"Difficult Decisions" Loom As Catholic Charities Misses Fundraising Goal

By Jay Tokasz
Buffalo News
July 8, 2020

https://buffalonews.com/news/difficult-decisions-loom-as-catholic-charities-misses-fundraising-goal/article_a904ff90-c155-11ea-98bf-2b8c5f88010f.html

Deacon Steve Schumer, the CEO of Catholic Charities of Buffalo, announces in January 2020 that its 2020 appeal's goal is raising $10 million.

When Catholic Charities of Buffalo officials announced in January they would seek to raise $10 million in the 2020 appeal, the big question was how much an anticipated Buffalo Diocese bankruptcy filing might hurt the human services agency’s fundraising.

But the agency faced an even bigger obstacle than the diocese's February bankruptcy filing when the global coronavirus pandemic shut down parish life and Masses in 161 Catholic churches across Western New York for three months during the heart of the appeal effort.

Despite the pandemic, Catholic Charities ended up raising $8.4 million through the appeal, which ended June 30. It was $1.6 million short of the goal, but Deacon Steve Schumer, president and chief executive officer of the nonprofit, said he was very happy with the results, especially under the extraordinary circumstances of the past few months.

“To get to $8.4 million, 84% of the goal, given everything going on in the world. This is great,” he said.