Why should you support our campaign for 500 gifts? (And fast!)

By Dr. Jeff Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Feb 27, 2014

Right now, we’re running a campaign to receive a total of 500 donations in any amount during the last ten days of February. As of this writing, we have 299 to go. (The current number is on the Action Alert banner at the top of the page.)

The number was chosen because by February 15th, we were already nearly a month behind in our fundraising. The budget calls for $65,000 in January and February, and we were about $28,000 short.

The purpose of emphasizing a number of donations rather than an amount of money is to put the emphasis where it belongs: On user participation. The averages will work out just fine if our users participate broadly in the support of our mission.

Our budget of $430,000 for 2014 is typically less than half that of other comparable organizations. The budget is presented and explained in our donor package.

Our reach has grown by about 40% each year over the past several years. The number of people who use CatholicCulture.org around the world each year is still increasing from our 2013 high of just over five million.

Moreover, it is a real bargain to help enrich faith, strengthen the Church and form Catholic culture through our work. It costs less than 10 cents per year for each person served.

We are the most-used Catholic website with a Catholic news service in the entire world. Our news and commentary are picked up in countless blogs, reports, newsletters and bulletins; our Catholic theological and spiritual resources, including our liturgical year material, are used in religious education and family life in over 200 countries.

The number of people we reach indirectly is very likely an order of magnitude greater than the number who directly use the site.

But the bottom line is that we are user-supported. We do not have deep pockets, and we are beholden to no major interests which might otherwise influence our work.

So now we are behind financially before we have hardly begun the year. If we cannot expand our base of support, our Catholic mission will not continue to grow; it will diminish. The bargain of the New Evangelization will be sold out.

That is why CatholicCulture.org needs your prayers and financial participation. Please join in with a gift in any amount!

NOTE: Donations are tax-deductible in the United States. Those who prefer not to donate online can mail a check or money order to Trinity Communications, P.O. Box 582, Manassas, VA 20108, USA.