Good Steward Newsletter – February 2012

Revitalizing Catholic Schools Next week (February 8-10), O’Meara, Ferguson, Whelan, and Conway, Inc. will host a symposium in San Antonio, Texas, on the topic, “Determining Actionable Solutions for Catholic Education.” At the O’Meara Ferguson symposium, participants will discuss how integrating finance, development, planning, and operations can help revitalize Catholic schools. The phrase “actionable solutions” reflects [...]

Revitalizing Catholic Schools

Revitalizing Catholic Schools – an O’Meara Ferguson Whitepaper – January 4, 2012 There are many reasons given for the increasing financial challenges facing our Catholic Schools, but few, if any, solutions are provided to give hope. Often, the idea of a healthy, vibrant Catholic school system is considered something of the past. Likewise, most plans [...]

(podcast) Hope for our Catholic Schools (Part IV): An Innovative Approach to Capital Funding

In Part III of our Hope for Our Catholic Schools series, O’Meara Ferguson President and Founder Patrick O’Meara discussed four models of capital funding for Catholic schools. In Part IV of the series, Patrick offers an example of how an appreciation of capital models made all the difference in the world for one Catholic school [...]

(podcast) Hope for our Catholic Schools (Part III): Capital Models

Catholic Education is one of the Church’s primary responses to Christ’s mandate to “Go unto all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” Sadly, across the country, Catholic schools are closing or are on the [...]

Catholic Schools Fail Because They’re Not Full

Tertium Quid – Vol. 2, Issue 5 – By Frank Ferguson – June 6, 2011 (printable version) Seems simple enough, fill the schools and they will be financially stable. All references to long dead fictional British detectives, notwithstanding. The problem for many Catholic schools that are struggling financially is that they simply do not have [...]

Good Steward Newsletter – February 2011

Mission Advancement is a Critical Element for Success in Catholic Schools Development (or mission advancement) refers to a program of planned or systematic growth. Whether we are talking about human development, spiritual development or resource development, we have in mind processes that signify movement, growth or advancement from a certain point in time and space [...]

Catholic Schools Must Increase Enrollment and Revenue to Fulfill the Mission

Tertium Quid – Vol. 2, Issue 1 – By James T. McGibbon – January 25, 2011 (printable version) “Offense is the Best Defense” Against Further Declines Over the past 45 years, Catholic schools in the U.S. have been beset by a steady decline in enrollment—from more than 5.2 million students in the early 1960’s to [...]

Good Steward Newsletter – January 2011

Weathering the Storm and Building an Ark for Catholic Schools This year Catholic Schools’ Week is celebrated January 31st to February 4th. Because of the important stewardship responsibility we have to strengthen and advance the mission of Catholic schools, the January and February issues of this newsletter will be devoted to reflections on advancing the [...]

Catholic Education: Living Off the Legacy

Tertium Quid – Vol. 1, Issue 1 – By Frank Ferguson – March 16, 2010 (printable version) At its June 2005 meeting, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved the document Renewing Our Commitment to Catholic Elementary and Secondary Schools in the Third Millennium. This document is addressed to all bishops, priests, deacons, [...]

(podcast) Hope For Our Catholic Schools (Part II): Operational Models

In the second part of our series on Catholic School Financing, O’Meara Ferguson president and founder Patrick O’Meara discusses the spectrum of operational models used in Catholic education. Following the spectrum illustrated below, O’Meara details the structure, benefits and challenges of four operational models: The cost-based model The annual fund model The philanthropic (donation-driven) model [...]

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