June 24, 2013
When Jackie Thomas-Suggs was first learning about various ministries of the Paulist Fathers, she was captivated by the breadth of work carried out by the community.
“We have artists, historians, missionaries, campus ministers, parish priests,” said Ms. Thomas-Suggs, who began her new position as executive director of the Paulist Office for Financial Development in April. “The more I know about the Paulists, the more I realize how important it is to preach the importance of vocations and increase the visibility of the many gifts the Paulists bring to the Church and the world. Broadening awareness will result in increased financial support. People give to what they value and know about.”
Ms. Thomas-Suggs got her first taste of fundraising during her work-study at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The dean to whom she was assigned asked Ms. Thomas-Suggs what her strength was.
“I told Dean Butcher I liked to write, so she gave me a grant to work on,” Ms. Thomas-Suggs recalled. “I did the research and wrote the grant, and the next thing I know, the grant was approved and the dean had more [grants] for me to do.”
Since graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science and English from Howard in 1978 as well as a master’s degree in special education in 1984, Ms. Thomas-Suggs has been a fundraiser in the United States and Europe working for the USO. She comes to the Paulists from the American Lung Association, where she was vice president for major gifts.
“I saw this job listed online and thought it would be so cool to work for the church,” said Ms. Thomas-Suggs, “because it is important that we have the people and the resources to address the needs of people who are searching. And Paulist ministries do exactly that.”
By building a culture of philanthropy among future donors Ms. Thomas-Suggs hopes to engage and educate young adults ministered to by Paulists on major university campuses around the country and through ministries like Busted Halo, a Paulist Web site, Facebook and social media sites that are geared toward spiritual seekers in their 20s and 30s.
And so with her new position with the Paulists, Ms. Thomas-Suggs has her own opportunity to embrace her own Catholic faith. Born in Banburgh, England, Ms. Thomas-Suggs’ father worked for the State Department and her mother was a nurse and nurse educator. A widow, Jackie has two adult children and one grandson, and lives in Laurel, MD.
“My goals are to build a diverse fundraising and friend-building department that will be flexible and responsive to our donors,” Ms. Thomas-Suggs said, “and to ensure the department will increase support to enable the community carry out the Paulist Ministry now and into the future.”
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