Online day of giving Jan. 30 to benefit Catholic schools

“Many Gifts, One Nation” is an online, 24-hour giving campaign for individuals to donate to local Catholic schools.

The campaign begins at 8 a.m. Jan. 30 and runs through 8 a.m. Jan. 31. Organized through the National Catholic Educational Association, the entire gift — 100 percent — will go to the school or schools chosen.

Linda Kaiser, director of Catholic Education Ministries, has set up the online page for the St. Cloud Diocese.

“Our goal is $31,000, with $1,000 for each school in the diocese. Anyone can contribute to the diocesan page, and all of what we receive will be shared with all of our schools,” she said. “In addition, each school can set up their own page.”

The website pages won’t become public and searchable until after Jan. 17. Kaiser will post the URL of that page on the CEM website — cem.stcdio.org/catholic-schools — as soon as it is available.

“Graduates may have lost touch with the school or schools they attended. But by funding this online giving day, they can donate to local Catholic schools so others can attend,” Kaiser said.

“My dream is that people will understand that importance of our Catholic education, the value of Catholic schools in our lives, and continue that rich legacy,” she said.

According to the NCEA website, donors to the “Many Gifts, One Nation” campaign will be able to search for the institutions they would like to contribute to and can give to as many schools and dioceses as they like.

The gift will go only to the schools a donor has selected and donor information will not be shared with any other school or organization. MasterCard, Visa and Discover are the accepted forms of payment. A receipt will be sent directly to a donor’s email once the gift has been made.

“We only have 24 hours to meet our goal,” Kaiser said. “We’re planning a social media blitz with Facebook and Twitter with fun challenges for people to call out their class and school to donate more.”

The campaign occurs during Catholic Schools Week, Jan. 28 to Feb. 3.

Author: Nikki Rajala

Nikki Rajala is a writer/copy editor for The Central Minnesota Catholic Magazine.

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