How One Parish Solved Their Money Shortage in Two Days

When St. Vincent’s Parish and school in Denver, Colorado had to temporarily close their doors due to COVID-19, there was a significant loss in tithing and the church was struggling to make ends meet. The parish Director of Religious Education Laurel Eyer, said the parish was “…just beginning a transition to life with a new pastor  when COVID-19 struck,” threatening layoffs, among additional hardships.

So what did they do? They got creative in how they asked their parishioners for help. Using Flocknote, pastor Fr. Hilton sent a very honest and transparent email to the parish community.

Instead of spending several days (not to mention hundreds of dollars on stamps and supplies) printing out hundreds of letters, stuffing them into envelopes, mailing them out, and waiting a week for any sort of reply, the parish was able to type a quick email, which included a video message from the pastor and a link to their donation site. This resulted in an incredible and rapid response from their community. 

“Waiting for a week for any sort of response would’ve surely been tense and anxiety-ridden for the staff whose jobs were on the line. Instead, we received a near-immediate response and were able to become a spiritual support for our parishioners during the following days, instead of spending our time worrying about finances.”

Within just two days, the parish received the necessary funds to make payroll and secure staff employment. 

“As simple as it sounds, surviving the pandemic would not have been feasible for our parish without being able to appeal immediately and directly to our parishioners for financial assistance. Flocknote became the tool that turned the crisis situation into a moment of great generosity and success for our community. We are immensely grateful for the support made possible by Flocknote during this unprecedented time.”