Boston Archdiocese Seeks to Offset Fund-Raising Fallout

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, engulfed in controversy over how it handled allegations of sexual abuse

by dozens of its priests, has revised some of its key fund-raising practices in an effort to overcome the shock and anger felt by many of its longtime donors.

The archdiocese, appealing to parishioners not to cut off support for church programs, is sending letters of regret to those who say they no longer can give in good conscience. In addition, archdiocesan officials are soliciting the support of pastors — including those who have resisted asking parishioners to donate money in the wake of the scandal.

Despite such efforts, the fund-raising fallout from the abuse scandal is significant. It is most apparent in the Cardinal’s Appeal, an annual campaign to raise money for the archdiocese’s operating expenses and mission work, such as its Christian education programs, subsidies to inner-city parishes, and social services. Since it began in May, this year’s appeal has raised only $7.6-million, compared with more than $12.5-million in the same six-month period last year.

Fund raisers at the archdiocese acknowledge that the scandal has affected giving, but they contend that the weak economy and competition from its $300-million Promise for Tomorrow capital campaign, which began in 2001 and is raising money for building renovations and education programs, also have hurt donations. So far, the archdiocese has raised more than $188-million toward the capital campaign, including $34-million since news of the clergy sexual-abuse scandal broke in January, according to Kenneth J. Hokenson, chief development officer for the archdiocese.

Angering Some Donors

Mr. Hokenson says that many donors have continued to give to both the annual appeal and the capital campaign because they do not want people who benefit from Catholic programs to suffer. “Those who understand that the capital campaign and the Cardinal’s Appeal are really about the mission of the church and the many good works of the church continue to provide financial support,” he says.

Still, Mr. Hokenson and other archdiocesan officials concede that publicity of the sex-abuse allegations has alienated many donors. Some have held back donations out of fear that their contributions might go toward settling lawsuits brought by victims. Others have balked because they want to let church leaders know how upset they are about the scandal.

While some parishioners have completely stopped giving to the archdiocese, Mr. Hokenson says, others have redirected gifts to their parishes or to specific archdiocesan programs supported by the Cardinal’s Appeal.

Archdiocesan officials have sought to assure parishioners that no donations for the Cardinal’s Appeal or capital campaign will be used to pay settlement costs or other expenses associated with the abuse allegations. Mr. Hokenson says that all of the costs associated with the settlements have been paid either by insurance companies or with private gifts raised specifically for that purpose.

Still, Mr. Hokenson acknowledges, “Some people did not necessarily feel that was sufficient guarantee.”

$7.6-Million Raised

The $7.6-million that the Cardinal’s Appeal has raised is far short of its publicly announced goal of $16.1-million. But the archdiocese says the amount donated to date isn’t as low as it may seem.

Given that the appeal’s most generous donors also are being asked to support the archdiocese’s $300-million capital campaign, fund raisers from the outset have expected the Cardinal’s Appeal to bring in only $10-million or so, says Mr. Hokenson.

The reason for the disparity between the public target and the archdiocese’s internal expectations: concern that lowering the goal too much would hurt the long-term health of the annual campaign, says Damien J. DeVasto, director of the Cardinal’s Appeal. He says that archdiocesan officials believe it would be a mistake to lower the publicly announced goal significantly during the capital campaign. Thus, he says, they decided to hold the goal at $16.1-million, which is how much the appeal raised last year. “The target was really a challenge for the parishes,” he says.

In addition to tapping out some donors, the capital campaign also has rearranged the timing of the Cardinal’s Appeal, say archdiocesan fund raisers.

Traditionally, the big push for the Cardinal’s Appeal at the parish level takes place in the spring. This past spring, however, 88 of the archdiocese’s 360 parishes encouraged parishioners to contribute to the capital campaign, and decided to put off their Cardinal’s Appeal efforts until the fall. In contrast, only 11 parishes ran fall campaigns for the Cardinal’s Appeal last year.

Archdiocesan officials say they hope that the smaller number of spring campaigns accounts for at least part of the gap between this year’s and last year’s results, and that the Cardinal’s Appeal will gain ground in the fall.

Capital Campaign

While the sex-abuse crisis poses challenges for all of the archdiocese’s fund-raising efforts, the capital campaign has been a somewhat easier sell with donors, says Mr. Hokenson. Promoting tangible projects, such as the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing ones, is often easier for fund raisers because they can show donors how their money will be used, he says.

In addition, many of the large donors who are making significant gifts to the capital campaign have strong ties to the archdiocese and its leader, Cardinal Bernard F. Law, says Mr. Hokenson. “You’re dealing with people who are strong supporters of the church, who are strong supporters of his eminence, and they’re less likely to be dissuaded from continuing their support,” he says.

Mr. Hokenson also thinks that the downturn in the economy is having a more direct impact on the lives of middle-income contributors to the Cardinal’s Appeal than it is on wealthy major donors. “While a leadership donor to the capital campaign’s stock portfolio may go down 20, 30, 40 percent, that’s quite a bit different from somebody who gives $250 a year to the Cardinal’s Appeal who loses his job,” he says.

