If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts. Ps 95:8

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Highlights from CCUSA

Catholic Charities and the synodal process

On October 17, all dioceses around the globe will embark on a six-month listening process to discern what steps the Holy Spirit invites us to take in order to journey together as a Church. This effort, entitled “For a Synodal Church: Community, Participation, and Mission,” envisions broad consultation across the Church and beyond. Pope Francis has stressed that genuine efforts must be made to include persons at the margins, such as “…the poor, the homeless, young people addicted to drugs, everyone that society rejects…” Catholic Charities can fulfill a critical role by helping to identify and solicit such voices for individual diocesan reports, which will be submitted to the USCCB in preparation for the Vatican’s international Synod of Bishops in October 2023. To help Catholic Charities leaders understand and participate in this initiative, a video panel conversation has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021, at 3 PM ET, featuring the following speakers: • Msgr. John Enzler, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington; • Lacy de la Garza of Catholic Charities of Dallas, who is directing the synodal process for the Diocese of Dallas; and • Yohan Garcia, Catholic Social Teaching Education Coordinator at the Justice, Peace and Human Development Department at the USCCB. Register here.

Updated 2020 Annual Survey data visualizations

• 2020 Community of Practice dashboards: Refer to the 2020 Community of Practice dashboards visualizations for detailed programmatic information for 10 different program areas. Review a network-wide overview or select a diocese from the dropdown menu to review more detailed information about each agency's activities.
• 2019 member agency profiles: Refer to the 2020 member agency profiles visualization for information about each agency's operations, programs, and services. Simply select a diocese from the dropdown menu and the visual will update with an overview of each agency's reported activities.
• 2019 agency service inventory: Refer to the 2020 agency service inventory visualization for the roster of agencies that reported providing any of the 200+ service elements across 20+ categories in the latest survey. Start by selecting a service category and a corresponding service element to view all agencies offering the respective service.
• 2019 member agency FTE visualization: Refer to the 2020 member agency FTE visualization to view a comparison of agencies' reported full time equivalent (FTE) staff count. Such comparisons may be useful for benchmarking, enhancing regional or national context, or in planning for/considering partnership opportunities among Catholic Charities agencies.

All of these visualizations also can be accessed through the CCUSA Members Portal under Annual Survey Resources under the Member Network Data Visualizations tab. Please reach out to Ashley Rininger with any questions or technical issues.

Events and Webinars

The Service at the Speed of Light: The New Non-Profit Normal webinar

This year has been one of the most challenging faced by non-profits, and the needs are incredible. By January 2021, American renters already owed $34B in back rent and growing! Agencies must work closely with community and civic leaders to broaden impact and improve effectiveness by quickly expanding service capacity through creative technology use allowing millions of dollars of assistance in a day. Is your agency ready to implement a program providing over $60M in financial assistance in 3 months? Does your agency understand impact on hiring, call volume, compliance, and finance? These are all challenges Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston confronted when they received a contract to provide CARES funding to more than 50,000 families in 3 months. This presentation will provide you with the insights gained through their experience. After this workshop, the answer to any of the questions listed above will be, “Absolutely, we can!” It is the new non-profit normal. It is service at the speed of light! Date: Oct. 12, 2021. Time: 2 PM EST. Register here. 

Catholic Charities West Virginia: Innovation Challenge follow-up webinar

In the old days, when senior citizen Mary got discharged from a hospital, family was there to take her home. Today, when Mary gets discharged, no one is there. Through the Hospital Transition Program, Mary will now be helped, as will her neighbors whose situations may be even more complex and require coordinated care for healthy living. The primary population affected by this initiative are low-income individuals with disabling conditions or chronic health concerns in the geographic area served by Wheeling Hospital. Program participants will be involved in the design and implementation of their transition post-discharge through their interaction with CC West Virginia's onsite case manager and mutual coordination of a plan of care. Date: Oct. 13, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Building the donor pipeline: The power and impact of individual donor relations

