At some point during the height of the COVID lockdown, the Goodfaith team received a referral from an organizational partner. The inquiry was regarding a possible internship for the daughter of a trusted friend who was home from college and – like many of her peers – looking for something engaging to do remotely.
As a small nonprofit, we never lack for work and happily employed this young adult in the area of email marketing. As we got to know her, her family, and their background, we started to invite them to online events. One such gathering on race and social justice ran long – more than 3 hours! – because it was clear that participants yearned for community and dialogue.
While many guests logged out at various interludes, our intern and her mother stayed online for the duration of the evening. Afterwards, the mom reached out and reflected that this was the most engaged she had seen her daughter with her faith in a long time. Raised in a deeply faithful home, her daughter was struggling to reconcile institutional practice with her own lived reality, particularly when it came to friends in the LGBTQ+ community. (This is, of course, a story we hear often from many parents and grandparents of disaffiliated or disillusioned young adult Catholics.) With Goodfaith though, her daughter was able to connect with and get excited by our organizational commitment to the same justice issues that were important to her and her peers.
Life moved on and the internship ended, but the relationship between the family and Goodfaith deepened. (Our intern went on to graduate and matriculate in law school, where she is in her second year and thriving!) Over time, we’ve shared many rich conversations about our shared passion for and hope in the Church, the gifts and challenges of raising faith-filled children in a complicated world, and the complexities of faith transmission across generations.
Affirming our innovative approach and emphasis on Catholic social tradition, their family foundation began to make annual unsolicited donations to our organization. Last year, they surprised us with a significantly increased end-of-year gift. When Goodfaith’s President Stephanie Peddicord met with them for a gratitude lunch, the conversation ultimately led to a proposal about a longer-term transformational gift to the organization.
After prayerful consideration, the family foundation made an extraordinary commitment of $750,000 in support of our mission. Fittingly, the donation arrived just prior to Thanksgiving 2024. Reflecting on the gift, the donor writes “We are thrilled and give thanks that we are able to support the good work you’re doing! Thank you for our friendship and the sharing of the faith.”
(It is not surprising to those that know this family that they prefer to give anonymously; we are happy to honor that here by withholding names.)
Coming on the heels of the organizational rebrand and the launch of a major new initiative, the timing of this gift was providential. Peddicord says “Philanthropy is often seen as a very transactional process, but this investment illuminates transformational giving at its very best. It is such a powerful demonstration of how people of faith can accompany one another in a mutually enriching way to advance our shared vision for the Church and the world. We are already dreaming big about all the good that this gift will do for Goodfaith, and in good faith!”
The organization plans to invest these funds in building capacity, particularly in the areas of advancement, communications, and internal infrastructure. To learn more about how you can support our work, please visit wearegoodfaith.org.
