The Anglican Foundation of Canada (AFC) is stepping up its commitment to young people across Canada with an even more ambitious plan to fund ministry and outreach to children, youth, and young adults this year.
At its November meeting, the AFC Board approved a campaign plan for Say Yes! to Kids 2022, setting a $500,000 goal and introducing an innovative partnership model of fundraising. “Our hope is that this campaign will be both empowering and energizing,” says Dr. Scott Brubacher, Executive Director, “enabling our churches to harness the power of peer-to-peer (P2P) fundraising to grow sustainable revenue streams for youth programs, while connecting them with other churches across Canada, as well as diocesan and national ministries, that are growing a brighter future for young people, today.”
Brubacher says that the 2021 campaign and Request for Proposals (RFPs)—where 79 projects received a total of $470,000 in funding—was a valuable learning experience for AFC. “Grant recipients demonstrated a stunning combination of compassion and creative thinking. They also showed us the depth of relationships that exist between churches and their communities.” Brubacher says Say Yes! to Kids will help to provide the resources needed to strengthen these connections and partnerships so the church can “continue to be a catalyst for re-engaging with children and families in a time of pandemic recovery.”
The Very Rev. Peter Wall, AFC’s Gift Consultant, is excited about this campaign’s potential to attract leadership gifts. “There was, and is, a real appetite among donors to support a community-based movement for youth. We believe a national campaign that is strong in its numbers and coordinated in its approach can connect money to mission in a truly transformational way.”
Michelle Hauser, AFC’s Development and Communications Consultant says, “Any Anglican parish in Canada with a vision for outreach to young people is eligible to apply to form a fundraising team and campaign alongside like-minded parishes nationwide from April 1 to June 30.” Hauser says teams will be able to set their own fundraising goals, and they will receive support with communications, case development, and training from AFC throughout the campaign. “Teams will also benefit from an AFC-led leadership giving campaign that will boost their efforts, including matching gifts.”
Those who wish to learn more about Say Yes! to Kids should visit anglicanfoundation.org/say-yes-to-kids to register for an upcoming webinar and download AFC’s campaign FAQs sheet. “I also encourage anyone who has questions to reach out to me directly,” says Hauser, who can be reached at [email protected].