From donors giving $10 a year to major donors giving 5 to 6 figure gifts each year, individual donors bring your mission to life. Join us for a webinar to learn how to maximize your engagment with individual donors, bringing them closer to your mission and encouraging ever-more generous gifts into the future. Following this presentation, the attendee will be able to: (1.) Understand the impact of individual donors and their long-term value to your organization; (2.) Understand the individual donor pipeline concept, how to build the pipeline and how to move donors through it; (3.) Walk away with an outline of fundamental steps to start and/or maintain a successful individual giving program: annual giving, mid-level giving, major gifts, capital/principal gifts, and planned gifts. Register in advance for this webinar here. Date: Oct. 14, 2021. Time: 1 PM ET.

Unaccompanied children in 2021: Serving immigrant and refugee youth

This webinar will provide details on who unaccompanied children are and where they come from, factors driving their migration, and the challenges they face once they arrive in the United States. Participants will learn more about the recent surge in migrant children crossing the US-Mexico border and the implications this has had on their care prior to reunifying with a sponsor or being placed in long term foster care. We will also consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on this population and the ways this has affected the services provided to youth as well as their experience in their new communities. USCCB and CCC will provide a picture of USCCB’s model of care for unaccompanied migrant children through small-scale shelters, group homes, and foster care placements. Presenters will highlight how USCCB’s model provides continuity of care for youth coming into the United States, including pursuit of legal relief, reunification with family and sponsors in the community, and long-term foster care and independent living options for youth who are granted legal status. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Date: Oct. 14, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Early evidence from the evaluation of Uplifting Parents webinar

Join us as Catholic Social Services Rapid City and Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) share early evidence from the ongoing randomized evaluation of the Uplifting Parents program, a coalition-based comprehensive support program for single parents pursuing a college degree. Early results show promising evidence of large effect size for persistence in two- and four-year degree programs. Date: Oct. 14, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Applying medical ethics frameworks in Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities provides services which are medical or quasi-medical in nature, such as providing behavioral health services, dental care, primary care, FQHC, nursing home care, and assistance with advance care planning documents. Given this, knowledge of secular bioethics, social work ethics, and the USCCB’s Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services is essential for Catholic Charities professionals. Join this webinar to explore and apply relevant ethical frameworks to cases encountered in Catholic Charities. This webinar will be led by Dr. Amy VanDyke, and Rev. Ragan Shriver. Dr. VanDyke, MSW, LSW, PhD, is Vice President of Programs at Catholic Social Services of Columbus Ohio. For many years she served as an ethicist at Catholic and secular hospitals and is a national and international speaker on ethics. Rev. Ragan Schriver, PsyD, LAPSW, is the Special Assistant to the President of Catholic Charities USA for Strategic Integration and Director of the MSSW program at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, where he serves as an associate professor. He is the former executive director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Date: Oct. 18, 2021. Time: 1:30 PM ET. Register here.

Identifying unresolved reproductive grief and facilitating the healing process webinar

Studies indicate that individuals experiencing reproductive loss are at greater risk for complicated grief, relationship problems, and substance abuse. Yet, social service professionals often lack the training to confidently enquire into a client’s reproductive history and offer appropriate support. This webinar explores how to help this vulnerable population. Date: Oct. 19, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Adapting to change - Keeping your Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program current

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is one of the most impactful poverty reduction programs in the United States. This program represents the local partnership between the IRS, community-based nonprofits, and volunteers. VITA helped move over 10 million individuals out of poverty and significantly reduced the severity of poverty for an additional 17 million. Over the past 50 years, the program has evolved to incorporate the various changes to the tax code and integrated technological improvements allowing for a better consumer experience. Join us for a webinar to share best practices and updates to the VITA program, particularly over the past year. During the webinar, we will be highlighting two Catholic Charities agencies that have developed successful VITA programs during COVID-19 by adapting to the changes required. Register here. Date: Oct. 20, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET.

