Buffalo Catholic Charities Receives Fewest Donations Since 1994

“In light of everything that’s happening in the Church and in the economy of Western New York, I still consider this to be an extraordinary accomplishment,” said Deacon Steven Schumer, president and CEO of Catholic Charities, announcing that $8,002,705 had been raised. “It’s really good news that over 20,000 people opened their hearts to donate. I try to focus on the positive.”

In January, Catholic Charities set a goal of raising $9.5 million this year to support more than 50 programs, including behavioral health services, basic emergency assistance, food banks, education and job training programs, family safety and stabilization programs, and immigration and refugee assistance.

Schumer said the goal is focused on community needs, not so much on what the appeal organizers think they can achieve. The agency will have to find ways to handle the smaller-than-expected donations, but no layoffs or drastic program cuts are planned, he said.

The last time Catholic Charities of Buffalo failed to raise at least $8 million in a fundraising appeal was in 1994, according to a review of past articles in The Buffalo News. The fundraising appeal raised $7.9 million that year, reaching its goal.

Much has changed in 30 years, including a dramatic decline in the Catholic population in Western New York. Catholic parishioners give 82 percent of requested funds, but they are far fewer in number, with up to 3,000 donors lost each year.

“A lot of people are dying, getting sick, moving away, even drifting away from the church. That’s the attrition rate and it’s concerning,” Schumer said.

There are currently about 20,000 donors, a number that was closer to 50,000 a decade or two ago, he said.

Although Catholic Charities is a separate nonprofit corporation, it is closely tied to the Diocese of Buffalo as its primary social services arm. A portion of the funds raised through the appeal go to the diocese’s Faith Fund, which funds diocesan programs such as hospital chaplaincy and training for ordained and lay ministers.

Recent appeals have faced the added challenge of trying to attract new donors amid a clergy sex abuse scandal in the diocese, hundreds of lawsuits involving the church and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Earlier this year, diocesan officials recommended closing more than 75 churches and houses of worship, further angering and disappointing many Catholics.

But Schumer said he has had discussions with leaders of other long-established local agencies that have also struggled to raise money this year, particularly when it comes to reaching younger potential donors.

“I don’t think it’s just the Catholic faith that’s struggling. I think philanthropy is struggling right now. There’s a shift in the demographics of giving, and the perception of giving for a millennial versus Gen Z or Gen X,” he said.