2030 Strategic Plan | The Catholic Foundation of Southern MN

October 2026 Strategic Plan Update

Since we launched our strategic plan work, we've seen some great progress so we wanted to share that with everyone here.

Measuring Success:

Metrics have been defined and benchmarking is progress in order for us to measure the success of the strategic plan programs. Reporting periods will be 2026 as our benchmark year compared with 2030 as a completion year. Our metrics will include KPIs on three categories:

• Long Term Financial Stability of Catholic Institutions: 
  • Total dollars held by Catholic parishes inflation adjusted - 2
  • Total & percentage of dollars held in low-interest bearing accounts
  • Total dollars in liquid accounts
  • Ratio of liquid dollars : annual expenditures
  • Total agency funds held with the Catholic Foundation
  • Self-reported use of risk/time horizon decision making approach for investing parish dollars
• Catholic Identity, Evangelism & Formation:
  • Percentage of schools with applicants for annual Seeds of Faith - Tuition Assistance Grant
  • Percentage of parishes applying annually for Seeds of Faith - Faith Formation Grant
• Vocations, Economic Strain & Pastoral Care:
  • These three are our tier two priorities that we hope to impact in the next Strategic Plan cycle, so our measurement of success will be completing steps towards supporting these priorities in the future.
  • Foundation develops and executes our own investing strategy for operating & reserve funds
  • Foundation determines a corpus target for a new owned granting fund and establish the fund
  • Foundation brands and promotes the new owned granting fund

Empowering Catholic Organizations to Build Long-Term Financial Sustainability

We began working on these priorities last winter even while the Board was discerning how to prioritize and fully implement them. Here's what we've accomplished so far.

• Four seminars held in March and May 2026 to educate and empower finance councils and clergy. Topics Catholic investing and philanthropy. Learn more about the seminars here. 
• Three planned giving seminars held/scheduled in 2026 including in Chatfield, Rochester and La Cresent MN. 
• We helped to plan and presented at a Clergy Formation Day in September. We first surveyed clergy on what support they would like in parish administration and finance. Then partnered with the Diocese of Winona-Rochester to create curriculum in Finances, HR and Long-Term Stewardship to address the biggest challenges clergy deal with in their parishes.
• We've launched a 30+ page print toolkit for creating and growing Parish Endowments. Supporting it includes dozens of additional how-tos, worksheets and templates to turn idea into action! See the full toolkit here.
• We've continued to publish articles monthly on our blog that provide the latest trends and advice for parishes, schools and cemeteries to learn from and enhance their own internal capacity for long-term stewardship. Visit our blog to see the latest, including Time Horizon Based Investing, How to Ask for an Estate Gift, and Giving USA Annual Report's latest research on Bequests and Donor Advised Funds.

What's Next?

Since we kicked off the 2030 plan (more details below), we've also been spending time in deeper discovery around our priorities, gathering more information about the best ways we can serve the people of our diocese. It's not enough to say we want to support formation and Catholic identity, for instance. We must know what existing organizations are already doing and how exactly they could use our support. In building partnerships and collaborations with the current infrastructure that is in place in our diocese we will be able to most efficiently and effectively advance the Mission of the Church. A few ideas that we have been ruminating on include:

• A Stewardship Summit or Conference that brings together mission advancement leaders in our diocese for learning and collaboration
• Expanding Catholic School Tuition Supports
• Building endowments for key priorities such as seminarian education or Works of Mercy
• Enhancing stewardship formation diocese wide through clergy empowerment and/or parish-wide learning

What do you think would be the most beneficial programs to implement in our diocese? Please reach out to let us know! We also welcome your continued prayers over our discernment of programs and the overall success of this 2030 Strategic Plan Period.

 

---

ORIGINAL OVERVIEW OF THE 2030 STRATEGIC PLAN

Kicking Off Our Strategic Plan: Building a Stronger Catholic Future, Together

In fiscal year 2026, our Board completed a strategic planning process grounded in a diocesan wide listening exercise. We met with 45 individuals and 17 groups: pastors, parish leaders, donors, school principals, and Catholic organizations across Southern Minnesota. Our goal was simple: to understand how we can better serve Catholics in our diocese and identify the most effective ways to create positive impact.

At our March 4, 2026 Board meeting, we gathered all of that input and asked a central question: What does our Catholic community need most right now, and how can the Foundation serve those needs faithfully and effectively?

Taken from what we heard, the answers became clear, honest, and hopeful. They point to a future where our parishes are stronger, our Catholic identity is clearer, and our Foundation plays a vital role in supporting the mission of the Church.

Five themes emerged as priorities within our diocese today. We will take these on as our focus for the fiscal year beginning in July 2026 through June 2030. They include:

• Long term financial stability of our Catholic institutions
• Catholic identity, formation, and evangelization
• Priestly vocations
• Economic strain on families and workers
• Mental health, social isolation, and pastoral care

 

 

If you’d like to learn more about how we’ll bring these ideas to life, read on.

