ATLANTA—Building renovations, faith formation and supporting local ministries are just a few of the initiatives for this year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign.

#iGiveCatholic is an online giving day that brings the Catholic community together from many dioceses to financially support parishes, schools and ministries. Coordinated locally by the Catholic Foundation of North Georgia, “#iGiveCatholic presents an opportunity for Catholics to donate and support the organizations they are most passionate about.”

The annual campaign is Tuesday, Nov. 30, also known as Giving Tuesday. Advanced giving begins Nov. 15 and continues through Giving Tuesday. Parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries must apply by Nov. 3 to participate in #iGiveCatholic this year. 

Renovating the building that has served students for 36 years is the #iGiveCatholic fundraising initiative for the Catholic Center at Georgia Tech. This includes work on the kitchen and basement floors. This year, the center’s goal is to raise $25,000 with the support of 150 donors. 

“It’s our goal to continue to create a beautiful environment that fosters community and one that is fit for the presence of the Lord,” as explained on the center’s donation page. 

By the numbers

In 2020, the #iGiveCatholic campaign raised more than $12.7 million for more than 2,600 participating parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries across the United States. At the end of Giving Day, online and offline contributions totaled more than 48,000 gifts from 50 states and 12 countries.

More than 4,500 donors in the Archdiocese of Atlanta raised more than $970,000 in last year’s campaign. Those donations supported 90 Catholic organizations. 

The Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception plans to continue tech upgrades for this year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign. Last year, donors supported an upgrade to the parish’s sound system. This year, the downtown Atlanta parish wants to “update and enhance our ability to live stream all services to the internet.” The parish calls this service “Broadcasting Christ’s Gospel.

“The use of a multi-camera system will make our service more captivating for our audience of homebound parishioners and hopefully increase the size of our ministries,” as explained on the parish’s donor page. 

According to the website for the fundraising campaign, “The goal of the #iGiveCatholic Giving Day is to rally our Catholic community in support of the organizations that shape our souls—our parishes, schools and nonprofit ministries.”

The Mercy Care Atlanta Street Medicine team provides medical support to homeless people where they live. This includes distributing masks, hand sanitizers and educating on cleanliness. 

According to Atlanta Mission, Atlanta is home to more than a third of Georgia’s homeless population of nearly 10,000. Many have become homeless this year due to effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Donations to this year’s #iGiveCatholic campaign will help the Atlanta health center continue to serve those in need living on the margins. Mercy Care believes that everyone deserves exceptional medical care regardless of insurance or income status.

“I wish people knew that our patients are not so different from us, and they want the same things out of life that we do,” said Joy Fernandez De Nayan, program director for the Mercy Care Atlanta Street Medicine team. “It’s not us versus them; we are literally all in this together.”