OFM Fundraising Partners Meeting

  On May 5-6, 2017, the OFM Fundraising Partners Meeting was held at the General Curia of Rome. The following partners participated in the convention: Missionszentrale der Franziskaner, Bonn- Germany (MZF); General Curia OFM, Roma, Italy (CG-OFM); General Secretariat for the Franciscan Missions, Waterford-USA (GSFM). Because this was an inaugural meeting which gathered different institutions and individual friars involved either in fundraising or in providing direct assistance for specific needs and projects of the Order, the program emphasized information sharing rather than specific goals. The aim was to learn from each another about where and how we might strengthen our focus, improve our systems and methods (regarding preparation, implementation, and reporting) and create a strong network of information sharing and coordination. The Partners involved were given time to speak about topics such as vision, specific methods and criteria, and tools - including the data base (PPT). There were opportunities for the Curia’s Fundraising Office, MZF, and the General Secretariat for Franciscan Missions (Waterford) to meet and focus on specific areas (e.g. information exchange through a shared computer system; details of what types of funding or types of projects are of greater interest to the partners; and other specifics about the ‘life-cycle’ of projects from start to finish. We hope the outcomes of this first gathering of fundraisers and those providing direct support for projects of the Order might include: (1) having learned from each another about the scope of the work of individuals and agencies; (2) having shared tools and methods to promote greater high-level coordination (e.g. a shared computer program for the coordination of project applications and documentation related to implementation/reporting on projects); (3) the promotion of a sense of greater responsibility and transparency at grass-root level; and (4) the promotion of collaboration and communion between all those involved in either fundraising or project support.