What to Say About Scandal

With its annual campaign facing daunting obstacles — scandal, competition from the capital campaign, and a weak economy — the archdiocese realized that the Cardinal’s Appeal couldn’t be business as usual, says Mr. DeVasto. Fund raisers took a close look at the way they had conducted the campaign in the past, retained what they thought worked well, and recast other elements of the appeal, he says.

Chief among the questions that fund raisers had to answer: How much should they say about the issue of clergy sexual abuse?

“It’s a very fine line,” says Mr. DeVasto. “We have to acknowledge the climate under which we’re operating. We have to speak in honest terms. We have to be empathetic. But it can’t be our primary focus.”

As in past years, the initial solicitation that donors received came from Cardinal Law, who has been the target of intense criticism for his handling of the archdiocese’s sex-abuse scandal. In the letter, Cardinal Law refers both to the scandal and to the potential concerns of donors.

“As you know, I have asked for your prayers as we work through a painful and challenging time in our Archdiocese,” he writes. “There are some who may think that this is not the time to show your support for the Church. However, this is when your Church needs you most.” Later in the letter, he also mentions “our current Archdiocesan challenges.”

To try to allay donors’ concerns, the cardinal’s letter includes an insert that breaks down how money donated to the Cardinal’s Appeal is spent, something the archdiocese has not included in previous appeals. The insert, for example, says that 14 cents of every 78 cents goes to Catholic education and college ministry.

The archdiocese’s finance department urged fund raisers to use the 78-cent figure because the Cardinal’s Appeal accounts for 78 percent of the archdiocesan budget. Mr. DeVasto says he realizes now that the numbers may have been confusing for donors, and that the archdiocese next year will clarify how each donated dollar is spent.

Appeal From Laymen

Not only did Boston church leaders add the financial breakdown to Cardinal Law’s letter, but for the first time the archdiocese also used laypeople to ask their fellow parishioners to give to the Cardinal’s Appeal. Unlike in the past, a follow-up solicitation for the campaign was written by two laymen, rather than by Cardinal Law, who has been criticized in recent months as being out of step with the concerns of the laity.

Mr. DeVasto, explaining the use of laymen in the solicitation effort, says that the cardinal for years has been doing the “heavy lifting” for the campaign, and fund raisers decided it was time to add other voices to the appeal.

The letter from the two laymen mentions the sex-abuse scandal directly. “Like you, we have been dismayed at the recent revelations of abuse by some priests in our Church,” writes John A. McNeice Jr. and Jack J. Shaughnessy, members of the Cardinal’s Guild, a group for donors who contribute more than $500 a year to the archdiocese. “We do, however, ask ourselves the question of whether, as our response to this painful time, we can retreat from our obligation to support those services that allow us, as Church, to assist those in need. Please ask yourself the same question. Withdrawal of funding will not right what is so painfully wrong, but will endanger the welfare of our community now and into the future.”

Mr. DeVasto says he thinks that the letter was an important addition to the campaign. “These lay leaders were able to speak to parishioners across the archdiocese in an almost pew-to-pew fashion,” he says. “They were able to speak to parishioners and say things that maybe his eminence could not.”

Helping Pastors

Besides using laypeople to solicit money for the Cardinal’s Appeal, the archdiocese is also increasing its efforts to help pastors deal with parishioners’ financial concerns related to the sex-abuse scandal — and to shore up pastors’ support of the appeal. Mr. DeVasto says that archdiocesan fund raisers have spent more time this year than ever before talking with pastors and answering their fund-raising questions. “They were the ones on the front lines, and we needed to make sure they felt wholly comfortable and had as much support as possible in their effort to promote the appeal.”

While declining to say whether any pastors have refused to promote the Cardinal’s Appeal, Mr. DeVasto acknowledges that some feel uncomfortable pressing their parishioners to give. The archdiocese has made “accommodations and modifications” based on the individual circumstances of each parish, particularly in parishes that have been directly affected by the clergy sexual-abuse scandal, Mr. DeVasto says.

“Every single pastor in this archdiocese was impacted by the climate,” says Mr. DeVasto. “Every pastor was dealing with it in his own way, and so ultimately, they expressed their promotion of the appeal in very different manners.”

With time and diligence, archdiocesan officials hope they will be able to win back the contributors they have lost. “We’re hoping that these are people who have paused at this time,” Mr. DeVasto says. “It would be shortsighted of us to do anything other than to try to meet their needs in the way that we best possibly can.”

As part of that effort, Mr. DeVasto sends a letter to all parishioners who write to the archdiocese saying they cannot support the appeal in light of the scandal. In the letter, he says that he understands their concerns and regrets the circumstances that led them to their decision. He ends by expressing the hope that they will consider giving again when their trust in the archdiocese has been restored.

Mr. DeVasto notes that reaction to the letter has been mixed. “I’ve had people write me back and say, ‘Thank you. I never thought I’d get a response,’” he says. “There are others who have called back and vilified me for a comma in the wrong position, because they’re just so hurt and angry.”

Ultimately, the archdiocese’s fund raisers say that much of what will affect their efforts to win back donors is out of their hands. “I think we’ve done everything we can,” Mr. Hokenson says. “I don’t look back and say, ‘Gee, I wish we had done this, or I wish we had done that,’ because a lot of these issues really don’t have anything to do with fund raising. They’re issues of people’s anger and hurt and pain, and they’re issues of people feeling that they have questions about the credibility of some of their leaders.”