By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent

Growing the number of Annual Appeal donors has been one of the top priorities of the diocesan Department of Development, particularly since director Steve Nicholl arrived in 2011.

Year over year for the past four years, the response has grown – in large part thanks to the efforts of Nicholl and the department, who have sought to directly invite participation from those who have not previously donated.

“It’s not so important how much someone gives, but that they take part,” Nicholl said.

The Annual Appeal is a year-long effort of inviting members of the Diocese of Trenton to look into their hearts, and prayerfully consider giving some of their treasure back to the Church. The Appeal kicks off each January, following the official close of the previous year’s appeal on Dec. 31. The 2015 Appeal is already underway, aiming to garner $7 million for diocesan programs, schools and parishes, which benefit from the peoples’ generosity.

Part of what makes the Annual Appeal so successful is the high percentage of pledges that are fulfilled, as well as the number of donations that are repeated, even increased from the previous years.

“We had a 97 percent pledge redemption (in 2014) – that’s higher than most nonprofits,” said Gregory King, diocesan coordinator of parish development. “Of our repeat donors, 35 percent increased their gift and 50 percent renewed their gift. We thought that was exceptional.”

Looking to the successes of the 2014 campaign, the 2015 focus was “helping reach the people where they were,” said Mariann Gilbride, Department of Development associate director. A letter was sent to non-donors, asking them to consider a nominal donation of $25. And apparently the campaign worked.

“About 2,300 who had never given before actually responded with a gift,” King said. “The average gift was in the mid-$40 range.”

The mailing to previous donors for last year’s Appeal, as well as for 2015, included a brochure outlining the work of the Diocese that the donated funds help support, accompanied by a letter from Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.

“We want to increase transparency and provide awareness,” said Gilbride. “The focus was to inform people about the many daily ministries supported by their gift – from Sunday to Sunday.”

Gilbride noted that the brochure was streamlined to boost its appeal to people living in electronic news age. “The world today communicates in soundbytes and quick bits of information,” she explained. “We wanted to use that means of communicating with the bullet points in the brochure.”

As for encouraging past donors, the Appeal letter they receive reminds them of their past gift amounts, encouraging them to consider a modest increase.

“It’s the same type of thinking process,” Gilbride explained. “We try to meet them where they are, and ask them if they can renew at a bit more.”

Newly introduced this year is an additional fundraising effort: The Faith to Move Mountains Endowment Campaign.

“The campaign is a response to long-term and extraordinary needs,” explained Nicholl, “while the Annual Catholic Appeal helps to fund the ongoing operating expenses of the Diocese. (The campaign aims) to establish new or increase existing endowments to offset anticipated increases in expenses over the long term.

“These endowments will strengthen  and empower our Church to stand prepared to serve future generations of Catholics,” Nicholl continued. “To do this requires an extraordinary campaign, Faith to Move Mountains,  that each member of the Diocese is asked to support above their annual giving to both the parish offertory and the Annual Appeal.”

For more information on the 2015 Annual Appeal, and to view Bishop O’Connell’s message and video, visit www.dioceseoftrenton.org/catholicappeal.