In late June, the first International Fundraising Conference of the Order of Friars Minor was held at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona (USA).
The meeting, a brainchild of Br. Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General of the OFM, was sponsored by the Order’s three partner fundraising organizations: General Secretariat of Franciscan Missions, led by Br. Andrew Brophy, OFM, U.S.A.; Franziskaner-Helfen, led by Br. Matthias Maier, OFM, Germany; and Fondazione OFM Fraternitas, led by Br. Franco Mirri, OFM, Italy; the three partners asked the Development office of the Province of Our Lady Of Guadalupe (USA) to organize the event, and Br. David Convertino, OFM and Mr. Peter Mazzei began the conference planning process last year.
The conference, an immersive experience for learning, collaborating, and building networks to promote the mission of solidarity and compassion, was attended by OFM fundraisers dedicated to supporting Franciscan projects.
Br. David Convertino, OFM, Executive Director of Franciscan Friars Charities, opened the weeklong conference with three compelling questions: “Will you be bold this week? Will you open your heart to new ideas? Will you leave this conference ready to change lives? Because somewhere in the world, a child is waiting. A friar is waiting. A mission is waiting. And we are the ones who will make the difference.”
The conference’s first presenter, Br. Bill Short, OFM, kicked things off by talking about how the origins and spirituality of Franciscan fundraising make it unique - how the world’s first Franciscan fundraiser, St. Francis of Assisi, who begged for stones to repair the Church of San Damiano, relied on the Lord's generosity shown through the hospitality and alms offered by others. Br. Bill left attendees with a compelling thought: “We are not called to repeat the gestures of Francis and his early followers. To do so would require us to pretend to live in the Middle Ages. We are asked to do something more difficult: to express through concrete examples in our own day the same kind of loving care toward others that inspired Francis. We look to the same source that inspired him in the 13th century, the Gospel of Christ, but our way of expressing it in our actions will be very different in our 21st century society.”
The conference then explored 21st century ideas and methods by which the Order can effectively express its loving care and raise funds for those in need. Leading the exploration was speaker Dr. Michele Dunne, Ph.D., a secular Franciscan who served for nearly 20 years in the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Dunne spoke about being a Franciscan in the world today and laid out a broad challenge to conference attendees: Can fundraisers enrich their efforts and improve their outcomes by undoing old certainties or ways of thinking? The old certainties Dr. Dunne spoke of included: the Earth will always recover from human consumption, people will mostly remain within national borders, post-World War II political and economic arrangements will endure, warfare will become less brutal, and technology will serve humanity reliably.
After some very interesting workshop discussions, old certainties gave way to thoughts on the new technologies that comprise Artificial Intelligence (AI). Mr. Cameron Bennett of HIVE Group, NYC, gave attendees a fundamental understanding of AI, how it works, and how it connects to fundraising tools and missions by analyzing large volumes of data and donor behavior. Mr. Bennett also discussed the future of AI and its potential to automate entire fundraising processes, including following up with donors and tracking their responses.
Attendees still discussing fundraising automation received a welcome dose of authenticity from Mr. Peter Mazzei, CMO of the Development Office of POLG. Mr. Mazzei shared ways Franciscan fundraisers can enhance their online presence, including creating impactful websites that feature authentic ministry photos and testimonials, and utilizing social media to tell visual stories that engage followers and foster a sense of community.
Next came the conference’s featured address by Br. Massimo Fusarelli titled, “Our Cloister is the World.” Br. Massimo championed Franciscan fraternity as the best and only way to navigate an evolving and challenging fundraising landscape - that raising funds isn’t just about collecting money to care for the poor; it’s an act of fraternity that engages the world from as many local ministries as possible. “Let us continue, then, to develop a renewed creative fidelity, capable of responding to the challenges of our time with the same spirit as St. Francis of Assisi. Let us remain open to the universal, attentive to the peripheries, bold in our proclamation and denunciation, rooted in spirituality and projected towards an encounter with all. Let us go beyond the horizon of our habits, to grasp the signs of the Spirit calling us to new forms of presence”, said the Minister General.
“We wanted to have some concrete realizations of the things that need to be done,” shared Br. David. “So, I led them through a process that brought recommendations forward that will be given to Br. Massimo and the General Definitorium of the Order, as well as to the three partners. Those recommendations are being prepared, and we’ll see what the future will bring for more of these types of gatherings. Our hope is that the Order considers fundraising conferences for Franciscans in other parts of the world, which is important because the way we fundraise in the United States differs from the way we fundraise in Africa or Europe. You can’t just take a U.S. model and presume that's going to work everywhere.”
Read the address by the Minister General
By Bryan Reilly, Content Manager
Photo by Br Octavio Duran