West Coast disaster recovery and resiliency during a pandemic webinar

United in Mission – Leading self and others through Catholic culture webinar

An organization can have many good leaders (managers, directors, even key volunteers), but without a foundation in understanding oneself from a Catholic perspective, something will be missing that enhances culture and mission. This webinar will present the United in Mission initiative of Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma, consider how its framework can be applied within other agencies, and explore its components: Leading the Spiritual Self; Leading the Outer Self; and Leading Others. Join us to cover the following components. The presenter is Deacon David Hamel, Chief of Mission Integration for Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma. Date: Oct. 25, 2021. Time: 3:30 PM EST. Register in advance for this webinar here.

Engaging the diaconate: How Dallas equips deacons to integrate faith and service

Permanent deacons in the Roman Catholic Church have the unique opportunity to be activated, engaged, and unleashed to strengthen the integration of faith and service for the Church and for its people. With the intention of empowering deacons to work closely with their local Catholic Charities office, and in service to each deacon’s specific parish and the greater diocese, representatives from Catholic Charities Dallas Parish & Community Relations Office and the Diocese of Dallas Diaconal Ministry and Formation Office will present how this is being done in the Diocese of Dallas. This webinar’s presenters are Lacy de la Garza, M.Psy., Director of Parish & Community Relations for Catholic Charities Dallas, and Fr. Emmett Hall, Director of Diaconal Ministry & Formation for the Diocese of Dallas. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Date: Oct. 27, 2021. Time: 3 PM ET. Register here.

Fund development for the healthy nonprofit webinar

Old age - our future: Continuing the conversation

We need you to help us keep up the momentum! Joan a conversation that builds on our four-part webinar series sponsored by the Catholic Health Association, the Community of Sant'Egidio and Catholic Charities USA. Watch a highlight video from the sessions. This conversation and webinars are in follow-up to the Pontifical Academy for Life's 11-page "note," Old Age: Our Future. The Elderly after the Pandemic, which calls us to respond to the needs of elders. To continue the conversation, we invite all interested in further discussing how we, as church, volunteers, agencies and service providers, can help our older neighbors age in place. We need you to formally participate with one of these two opportunities: (1.) Spend five minutes during the call describing how you are supporting older people. (2.) Record an interview - or recommend someone we should interview - who is able to stay at home despite some frailty or limitations. Complete this Participation Opportunities Survey link to take part in this upcoming event. We need innovators, collaborators and people of good will to join the conversation. Please register today. Program information. Date: Oct. 28, 2021. Time: Noon ET. Register here.

Leveraging trends and emerging technologies to deliver an improved client experience

The webinar will show how technology and for-profit sector partnerships can create creative solutions to long-standing problems. Our team will breakdown how the use of artificial intelligence allows organizations to reach clients quickly in a fast pace area of law, as well as improve onboarding of clients during the intake process. Our top priority and focus has been 1.) driving significant Client Experience improvements, and 2.) Meeting our clients where they are with the use of creative technology. Together, we brainstormed on the use of current and emerging trends and technologies to realize these objectives. Trends and technologies we embraced and are leveraging are AI-based videos, automated forms with Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging, smartphone document scanning integrated with back-end case management system. Date: Oct. 28, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Parent engagement strategies in a pandemic and beyond webinar

Join us and learn how elevating parent-voice and promoting civic engagement can build resilience! This webinar will explore the readiness of your agency to partner with parents and brainstorm training options necessary for staff and parents to advance leadership. By the end of the session, participants will know about the five commitments essential to promote strong parent engagement and equal and equitable partnerships. Date: Nov. 3, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Catholic Charities Cleveland: Innovation Challenge follow-up webinar

Max Kolbe Program: An enhanced peer support program that eliminates poverty by incorporating peer recovery support, job training, community collaborations, and social enterprise that partners with local Health systems and provides 24/7 access to on call peer recovery coaches and responds to drug related ER visits. The unique combination of programs within MAX will allow for the service of two, often overlooked, populations of poverty. First, is the population that is in recovery from a substance use disorder, while still living in poverty because of the challenges in finding livable wage employment. Poverty and unemployment together increase the likelihood of developing a substance use disorder. The second target population is those living in poverty who experience a substance use crisis. Date: Nov. 4, 2021. Time: 2 PM ET. Register here.

