From giving up to giving back – reimagine Lent through the joy of almsgiving
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February 13, 2024
Feb 13, 2024 by*Already use eCatholic for Online Giving? Click here to access your free Lenten marketing resources
As Valentine’s Day ushers in the Lenten journey in 2024, we’re invited to explore the depths of love in one of its most sacrificial forms.
During these 40 days of preparing our hearts for the holiest time of the year, we are called to deepen our spiritual journey through prayer, fasting, and a renewed focus on almsgiving. A unique spirit of renewal underpins what is traditionally a solemn time in the liturgical calendar. Families gather for Friday fish fries, the faithful join in numbers to pray the Stations of the Cross, and we hold one another accountable to the coveted “sacrifice” for the season, from giving up coffee and treats to focusing on other opportunities for self-discipline and prayer.
But what if we challenged ourselves and our communities to look beyond the customary sacrifices and rediscover the joy in giving?
Picture a Lent where your parishioners are encouraged to “give” instead of “give up,” and almsgiving doesn’t stand in the shadow of fasting and prayer, but shines brightly as a testament to your parish family’s capacity for compassion and love.
How, you might ask? You can start by creating a dedicated almsgiving page on your parish website that becomes the heart of your community’s Lenten journey. This isn’t just any webpage — it’s a portal to a world of possibility, a place where faith and action speak louder than words. Through the seamless integration of eCatholic’s online giving tools, your almsgiving page can offer countless opportunities for service, reflection, and impactful giving.
With digital tools like eCatholic Online Giving, your webpage will not only inspire but facilitate generosity, making it easy for your community to support ministries and other lenten giving opportunities – all through your trusted and secure parish website.
Here are a few other ways to give that you can share with your community as you create your dedicated almsgiving page:
- Carve out extra time to volunteer during Lent.
- Make a meal for a neighbor or friend who could use a boost.
- Skip the fancy coffee and donate the savings to a charitable organization.
- Take the extras out of your online shopping cart and add the savings to the weekly tithe for your parish.
- Intentionally support Catholic Relief Services Rice Bowl or decide on a charitable cause your parish can work toward with a collective goal.
Free resources for Online Giving customers
In this season of reflection and renewal, eCatholic is here to walk alongside you, empowering your parish with the digital tools to bring your vision of a more generous Lent to life. To help you with this, our Customer Success team has crafted a complete marketing resource package for all current eCatholic online giving customers, including printables and graphics that we will customize with your parish or organization’s name, a unique QR code to your almsgiving page, and targeted messaging you can use throughout your communication plan. And the best part…it’s absolutely FREE! Simply enter your information below, and we’ll customize and send the package directly to your inbox!
Sign up to receive your free Lenten resources
Not using eCatholic for online giving?While we only provide free resources like these to our online giving clients, there’s never been a better time to make the switch to eCatholic for online giving to experience what a totally integrated giving experience looks like – even your bookkeeper will thank you! (And if you are the bookkeeper, then your life is about to get even easier). Plus, when you sign up, you’ll gain access to even more free digital materials to help you get up and running (and receiving donations) in no time.
Or (if you’re not ready yet) schedule a meeting with our team to ask any questions you have and take a look under the hood at our tools so you can experience how they can serve all of your unique needs.
Know our hearts are with you this Lenten season and throughout the year! We will keep your parish community in our prayers, and as always, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
We’d love to hear from you! Share with us some creative ways your parish will be promoting a renewed focus on almsgiving this Lent using eCatholic’s online giving tools in the comments below.
