The Washington National Cathedral (WNC) is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. Considered the “Nation’s church,” its congregation is rooted in the Washington, D.C. area and has members from across the nation and online. 

The Situation

With support from Allegiance Group + Pursuant, Washington National Cathedral (WNC) launched its first-ever Giving Day on September 24, 2024, timed to coincide with the annual Cathedral Day. The Giving Day served as a public invitation for the broader Cathedral community to “do their part” in support of the Cathedral’s historic “A Cathedral for the Future” comprehensive campaign — a five-year, $150 million effort that ultimately closed ahead of schedule at $187 million. 

This first Giving Day was designed to bring the WNC community together in celebration of the work of the Cathedral and its impact locally and for our nation, to raise awareness for the most immediate and ongoing Cathedral needs, increase engagement, create a sense of pride for the Cathedral among its constituents, and drive donations.  

The Work

We strategically planned the first-ever Giving Day using an omnichannel approach that exceeded donor and revenue goals. Originally set for April, WNC postponed the giving event to instead hold a tribute service for slain international aid workers. It was rescheduled for September to align with Cathedral Day for a more celebratory giving experience. 

With a goal of $50,000 from 500 donors, a campaign was created to target all current and lapsed donors and unconverted names in their file. The Giving Day campaign used a direct mail appeal, emails with video and GIFS (three before and three on Giving Day, and one after the event to share results), a website landing page, voice broadcast phone call, SMS text message, and social media posts and ads.  

To ensure this special day centered on the areas of the Cathedral most important to their constituents, different fund areas were highlighted for donors to designate their gifts: earthquake rebuilding and restoration, Great Organ repair, nave audio and broadcast system upgrade; and where needed most.  

Earlier in the year, save the date direct mail pieces were sent announcing the Giving Day. 

On Giving Day, WNC used a voice broadcast call in the morning to announce the big day. Throughout the day, emails directed constituents to the website giving page. Constituents could watch a celebratory video featuring the Very Rev. Randolph Hollerith talking about the importance of Giving Day and social media messages were also delivered. As the day was winding down, a text message was sent to remind constituents of their final opportunity to give before Giving Day ended at midnight. 

The Results

WNC surpassed the donor goal by more than 140%, and the actual dollars surpassed the dollar goal by more than 450%!  

And while giving donors a choice about where to put their gift, more than 70 percent of the gifts went to “where they were needed most.” In many ways, the campaign proved to be exactly what WNC wanted it to be – a celebration of community.  

The campaign raised $285,598 and when combined with funds raised in April before the event was rescheduled to September, the total came to more than $400,000! 

The momentum gained from this new Giving Day campaign continued through the end of the calendar year with strong support from donors that even carried into 2025 when donors received the donor impact report—a stewardship piece in January.