From staff reports
People living in the 13 counties of northwest Pennsylvania who plan to participate in Giving Tuesday on Dec. 3 will have a fresh option this year.
Donors can visit erie.igivecatholic.org to support their favorite Catholic parish, school or ministry through the new #iGiveCatholic initiative.
The Catholic Foundation of Northwest Pennsylvania, which is coordinating the effort, also is offering $10,000 in prizes throughout the day to incentivize and benefit the organizations, according to a press release from the Erie Diocese.
“#iGiveCatholic is the first-ever online giving day that rallies our Catholic community,” Bishop Lawrence Persico wrote in a letter to pastors expressing his support for this effort to unite the Catholic community throughout northwest Pennsylvania.
There are 173 Catholic parishes, schools and ministries spread across the diocese able to receive donations on the new giving day website.
“This is a unique initiative because all of the money is raised locally and all of the money will stay local,” said Lisa Louis, executive director of the foundation. “We are just facilitating participation.”
The Catholic Foundation will award $10,000 in a series of financial incentives throughout the day. Among the prizes are a $500 award to a randomly selected ministry that has received donations from at least 10 different donors by 10 a.m., and a $1,000 bonus for the organization that receives the largest single donation of the day.