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1-844-PUSHPAY 5 things you need to do this summer to be ready for fall
Use Ordinary Time to get ahead. A summer planning guide for Catholic parishes to prep faith formation, Advent giving, and a strong fall.
By the time you’ve caught your breath from the Lent – Easter marathon, Confirmation season and end of year faith formation activities pick up and, before you know it, you’re in summer. Parishioners are in and out of town, members of your staff or your pastor may be taking time off, and you should be catching up on some much needed rest and recuperation.
Even if your parish is staying active and offering things like VBS or summer camps, the summer months can bring unique flexibility that you can use to set yourself up for a successful fall. Now is the time to prepare before you’re back to busy and vibrant parish life!
Take time to get ahead by taking these proactive steps now — while there’s time — to ensure that your fall season is marked by organization rather than urgency. Before you know it, the Advent – Christmas marathon will begin, and you don’t want to be scrambling to get through it!
Phase 1: Review your parish’s financial health and trajectory
Objective: Assess your parish’s financial health to make informed decisions for the remainder of the year.
- Analyze trends: Move beyond simple budget-tracking. Evaluate your offertory trajectory, focusing on the ratio of recurring to one-time giving to gauge long-term stability.
- Monitor engagement: Review the offertory average per registered household. If this figure is declining despite a growing community, address this trend now rather than in December.
- Re-engage lapsed givers: Identify households that were consistent contributors last year but have paused their giving this spring. Create a plan to reach out proactively before the year-end crunch.
- Consolidate reporting: Utilize your church giving platform to pull a comprehensive report of all gifts. This allows your business manager to focus on analysis rather than data entry.
Phase 2: Get your faith formation admin out of the way
Objective: Set up systems now so that September feels manageable, not like a paperwork avalanche.
- Launch registration: Finalize and publish, send, or otherwise distribute registration forms for religious education, OCIA, and sacramental preparation in July.
- Coordinate training: Establish the schedule for catechist recruitment and training.
- Prep communications: Draft key emails, bulletin announcements, and social media posts intended for the post-Labor Day faith formation launch.
- Recruit volunteers: If you have a catechist shortage, prioritize identifying and inviting volunteers during July and August gatherings.
Phase 3: Enhance your communication strategy
Objective: Create a cohesive communication calendar that aligns your parish’s messaging with the rhythms of the Liturgical Year, ensuring your community remains connected through the seasons.
- Map the Liturgical calendar: Create a master communications calendar that anchors your major parish initiatives to liturgical seasons (e.g., Advent for reflection/giving, Lent for fasting/service, Easter for evangelization).
- Define your communication channels: Identify which platforms (e.g., Flocknote, website, social media, pulpit announcements) you will use for specific messages. Ensure each channel has a distinct purpose: use social media for engagement, email for direct connection, and the pulpit for spiritual calls to action.
- Draft your seasonal narrative: Instead of just sending announcements, tell a story. Develop thematic messaging for each major season that weaves together parish events, homily themes, and calls to stewardship.Take time with your staff to prayerfully discern, identify, and define these themes.
- Integrate stewardship into the seasons: Transition your approach to fundraising by linking it to the liturgical moment. Frame your Advent Appeal as a response to the Incarnation, or your Easter outreach as a celebration of the Resurrection. Connect financial support to the spiritual life of the parish, not just a hollow obligation.
- Test your digital “offertory”: Ensure that no matter the season, your digital giving tools (QR codes in pews, text-to-give keywords) are easily accessible. When visitors come during high-traffic seasons like Christmas or Easter, ensure their first experience with your parish giving is seamless and reflects the welcoming nature of your community.
*Summer is also not a bad time to remind your parishioners to set up their recurring giving! As many take time off and travel throughout the summer months, you won’t see every parishioner in the pews on Sundays. Make sure they know how to continue to give week to week through online recurring giving, before they take off on vacation!
Phase 4: Review your new parishioner engagement journey
Objective: Ensure your digital front door is welcoming and functional.
- Conduct a website audit: Navigate your site as a first-time visitor. Verify that Mass and Confession times, Holy Day schedules, and giving pages are accurate.
- Test mobile functionality: Access your site from a phone to ensure it is clean and intuitive for on-the-go users.
- Refresh automated communication: Review automated emails, such as contribution receipts and parish welcome notes, to ensure contact information and links are current.
- Refresh your social media channels: Make sure your parish’s Facebook and Instagram (and any other social platforms) are current and help users easily find information about your community. Summer is also a great time to consider updating any core media (profile pictures, cover photos, about sections, etc.) to keep things fresh for the year ahead.
A Note on Stewardship
Viewing this planning time as an extension of your ministry helps prevent the “Advent rush.” Taking time to work through these tasks during the summer is an act of faithfulness in your stewardship of the parish’s resources. Not only will this leave you better prepared for the admin work ahead, it will free you and your team up to focus on the spiritual needs of your community come September.
