Catholic Exchange Could Use Your Help

Our Fearless Leader, Tom Allen, writes:

Dear Friend of Catholic Exchange:

I would like to begin by sincerely thanking you for your support of Catholic Exchange in the past. I know you have a great heart for Catholic Exchange’s critical media mission and will want to know of our urgent need at this time.

Here’s some good news. A helpful number of CE viewers responded generously to last week’s brief appeal. We want to thank each and everyone who did so! You have set a wonderful example as we continue with our critical year-end campaign.The past year has been incredibly difficult for Catholic families, with wide scale job loss and financial hardship. Yet, countless numbers of you have shared that Catholic Exchange has provided a beacon of hope in these dark times.

I have to tell you that our situation here at Catholic Exchange is extremely serious and we need your help.

We have held back all year from asking for your help because we knew that many were suffering.

We accomplished as much as possible on a tight budget. Through severe economies we even laid the groundwork for Catholic Exchange to be better than ever. (More about this later.)

But right now our website’s future hangs in the balance. Our ability to continue our eight plus years of providing faithful, Catholic content that uplifts, inspires, educates and enriches is in jeopardy.

That’s why it’s so important that you click here and prayerfully consider sending Catholic Exchange a contribution today. We are offering a wonderful “Spiritual Care Package” to those who make Catholic Exchange part of their end-of-year giving. (More about this later.)

This past year we experienced a significant drop in monthly donations-the life blood of our organization. Monthly donations no longer cover our fixed expenses.

Imagine losing 50% of your income but needing to cover the same obligations. Donations from people who provide Catholic Exchange with our largest contributions (those over $500) have been almost non-existent.

So we cut back on everything short of closing our doors.

I’m sure that in the past year you’ve tried to be generous in your support of faithful and true causes. The fact remains, however, that donations to Catholic Exchange are down and as much as we’d like to just ride this downturn out, we can’t.

So we are asking that you click here and prayerfully consider sending Catholic Exchange a contribution today. (You will love the “Spiritual Care Package” described below.)

Why should you continue supporting us despite the economic downturn?

The Pew Research Center earlier this summer conducted a survey on Catholics. The results confirm the same trends other surveys have reported. More Catholics than ever do not believe the basic tenets of the Faith and the number of fallen away Catholics continues to rise.

It gets worse.

Hidden within the numbers is this disturbing trend: Catholics are not at all clear on what the Church teaches.

Undeniable evidence of this came in Notre Dame’s awarding an honorary doctorate to the most pro-abortion president in history. Innumerable statements made at the time of Senator Kennedy’s funeral underscored the point.

Our task is clear.

We must convince all those who say they are Catholic that their #1 priority must be to know, love and live their Catholic faith.

I am committing all of Catholic Exchange’s resources to the work of re-energizing our fellow Catholics and igniting the embers that smolder in the hearts of so many of our fellow Catholics.

But we can only pursue this critical mission with you as our partners, both in prayer and in giving.

One of our major endeavors this year was to redesign our home page, giving our viewers a new, fresh and efficient way of accessing our numerous articles and daily content. That’s the “better than ever” news I mentioned earlier. (When times are tough it’s especially important to prepare for a better future.)

We solicited and received timely input from students at John Paul the Great Catholic University on this redesign to better attract a younger and more internet-savvy population.

This upgrade will make navigating Catholic Exchange a more pleasant and rewarding online experience and be comparable to The New York Times and other online formats. We have worked hard at this unveiling and hope to finalize it by year-end with your help.

We are so close!

Normally, half of our yearly donations come in during this next 45 days. Without a successful year-end campaign, we will not only have to abandon the re-launch of Catholic Exchange but be forced to close down our operations after more than eight years of faithful service to the loyal Catholic community we have painstakingly built over the years.

Three things are keeping Catholic Exchange from moving forward:

1. The drop in contributions.

2. The decrease in the spending of sponsors that support our site-due to the downturn in marketing and advertising spending.

3. The deficit we have run so far this year so as not to overburden our faithful readers.

We are far from despairing because we strongly believe that our faithful viewers will step up in this time of need. The only way we can complete the upgrade and keep Catholic Exchange going forward is if every member of our Catholic Exchange family digs deep, clicks here and sends a much-needed contribution today. (The “Spiritual Care Package” is great for Christmas gift-giving!)

Please be generous and send the largest gift you can afford. Enlist other Catholics in this effort and spread the word far and wide – a vibrant Catholic apostolate that has contributed much to the New Evangelization needs your help today!

Make no mistake. Our current situation must improve. That is why you are receiving this urgent email.

The stakes have never been higher. Our nation, economy, and, most importantly, our Church has reached a crossroads. With your help Catholic Exchange will continue to work fearlessly to steer our fellow Catholics down the path that leads to Truth.

Our track record speaks for itself. When we were well funded, we put out bestselling published materials (such as A Guide to the Passion ), award winning DVDs (Champions of Faith 1 and 2 ), popular Catholic radio shows, and a groundbreaking group bible study. Help us return Catholic Exchange to financial health so we can continue to innovate and blaze new trails in the name of Christ and His Church!

Since I can put the matter to you no more clearly than that, I’ll end this email with a most sincere “Thank You” for all you are doing to help us fortify those seeking Truth and a greater understanding and knowledge of their Catholic Faith. God bless!

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Tom Allen

Editor & President

P.S. As mentioned above, we are offering a very special premium gift to our supporters this year- a collection of the best products Catholic Exchange has ever produced all in one package to help strengthen family members and friends who may be in need of a spiritual boost. All $100 donors to Catholic Exchange will receive a “Spiritual Care Package” consisting of our Champions of Faith: Baseball and Champions of Faith: The Bases of Life DVDs, along with our bestselling books, A Guide to the Passion, the Five Issues that Matter Most , and The Davinci Deception.

These products have entertained and inspired hundreds of thousands of people around the country, strengthening them in the Faith and bringing souls back to the sacraments! Click here or call toll-free 888-477-1982 to support Catholic Exchange and receive some of the best products that have ever been produced for Catholic evangelization. Give your children, siblings, spouses, Godchildren, friends, or neighbors a truly meaningful gift this Christmas. And let these fun and insightful products demonstrate our appreciation for your donation to Catholic Exchange of $100.00 or more. Thanks again and God bless!

P.P.S. In order to keep our Homepage redesign project on track and meet the project’s graphical and technical deadlines, we need your contribution by year’s end. Please join me TODAY in responding to Catholic Exchange’s critical need. Please click here and do whatever you can today to help. Thank you again … and may God bless you.

NOTE: If you prefer to send a check, please make it to: Catholic Exchange at PO Box 231820 Encinitas, CA 92023. If you have any questions, call us toll-free at 888-477-1982.