2025 Pledge Goals
Fires, Covid, and Inflation
The last eight years have brought wildfires and a global pandemic. Yet due to the incredible generosity of our parish family, the total offerings collected at Incarnation nevertheless increased every year. Between 2018 and 2023, total offerings increased on average about 4% each year.
2023: $479,727
2022: $475,271
2021: $474,652
2020: $447,100
2019: $399,445
2018: $394,822
2017: $379,616
Unfortunately, inflation has cut against those increases. When we look at inflation-adjusted collection figures for the years 2017 and 2023 (in 2024 dollars), we see that offerings rose from 2017 to 2021, but then they dropped about 6% per year in 2022 and 2023.
2023: $494,554
2022: $521,368
2021: $559,636
2020: $534,530
2019: $489,431
2018: $491,270
2017: $482,130
Pledge Goal
Last year, all of us together pledged approximately $465,000 toward Incarnation’s 2024 operating budget. What is the goal for this year? As the starting point, we hope to raise at least as much as last year. However, if we raise the same exact amount this year as last year, it actually would represent a decrease in real dollars after adjusting for inflation and cost-of-living increases.
To keep up with inflation and cost-of-living, we hope to increase our pledge collections this year by at least 5%. A 5% increase over last year’s pledge drive would bring us to a pledge goal of approximately $490,000.
What if we could go beyond 5%? What would a 10%, 15%, or 20% increase look like? Increasing our pledge collections to $512,000, or $535,000, or $558,000 would mean:
- While it would not completely eliminate our deficit, it would create a significant and meaningful deficit reduction.
- We would reduce our draw on our designated funds, which would preserve more of those funds for not only campus repairs and improvements, but also outreach, programs, ministries, and so on.
$490,000 – GREAT! Keep up with inflation and cost-of-living increases.
$512,000 – AMAZING! Give back to the community that gives us all so much.
$535,000 – INCREDIBLE! Further our mission and the work of our ministries.
$558,000 – MIRACULOUS! Move toward financial sustainability.
