODP
– Before school; circle drop off reminders
– Internet and loan sign-up nights after school
 Thank you letters
Parish Plan
 Ministries focus
 Mass speeches
 After mass internet sign-up
 Festival booth
 Bulletin Inserts, Reminders, and Advertising
 Thank you letters
 Fr. Andres and Fr. Ben support and reminders
Ministries Plan
 Speak at ministries meetings
 Reminder emails/phone calls
 Obtain contacts for distribution of information to
include
– After mass internet sign-up
 Thank you letters
 Fr. Andres and Fr. Ben support and reminders
Neighboring Parish Plan
 Call and obtain commitment to speak
 Obtain support for mass schedules to include
handouts
 Need “provided by” stickers for applications
 Bulletin Insert and Advertising
 Thank you letters
What worked well?
 Coordinated Support between Parish and School
 Communicate, Communicate, Communicate
– People really don’t understand the program
– Need at least 5 touches until they are comfortable
 Email and phone reminders
 Mass, school functions,
 Speaking at St. Jerome and other Parish masses
 Sign-ups at Back to School Bash, Christmas and
Band Concerts
 Tempe Schools C.U. Loans
 Support from CTODP-use them, it works
Lessons Learned
 Recruit a larger committee
– Incent school parents to participate by providing extra hours
– Ask parents that receive funds to participate, especially if
they do not have $ to re-direct
– The more people that understand the program, the more
available to “spread the Good News”
– Spanish speakers needed
 West Valley School Partnership and other Parishes
– 80+% still came from St. Jerome
– Significant resource drain
Lessons Learned
 More focus on St. Jerome through ministries and
smaller meetings
 Funding
– Set aside funds/small budget ($1K) to support campaign
including incentives to participate, mailings, small
coffee/donut gatherings after mass, etc.
 CTC-Corporate Tax Program still untapped
– This is critical opportunity and much bigger payoff vs. ITC
– Need to solicit parishioners who own or work for
C-Corporations…if you don’t ask…you don’t receive…
 Economy-Big issue; no job-no taxes or cash to fund
Lessons Learned
 Communicate early and often
– Email updates are essential to both school and parish
– Start after refund season to get people to use refund $
– Remind parish importance of program and that its not a gift, rather
a re-direct
– Better leverage all the ministries to reach people
– Provide good visual aids that show what the program means to
school and parish
 How many children does it help?
 The financial value to the parish
 Affordability of the school to other less fortunate
 Ensure admission standards are consistent and properly
communicated
Results

 ITC
– Up over 30% from 2007 to $135K
– One of top in Valley
– Participation increased over 40 people to 205 from 163
 80+% from St. Jerome Parish
 90% comes in last few weeks of year
– Participation rate at school and faculty unknown but much
higher
 CTC
– Obtained single largest re-direct for 2008 from employer of
school family ($240K)
Contact Information

 Glen Sgambati Co-Chair

– 602.538.2135 sgams4@cox.net
 Dan Subia Co-Chair
– 602.206.5057 subiagroup@yahoo.com