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	Voice of the Faithful Facing Financial, Membership Crisis By Father Bill Pomerleau and Lynne Sullivan The Iobserve May 19, 2007 http://www.iobserve.org/nn0518a.html Springfield — the church reform movement begun in 2002 in reaction to the nationwide clergy abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, is now in a financial and organizational crisis, according to a report recently posted on its Web site. Twenty-two attendees, including executives of VOTF and members of its National Representative Council from across the United States, met in the Boston area April 27-29 for its semi-annual gathering. Among the attendees were Bill Casey, chair of VOTF's Board of Trustees, and Mark Mullaney, interim executive director of the group. According to an account of the meeting posted on www.votf.org/vineyard/May3_2007/nrc.html, "Both Bill Casey and Mark Mullaney described the financial shortfall VOTF will face in the coming months. Although the number of individual contributors has increased, in the past year or so the number of major donors has declined. VOTF must reverse this trend to erase a projected $100,000 deficit in the next fiscal year." Council members discussed a variety of strategies to bolster VOTF's finances in its the upcoming fiscal year, including charging membership dues and hiring a development director who "can focus entirely on bringing in major donors, obtaining foundation grants and donations, and increasing the level of giving from both," according to the notes. VOTF has been without a permanent executive director since Jan. 19, when former WGBH employee Ray Joyce left the position after 20 months of service. Joyce himself replaced VOTF's first executive director Steve Kreuger, who held the position from 2002 to September 2004. The organization, based in Newton, Mass., is currently advertising for a new director. Joyce's arrival in May 2005 occurred as part of a reorganization of VOTF's executive leadership, when many of the group's founding directors ceded their positions to new leadership. It established the advisory council, which meets biannually, to strengthen its ties to local affiliates across the country, according to explanations posted on VOTF.org. Eight months later, the group laid off its two part-time office workers, citing "financial and program changes." However, the changes have not apparently been enough to address VOTF's deteriorating finances. Up until a year ago, the group reported relatively stable levels of cash contributions. It received $611,137 in gifts from June 26, 2002 to May 31, 2003, the end of its first, 11-month fiscal year. Gifts totaled $621,800 for the 12-month fiscal year ending May 31, 2004. They then dropped to $576,100 in the next fiscal year, then rose again to $661,774 for the year ending May 21, 2006. Figures up to 2005 come from audited financial reports posted on its Web site. VOTF, which led an unsuccessful effort in Massachusetts to require churches to file an annual audited financial statement with the state each year, has not yet posted an audited statement of its own finances for the last fiscal year. Gifts to the group for the seven-month period from June to December 2006, the last period posted on its Web site, totaled $333,438. Part of VOTF's financial difficulties may lie in the rising amounts it spends soliciting contributions. It reported $64,224 in fund-raising expenses in 2003. It then reported $111,089 in fund-raising expenses for 2004, $151,549 for 2005 and $143,603 in "development" expenses in 2006. It reported $133,261 in development expenses for the first seven months of its current fiscal year. John Moynihan, spokesman for VOTF, told iobserve.org May 17 that "the problem is being solved," through increasing development efforts. He said attention to the group's major donors has been "neglected" in the past, a situation which he said should be corrected when VOTF hires a part-time development director. Moynihan likened what has happened to a "Katrina effect." "When the (priest misconduct) problem hit there were lots of people willing to throw money at the problem," he said, comparing the flurry of interest in VOTF after the 2002 revelations of sexual abuse by clergy to the outpouring of relief efforts immediately after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. Concerns about the future of VOTF national organization, which is corporately distinct from its local chapters, extend to other matters, according to the notes included in the May edition of the group's "In the Vineyard" newsletter. "In addition to the financial crisis facing VOTF, Bill Casey identified a crisis in leadership. Evidence of this comes from the low response rates (a range of 1 percent to 5 percent) when members are asked for input on proposals," it said. "VOTF as a whole has difficulty in reaching closure on decisions, Bill said, as well as difficulty in respecting others' positions. In the past few years, rather than leading, many have simply been engaged in fighting about leadership. "The Board of Trustees is looking for ways to move VOTF beyond this 'stuck position,' he said. Their start on this effort is a revised Identity Statement. The BOT is asking leaders to review the new statement and then sign it if they can agree with its content. The Statement should provide us with a common ground for moving forward," the notes said. News media across the nation have recently reported discussions at local VOTF meetings about mandatory celibacy for Latin-rite clergy, the ordination of women and other doctrinal and disciplinary issues in the church. But the new VOTF mission statement does not address these topics, concentrating instead on a call for "full transparency and accountability in church governance." The new mission statement for the first time mentions "increasing instances of clerical financial misconduct" as one of VOTF's primary concerns. Critics of VOTF have questioned the claim in its 2006 annual report that it has "more than 35,000 registered members in all 50 U.S. states and 37 countries worldwide." Moynihan told iobserve.org that one becomes a member of VOTF "if they hit the 'join' button," on the group's Web site, have made a donation, or have joined a local affiliate. The "join" option on www.votf.org requires only that an individual provide a first name, last name and zip code to the group, and state that he or she is at least 13 years old. An undetermined number of individuals not necessarily sympathetic to the group, such as journalists and members of interest groups opposed to VOTF, have admitted providing the information so that they can receive e-mail updates on the group's activities. During its advisory meeting, VOTF President Mary Pat Fox said her group "is at a critical juncture." "Given the financial and membership resources available to us, she said, we must do two things in order to continue: raise funds, and focus our resources on one or two issues," according to the notes.
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