COVID Considerations for the CMA

Each fall we wrap up the previous year’s CMA and begin our work for the next year. This is most tangible for donors in a couple of events. First, our CMA Partner Thank You Event, held in the Fall, wraps up the previous year’s CMA in gratitude to our most loyal and gracious donors. We then do an early launch of the next year’s appeal with a series of Partner Dinners in late October and November. However, due to the pandemic we needed to shift these events to a virtual platform. We opted for our Thank You event to become a small formation event for our donors with John Leyendecker from School of Faith presenting a session on Our Lady of Fatima. The School of Faith ministry is subsidized in part by funds raised through the annual appeal so it had a good connection in that way as well.

For our Partner Dinners, we shifted to Virtual Kick-Off events with the Archbishop. In these events we still premiered our CMA Promo Video (see following section), heard from the Archbishop, and also interviewed representatives from several of the ministries supported by the CMA. Donors got to ask questions of both the Archbishop and the ministry representatives while hearing about the impact their support made in the previous year especially in the midst of the pandemic. The pieces that follow immediately below were the invitations sent to the donor segments that were targeted for these events.

Department of Stewardship 513.263.3345

Dear <<Letter Greeting>>,

Thank you for contributing to this year’s Catholic Ministries Appeal (CMA) here in the Archdiocese. Your support as a CMA Partner is making a significant difference for the CMA ministries that continue to serve and meet the needs facing our local communities, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. We sincerely thank you!

Given the continued concern surrounding the spread of Covid-19, we have decided to cancel the in-person CMA events that normally take place each Fall. We are saddened that these gatherings won’t be held, but feel it is the right decision as everyone’s health and safety is of paramount importance to us.

In place of in-person events, we are planning to hold a few CMA virtual gatherings online over the next few months. Dates and times are listed below:

CMA Partners: Virtual Thank You Event

• Tuesday, October 13 @ 7:30 p.m.

Virtual Kick-Off for the 2021 CMA (2 options)

• Thursday, November 12 @ 7:30 p.m. -OR• Monday, November 23 @ 7:30 p.m.

More details about these virtual events, including how to register, can be found on the reverse side of this letter. These virtual gatherings will be held as Zoom Webinars. We hope you will tune in and take part!

Thank you again for your continued support of the CMA! Please know that you remain in our thoughts and prayer.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

David Kissell Chief Development Officer dkissell@catholicaoc.org Matt Reinkemeyer Director of Development Operations mreinkemeyer@catholicaoc.org

100 East Eighth Street | Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 | www.aocstewardship.org

CMA Partners: Virtual Thank You Event

Special Presentation: Our Lady of Fatima & the Miracle of the Sun

Tuesday, October 13, 2020 • 7:30 p.m.

In recognition of your generosity, please join us for a special thank you event featuring guest speaker, John Leyendecker. John is the Director of Mission for the Holy Family School of Faith.

John will present on Our Lady of Fatima & the Miracle of the Sun as we commemorate this Marian apparition and miracle on this same day.

The School of Faith initiative, with the support of CMA funding through the New Evangelization efforts of the Archdiocese, invites our Catholic school faculty to become missionary disciples by immersing them in the teachings of Jesus, virtue and prayer using one-on-one discipleship, small group evangelization and large group formation.

Tune in for this special event! Registration is required.

Register online at: aocstewardship.org/virtual

Virtual Kick-Off for the 2021 CMA

Thursday, November 12, 2020 • 7:30 p.m. - OR Monday, November 23, 2020 • 7:30 p.m.

To introduce the 2021 CMA and show how your generosity has greatly assisted the work of the ministries supported through the appeal, two virtual kick-off events will take place in November. Both events will feature presentations from our CMA ministries, the debut of the new CMA video, and a message from Archbishop Schnurr.

Tune-in for one or both events as we look towards a great CMA campaign in 2021!

Register online at: aocstewardship.org/virtual

Most Reverend Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr

For more information or questions, contact Matt Reinkemeyer at (513) 263-6672 or mreinkemeyer@catholicaoc.org