In part 2 of our conversation with Thomas Smith, we peel back the layers of development and get into everything from the incredibly personal nature of fundraising to recent trends that have impacted approaches to asks and overall giving.

ABOUT THOMAS SMITH

Thomas Smith started as the Director of the Office of Development & Stewardship for the Archdiocese of Newark in October 2021. In this role, he oversees all of the development vehicles of the Archdiocese of Newark as well as the parishes and ministries within. This includes and is not limited to the Annual Appeal, capital campaigns, major gifts and planned giving efforts, and offertory programs.

Thomas previously served as the Director of the Office of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Metuchen. Prior to joining the Diocese of Metuchen in 2019, he spent four years as a Director in the Superintendent’s Office at The Archdiocese of New York. Prior to that, he spent 10 years with Lynch Development Associates, a Catholic development consulting firm, serving as Vice President for four years. By addressing the structural and fiscal needs of Archdiocese, Diocese, Catholic parishes, Catholic schools, and various ministries and focusing on feasibility and strategic planning, capital campaigns, stewardship initiatives, and increased offertory programs and annual appeals, he raised over $115 million.

Thomas also serves on various school boards and is a member of the Order of Malta and the Knights of Columbus.

He and his wife, Carmen, presently reside in northern New Jersey with their two daughters, Sofia and Lucia. Thomas and his wife are parishioners the Church of Saint Mary in Rutherford, NJ.

Connect with Thomas: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-smith-75817b67/

Learn more about the Archdiocese of Newark: https://www.rcan.org/