Why have some people been visited already?
A campaign as ambitious as this needs to have different phases so that we learn about what is effective as we go along.
Because this is such a large parish (about 700 families and individuals), visits will take some time to complete. Our goal is to reach every Catholic family over the next few weeks. 

Do I have to be visited?
We hope the visits will be enjoyable!
Because we have such an ambitious fundraising target, we are keen to discuss the programme with individuals. This gives everyone an opportunity to ask questions – and in a less formal setting than a public meeting.

The person who visits you will explain more about the Living Our Faith programme. They will answer your questions and will leave you with more details about the programme.
You will be asked to think and pray about making a contribution but you will not be expected to do so at the meeting.
You will certainly not be expected to discuss your personal circumstances with your visitor!

Can I just make a donation?
Obviously, all donations will be welcome. But to reach our fundraising target, we need people to think about how they might contribute over the longer term.
A pledge over five years allows individuals and families to consider larger commitments than they could usually consider as a one-time gift.
Experience from other campaigns shows that donors who pledge were able to consider gifts four or five times larger than those who made one-off donations. 

What if no one calls me to arrange a visit?
We are hoping to visit every Catholic family in the Hampshire Downs parish. Fundraising is for all parishioners and we certainly don’t want anyone to feel excluded.
However, our database is not complete and we are missing contact details for some people – even some regular Mass attenders!
If you think that might be you, please  email your contact details to livingourfaith@stpeterswinchester.org.uk and we will ensure you are added to the programme of visits.

Why are we using professional fundraisers?
In recent years, charities across the world have learned a lot about how to raise large sums of money. The Portsmouth Diocese recognised that they needed to use that professional expertise to help them raise £9 million to support both the training of  new priestly vocations and development of the laity.  The Hampshire Downs campaign is being organised by a fundraising committee made up of local parishioners,
but we are grateful for back-up support from the professional advisers.

How much are they costing?
The Diocesan Trustees have agreed a fixed fee contract with the fundraisers for the Diocesan part of the campaign (the £9m target).
The advice and support for our additional parish target doesn’t cost anything.
The cost of the professional advice is being met from the normal Diocesan operating budget.
All money donated as part of Living Our Faith is spent on the objectives of the campaign.

How long will the campaign last?
We are hoping to visit most parishioners over the next six weeks. (The campaign will inevitably be quieter during the school summer holiday.)
We hope to have reached our target by the beginning of September and will have a celebratory parish party in late September when Canon Paul is back from his holiday.

Will there be any social fundraising events?
Our traditional way of fundraising will feature towards the end, particularly as celebrations and thanksgiving for a successful campaign.
Our priority at the moment is to organise the individual visits. We are recruiting 40 parishioners as visitors and training them over the next few weeks.
If you would like to volunteer as a visitor, please get in contact.
If you have ideas about events, please let us know and we will coordinate them to avoid clashes.