Catholic Charities Omaha: Innovation Challenge follow-up webinar

This three-year project delivers the Catholic Charities of Omaha Microbusiness Program through an online format to 315 budding entrepreneurs served at six Catholic Charities member agencies across the US, facilitating the creation of 150 new businesses and 160 jobs. The work is an expansion of a proven microbusiness program model that annually helps 650+ low-income Nebraskans avoid poverty while strengthening local economies. This initiative serves low-to-moderate income adults seeking opportunities to become small business owners, but lacking business knowledge, resources and capital. Participants are actively receiving services from a Catholic Charities member agency. Client feedback ensures our curriculum is relevant and effective; curriculum is offered in both English and Spanish, and is tailored to the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the groups we serve. Date: Nov. 9, 2021. Time: 3 PM ET. Register here.

The theology of the Good Samaritan: Putting Fratelli tutti into action webinar

This webinar will explore Pope Francis' new encyclical, Fratelli tutti, and its invitation to renew our commitment to caring for our neighbors and global society through actions of justice, solidarity, and dignity. It will incorporate participants' personal experiences to embrace key topics at the center of the encyclical and the Catholic Social Teaching tradition. Particular focus will be given to the encyclical's meditationi on the parable of the Good Samaritan. The webinar will incorporate the methodology of see, judge, and act to discern the "signs of the times" in the service of solidarity, the promotion of justice, and pursuit of the common good. Participants will appreciate their vocation as missionary disciples by responding to community needs and questioning those structures that inhibit human development. Presenter: Mr. Yohan Garcia, Catholic Social Teaching coordinator for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development. Date: Nov. 11, 2021. Time: 3 PM EST. Register in advance for this webinar here.

Grant Opportunities and Resources

Catholic Prison Ministries Coalition presents video project regarding prayer in prison

CPMC is thrilled to announce the launch of Holding Still, an event in partnership with Prison Contemplative Fellowship. The documentary premiere - hosted by Fr. Jim Martin, SJ - presents a diverse group of spiritual seekers speaking candidly about their journey of practicing centering prayer while serving time at Folsom Prison. Their intention is to bring this practice to other incarcerated men and women, knowing the power of this practice can heal trauma and trasform toxic shame. After the viewing there will be a Q&A between Fr. Jim, the filmmakers, and the men featured in the film. Date: Oct. 20, 2021. Time: 7:30 PM ET. Please take a moment to register here and share the event with you network using this promotion kit.

New Child Tax Credit resources

The Child Tax Credit is part of the American Rescue Plan and aims to help families raising children make ends meet. Experts estimate the new Child Tax Credit has the potential to cut child poverty in half. See the new video series about Advance CTC: The IRS YouTube channel contains a video series on Advance Child Tax Credit that addresses information on eligibility, how to receive the payments and how to avoid tax scams related to the Child Tax Credit.

Employment Opportunities

Anyone can view the job opportunities by clicking on the "Careers" tag on the footer of the CCUSA webpage. To post a job opportunity, one must be a member and have access to the members' portal in order to fill out the submission form (click on "Careers" tag on members only portal homepage). If you have any questions about the new job opportunities submission form, please contact Nick Paige. Please click here to access job opportunities.

CCUSA Photo Gallery

 Did you know that one of the benefits CCUSA provides to member agencies is access to a professional photo gallery? Visit our Flickr photo pages to explore our albums and photos. If you would like a high-resolution version for your agency's use, please email CCUSA with photo number.