Catholic Charities Commission prepares to finalize new strategic plan

Bella Bailey

Multimedia Correspondent

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Covington, is preparing to finalize a strategic plan to present to Bishop John Iffert that will take its mission and ministries through the year 2030. This comes as a result of the planning commissions that took place as part of the Diocese of Covington’s larger strategic planning process.

“The timing is providential that across the Diocese we’re looking at some more substantive things,” said Chris Goddard, executive director of Catholic Charities.

The strategic plan is broken into six distinct goals that come together in support of the outlined priorities which focus on care of the whole person while maintaining respect, dignity and mercy.

The first goal is rooted in Catholic Charities’ programs and services. Working to provide whole person care where it is needed most, the goal moves beyond emergency relief toward stability for those that Catholic Charities serves.

“We’re always looking at how do we uphold the dignity of the person … very interested in trying to help the person not just with their emergency basic needs, but how do we get them to a different, better place,” said Mr. Goddard.

To do this, Catholic Charities is looking to the community as part of goals two and three — equipping the local Church to respond via the establishment of a parish ambassador network and the growth of the City of God Network. Both of these goals emphasize the priority of wrap-around care for those that call Catholic Charities looking for assistance.

“The whole idea behind the ambassador program is one to help parishioners across the Diocese understand who we are and where there are opportunities where they could help,” said Mr. Goddard.

The ambassador network would help improve communication between Catholic Charities and the parishes as well as increased awareness of available resources. This collaboration would ensure that parishes are equipped to provide information to those in need.

“I think there’s an opportunity to collaborate more efficiently for the sake of the people that we’re trying to serve,” said Mr. Goddard about the ambassador network and the City of God Network.

The vision for the City of God Network is that Catholic Charities becomes a resource hub for those in need of services beyond Catholic Charities provided ministries.

“It’s connecting individuals with needs with organizations … Catholic Charities’ role is being that connector of people needing help to people that can step up and help,” said Mr. Goddard.

These first three goals are rooted in the gift of mercy. Equipping the community and enabling Catholic Charities to continue to perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Mr. Goddard said that this “really builds on the whole Campaign of Mercy that Bishop [Iffert] launched with his initial campaign or strategic plan.”

The fourth goal of the strategic plan is designed to spread the news of goals one, two and three — to make mercy visible.

“No one knows who we are,” said Mr. Goddard, “so this really names it in terms of making ourselves more visible and trusted, inviting. People know that they can come to us and we’ll help them work their way through the system.”

In order to meet these goals, Catholic Charities must focus on growing its financial capacities and restructuring their internal governance system. Goal five focuses on the financial aspect of the strategic plan, building the capacity and freedom to serve.

“We could have the greatest plan in the world and the right people to execute it, but there’s going to be a need for some resources,” said Mr. Goddard.

One of the outlined priorities of this goal is to increase the annual fund from the 2026 fiscal year total $700,000 to a potential $1.3 million target by fiscal year 2029. “We need to raise the necessary funds in order to do what is in that plan,” said Mr. Goddard.

To support the increase in community outreach, agency and organization collaboration and fiscal responsibility, Catholic Charities deemed it necessary to review their governance structure. As part of goal six, the establishment of shared ownership, governance and success measurement, Catholic Charities will be dissolving the current corporate and advisory board structure, moving instead to a member corporation made up of five people. As defined in the strategic planning document, the member corporation would “preserve diocesan oversight while allowing the Board of Directors to manage day-to-day operations.”

Mr. Goddard said, “It’s meant to allow the governing board to operate independently, more autonomously, but at the same time, reserve powers of the bishop and the four others to approve the hiring of the CEO, to approve a slate of board members, but they’re not going to be as involved in the annual plans and those kinds of things.”

The work of the Catholic Charities Commission through the diocesan strategic planning process was “very” influential, said Mr. Goddard.

“If you don’t have the right people, especially in leadership from the beginning, you more than likely could have a product that is not as good as what could turn out to be,” he said, praising the involvement of the diocesan community in the planning process.

Mr. Goddard said about the plan, “if you’re not intentional and you don’t incorporate it in a plan, it’ll never happen.”