Excitement continues to build as the seventh annual #weGiveCatholic online day of Catholic giving nears.
The big day – Nov. 29 – coincides with Giving Tuesday, which takes place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. More than 220 Catholic entities -- including schools, parishes, Catholic Charities sites and programs and Catholic nonprofits -- registered to participate this year. Each organization developed a plan for use of its donations. Some targeted tuition assistance, others capital improvements and still others for special projects.
Minimum suggested donation is $20 and all donations must be made between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 29. There is no maximum donation amount. All donations are tax deductible and donors receive an automatic tax receipt via email.
“#weGiveCatholic is 24 hours of fun and fundraising hosted by the Catholic Community Foundation,” said Patrick Grace, executive director of the foundation. “This is a day dedicated to giving thanks and giving back. If you have been blessed, be a blessing to others through your support of the organizations that form our souls.”
Dozens of cash prizes, including $320,950 in matching grants, are available to help #weGiveCatholic participants increase their fundraising efforts.
Some of the 46 matching grants are anonymous while others were donated by individuals, organizations and businesses. A I Root Candle Co., Villa Angela Class of 1982, St. Gabriel School PTU and CYO Boosters are among those providing matching grants. Amounts range from $200 to $50,000.
Special matching gifts are available at 9:15 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. The first and last opportunities feature a $50,000 matching gift – during each time period -- for school tuition assistance. Every $100 donation to a school will be matched dollar for dollar until the $50,000 is depleted in the 9:15 a.m. and 4 p.m. match periods.
During the 2 p.m. hour, a $15,000 matching gift from Boyd Watterson will match every gift up to $1,000 – dollar for dollar – until the matching gift is gone.
There will be opportunities throughout the 24-hour event for participants to join in the matching grant challenges and to unlock additional prizes.
Fun names are assigned to other “power hour” prizes, like “Keeping Vigil Night Owl,” which takes place midnight to 6 a.m. A $1,000 prize is up for grabs for the participant with the highest number of unique donations received in the specified time period.
A “Morning Star Random Drawing” will take place 6-10 a.m. with a $1,000 available. All organizations with at least one donation during that time period will be entered into a random drawing for the prize. The “Raising Lazarus Coffee Break,” 10-11 a.m., features a $1,000 prize for the highest number of unique donations received in the specified time period.
In addition, there are all-day special competition prizes:
- The Goliath -- $2,000 for the largest single online donation of the day
- Sowing the Good Seed -- $1,000 for the organization with the largest percentage of improvement in total dollars raised as compared to 2021
- The New Eve – $1,000 to the new WGC organization that receives the most unique donations during the day
- Prize for eclipsing $1 million – $1,000 goes to the organization whose donor makes the gift that puts the total WGC donations over $1 million for the day
- Prize for eclipsing $2 million -- $1,000 to the organization whose donor gift puts the total over $2 million for the day
- Prize for eclipsing 10,000 online donors -- $1,000 goes to the organization whose donor is number 10,001 to make an online gift of any amount.
Participating organizations are eligible to win one hourly prize.
Grand prizes also will be awarded in various categories. Click here for more details on the prize money at stake for WGC participants.
Anyone can donate to #weGiveCatholic. Click here to see the list of this year’s participants. All parishes, schools, Catholic Charities sites and Catholic nonprofits in the Diocese of Cleveland were invited to participate in #weGiveCatholic. If a parish, school or nonprofit is not listed on the WGC list, they opted not to participate.
Participants also were eligible for pre-event prizes beginning in August. A dozen participants already won prizes including lunch for up to 10 people on WGC Day and random drawings for $500 and $1,000 prizes. Participants could win prizes for submitting a team photo, a video and completing their web page as instructed. On Nov. 28, one last $500 pre-event prize will be drawn randomly from participants who created a thank-you video for donors.
Bishop Edward Malesic invites all people in Northeast Ohio to unite for this day of generosity.
“It seems more important than ever to come together as a community to support and celebrate the Catholic organizations that have shaped our souls with their works of education, formation, worship, and charity,” he said.
Click here to learn more about #weGiveCatholic. View a promotional video here.
In addition, the weekly “Question of Faith” podcast hosted by Father Damian Ference, director of the Office of Parish Life and Special Ministries, and Mike Hayes, director of the diocesan Office of Young Adult Ministry, focused on “What is #weGiveCatholic?” this week. Special guest was Patrick Grace, executive director of the Catholic Community Foundation.