Archdiocese of Newark hopes new on-line giving system will increase stewardship

Newark, N.J., Aug 29, 2005 / 22:00 pm

The Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey has announced that it will begin using an on-line giving system called ParishPay, in hopes that the new program will increase the amount and ease of stewardship--giving one’s gifts back to God--among the faithful.

David Osborne, Director of Stewardship and Planned Giving for the one million, three hundred-member Archdiocese, said that “Before approving ParishPay, we spoke to several other Archdioceses, each of which highly recommended the company."

"Like in many areas of their daily lives,” he said, “many Catholics find automated giving more efficient and convenient than the weekly collection, and that is the way of the future. We also believe that ParishPay could help to substantially increase annual giving while stabilizing seasonal cash flows, which usually fluctuate from parishioner vacations, illness and travel -all very good news for our pastors and business managers."

While the Archdiocese is excited about features which ease the giving process, like automated receipts and annual tax statements, they are particularly hopeful that the on-line program will encourage Newark’s mission of stewardship to God and the Church.

Osborne said that, "We pray that more parishioners will embrace stewardship, the Christian way of responding to God with our resources."

"The ParishPay system and methods”, he said, “encourage people to reflect prayerfully upon what has been given to them by God and what they wish to give in return. Those who choose to give through ParishPay will make qualitative, longer-term decisions about what they want to give within the context of stewardship."

Tim Dockery, who is president of ParishPay LLC, and former Executive Director of Development in the Archdiocese of Chicago, said that the idea of stewardship is deeply rooted in ParishPay’s company mission.

"Catholics”, he said, “must think carefully about how much money they want deducted automatically. We call this ‘reflective’ rather than ‘reflexive’ giving. It is one reason why ParishPay is being welcomed in dioceses across the country and why we are elated to perform our mission of increasing gifts at their churches.”

ParishPay was founded in 2001 to, as they say, “empower each parish in America to accept gifts in the same way as their secular counterparts have - with better support, technology, marketing tools, and infrastructure.”