AAA (Annual Appeal)

AAA (Archdiocesan Annual Appeal) 2018

St. Matthias will kick off the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal for 2018 in February. Here is the letter that will be mailed to all parishioners:

Each year at this time, Archbishop Cordileone asks us to join his efforts to provide programs and ministries to the people of the Archdiocese of San Francisco through our participation in the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal (AAA). We are called by God to be good stewards of all that God has given us, and this Appeal is an excellent way to respond to that call.

The theme for this year’s Appeal is “By One Spirit We are All Baptized into One Body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). The money raised through this annual assessment assists funding of teaching, spreading, celebrating and witnessing the faithful work which is conducted by the people and supported by the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

Our parish assessment this year is $67,319. Any money raised in excess of this amount will be returned to the parish and used for our own needs. Last year you helped make the Appeal a success; we raised and exceeded our assessment in the final months of 2017 by about $3,000! We hope this year we can do the same.

On the weekend of February 10-11, you will be given an opportunity during Masses to make your commitment of support. During the homily this weekend, Deacon Rich will proclaim the Gospel message: God heals all who seek His forgiveness. While seeking and receiving God’s forgiveness as we enter the Lenten season, Deacon Rich will remind us of the importance of sharing God’s love with others, especially those in need, and to be stewards of His Church through prayer, ministry and financial support, of St. Matthias Parish and our Archdiocese.

We hope that you will be able to join us that weekend, but if you are not able, there are several other ways that you can make your donation. Your pledge envelopes can be returned to the parish office, placed in the collection basket, or mailed directly to the Archdiocese in the envelope provided in the pledge brochure. (If you choose to mail directly to the Archdiocese, please write “St. Matthias Church” in the memo field on your check to ensure that St. Matthias gets credit for your donation.) As per information in the brochure, credit card or ACH donations are graciously accepted. Donations will be acknowledged by both the Archdiocesan Development Office and our parish office. If you would like to give anonymously, you are welcome to do so, but please send your pledge envelope to the parish office for processing.

Enclosed is a brochure that gives more information about this important Appeal and the ministries and programs that it funds. God bless you for your stewardship and for your support of the efforts of our parish to share our abundance with those in need.

In addition to the Archdiocesan Annual Appeal, we wanted to take this opportunity to share our annual Financial Report with our parishioners. Enclosed, you will find the report; one side for the Church, the other for the Preschool. Both reports feature data for the three previous fiscal years for comparison. The last fiscal year, July 1, 2016-June 30, 2017 is our focus for this report. Following are some notes about each.

For St. Matthias Church:

Nearly 90% of parish income comes from your Sunday offerings, Christmas and Easter collections and other Holy Days. Donations were up compared to the previous fiscal year. We need to exceed this level of generosity each year in order to balance our budget.
The Other Operating and Non-Operating Income category included donations made to the Building Fund that were released from restriction and used for resurfacing of the Church and Rectory parking lots and the sewer repairs to the Rectory and Preschool made last fiscal year. Those expenses are reported in Property Costs & Utilities.
About 65% of our annual expenses are related to Personnel Salaries, Taxes and Benefits.

For this fiscal year (2017-2018) collections could be stronger. We would like to encourage more households to consider using electronic donations as this provides greater stability and less income fluctuation. (email lisa@stmatthiasparish.org to find out more). Our major fundraiser, the Kids’ Carnival & Oktoberfest raised about $12,500 for the parish community. This is about $3,300 more than our 2016 event.

For St. Matthias Preschool:

A full 98% of the preschool income comes from Tuition & Registration Fees. Last fiscal year began with lower than expected enrollment in both the summer and fall. Staffing levels were not adjusted for that reality until later in the year.
Mid-year, significant cuts were made in nearly every expense category to limit the deficit.
About 88.5% of the annual expenses are related to Personnel Salaries, Taxes and Benefits.

For this fiscal year (2017-2018) enrollment exceeded our expectations, staffing levels are realistic and tuition was increased to a level that would adequately support our fiscal needs. The majority of families are taking advantage the benefit of paying their child’s tuition electronically. We are expecting to end this fiscal year with an income surplus.

Questions about these reports can be directed to Sabrina Harper, Deacon Rich Foley, or any member of the parish Finance Council: Roger Flores (chair), Justin Gibson, Brian Ponty, Lynda Brouchoud, Charles Gillet, or Dave Rusconi.

For more information about the AAA, please visit https://sfarchdiocese.org/home/stewardship/archdiocesan-annual-appeal/donate-to-the-appeal. On this site, you may view a video about the work that is accomplished through your donations. You can also make online donations.

Thank you for your support.