Our Top Two Priorities: Where We Can Make Impact Now

Financial Fragility Is Our Most Urgent and Actionable Challenge

Across the diocese, many parishes are struggling with financial instability. This is not a surprise to anyone who has served on a finance council or looked closely at parish budgets. We heard repeatedly that:

• Parishes lack reserves, endowments, and long‑term planning
• Priests and finance councils need more education and practical tools
• Donors want clarity, transparency, and confidence
• Endowments and planned giving are “low‑hanging fruit” that can make a major difference in the next 5-10 years.

This is the area where the Foundation can make the biggest impact quickly because of the financial expertise and years of service we have within the diocese. Our Board sees this as a top priority for the next several years.

What this means for the future: We will focus on building parish financial strength through an endowment toolkit, planned giving seminars, priest empowerment trainings, and a Philanthropic Summit that brings together Catholic organizations to collaborate rather than compete.

Catholic Identity, Formation, and Evangelization Remain Central

Our Catholic identity is not an optional add‑on; it is the heart of our mission. Board members affirmed that:

• Bishop Barron’s synod priorities align strongly with our work
• Seeds of Faith and other Foundation endowments are serving the community well
• Donors and grant applicants would benefit from clearer communication about process and the impact of these grants on Catholic formation and evangelization

The Foundation’s role here is not to run programs, but to fund, strengthen, and amplify the ministries that already exist.

What this means for the future: We will continue to support Seeds of Faith grants, improve communication about existing opportunities, and explore new ways to help families live their Catholic faith with confidence.

How We’re Working

The Foundation Will Not Try to “Do Everything”

One of the most important insights from the Board is that the Foundation must stay focused. We are not positioned to run counseling centers, food shelves or vocations offices. But we can:

• Fund the work of other organizations
• Convene stewardship, financial and development leaders
• Build local parish capacity in finance, stewardship and philanthropy
• Provide education, clarity, and practical tools

This clarity helps us stay aligned with our strengths.

The Foundation Will Step Up in Community Leadership

Many Catholic organizations across southern Minnesota are doing excellent work, but they often operate in silos. The Board sees a major opportunity for the Foundation to:

• Bring together donors with the missions they’re passionate about
• Strengthen collaboration across the diocese with parishes, schools, cemeteries and other Catholic organizations like KCs, CCWs, Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Pauls, Newman Centers, and more
• Reduce anxiety around finances, technology, AI, and rapid change

Being a true Catholic cannot be about being territorial about a donor or a strategy. It is about helping everyone succeed together because we are all here for the same mission of Christ.

Secondary Priorities

Our secondary priorities are not lesser in importance. Rather, they represent the next tier of work that aligns with our mission as a Foundation and reflects what the Foundation is realistically positioned to accomplish over the next four years.

Priestly Vocations Need Financial Support and Clear Pathways

Priestly vocations was the third theme that surfaced to the top. The Foundation’s role in vocations within our strategic plan time frame will be primarily financial. We can:

• Match donors with specific needs and causes
• Support youth ministry endowments, youth programs, and discernment spaces
• Provide grants for seminarian education and priest student loan debt
• Collaborate with the diocese on a parishioner toolkit for supporting youth vocations

This is a practical and meaningful way to strengthen the future of our Church.

Mental Health, Social Isolation, and Pastoral Care Need Prevention and Community

Our listening exercise surfaced Mental Health, Social Isolation, and Pastoral Care as a high-priority need in our communities. The Board agreed that the Foundation is not suited to run counseling centers or direct mental health services. However, we can support prevention of these issues by funding things like:

• Parish community‑building initiatives
• Programs that help people connect and belong
• Simple efforts that strengthen parish life, such as small groups or community activities

Creating real community now through a monthly cribbage group or a parish social night can be just as powerful as a formal program. In the long term, we hope to be able to generate more funding for formal targeted programs addressing mental health and social isolation.

More on Southern Minnesota’s hunger for community and purpose is here.

Economic Challenges for Families and Workers Is Real

Families across the diocese are facing financial pressure. While these concerns are not new, the coming of artificial intelligence may magnify them in the near future.

More on artificial intelligence in recent blogs:

• AI, Young People’s Concerns & the Church’s Opportunity
• Work, Dignity, and the Call to Local Catholic Leadership
• When the Headlines Scare Us: AI, Dignity of Work, and Stewardship

As Catholics, we are called to serve the poor. At the Foundation we will help by:

• Reducing anxiety through education and clarity
• Helping Catholics understand the positive potential of new technologies, including AI
• Engaging younger Catholics, who are eager to contribute and learn
• Exploring an owned fund that builds capacity and supports timely community needs

Looking Ahead: A Foundation Focused on Strength, Clarity, and Mission

The Catholic Foundation of Southern Minnesota has a unique and important role to play in strengthening the Church. We are called to:

• Build financial stability in parishes
• Support Catholic identity and evangelization
• Strengthen vocations
• Lead through collaboration
• Provide clarity, education, and practical tools

In the coming years, our focus will be doing the right things well. Our Board is energized, our mission is clear, and our path forward is strong. Together, we can build a Catholic future rooted in hope, stewardship, and the Gospel.

Please visit this page again in the coming months and years to see progress updates on the implementation of our plan.