Holland Hendrix, executive director of the department of Philanthropy for the Anglican Church of Canada
The idea for a nationwide fundraising campaign has been changing, said Holland Hendrix, executive director of the philanthropy department in a report to the Council of General Synod (CoGS).
CoGS met in Mississauga, Ont. from March 11 to 14.
Initially, the campaign was envisioned as a national church campaign with support from participating dioceses, with funds benefitting ministries and programs of General Synod. A sizeable portion of the revenue would go to diocesan programs.
However, a significant number of dioceses were already planning campaigns of their own. Not wanting to cause donor fatigue, however, the department of philanthropy is now proposing a series of diocesan campaigns that would include national components.
“We are currently pursuing the possibility of making the nationwide fundraising initiative a diocesan centered, diocesan-driven campaign,” Hendrix told CoGS. “This would, in effect, transform the nationwide undertaking from being a top-down nationally oriented effort to a bottom-up, diocesan-parish oriented campaign.”
The diocese of Ottawa was one of the parishes preparing to launch its own campaign and is now serving as a pilot project for a joint diocesan and General Synod campaign. The national office, said Hendrix, will assist in “building their financial infrastructure, both staff and systems.” In return, the diocese would include national church ministries and programs, such as The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, the Council of the North, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Anglican Foundation and the Anglican Journal.
Hendrix asked CoGS to revisit the issue of how and when recommendations based on feasibility studies might be considered. In response, CoGS adopted a resolution that: the department of philanthropy will develop a case for support of the national church;
The department of philanthropy will support dioceses doing feasibility studies that include components of the national church’s ministry in their case for support;
And that feasibility studies will come to COGS, not for approval, but to assess the capacity of the national church to support the diocesan campaigns.
