January on Campus: A New Semester, A New Invitation

by Orlando Barros
Chief Development Officer
Catholic Campus Ministry Association

January is a strange but beautiful time in campus ministry.

For many campus ministers, the semester is just beginning. Students are returning. Schedules are filling up. New faces are walking through the doors; some for the first time, some coming back after a long break, some quietly searching for something they can’t quite put a name on yet.

And for many of you, January also comes with questions.

Maybe your fundraising efforts last semester went well.
Maybe they didn’t.
Maybe you hit your goals, or maybe you’re wondering how you’re going to make things work this spring.

Wherever you find yourself right now, I want to say this clearly: January is not a verdict… It’s an invitation.

Looking Back With Gratitude & Not With Judgment

At CCMA, we’ve spent the last few months walking closely with campus ministers across the country. We’ve heard stories of generosity, unexpected support, quiet faithfulness, and real struggle.

Some ministries experienced strong donor engagement. Others felt discouraged by silence or uncertainty. Both experiences are real… and both belong in the story of ministry.

What matters most is not whether everything went “perfectly,” but whether relationships were honored.

Did donors hear from you?
Did they feel seen?
Did they know how their support mattered?
Did you show up as yourself…faithfully, honestly, and with gratitude?

Fundraising is not a separate activity from ministry. It is ministry. It is an extension of relationship.

January Is a Relationship Reset

The beginning of a new semester is one of the best times to reconnect with intention instead of urgency.

This is a season to:

  • Thank those who gave last semester

  • Reach out to those who didn’t respond

  • Share what God is doing right now on your campus

  • Invite people back into relationship, not just into giving

You don’t need a perfect pitch. You don’t need a polished plan. You need honesty, presence, and consistency.

Funds don’t flow from pressure. They flow from trust.

What CCMA Is Doing This Semester

As a national association, CCMA is entering this semester with deep hope.

We are continuing to:

  • Support campus ministers who feel isolated or overwhelmed

  • Build peer community and formation through our programs

  • Strengthen relationships with dioceses, partners, and donors

  • Help ministers grow in confidence around development and stewardship

And just as importantly, we are recommitting ourselves to relationship-first work… with our members and with those who support this mission.

We don’t believe in transactional ministry. We believe in accompaniment on campus and with those who make this work possible.

An Encouragement as the Semester Begins

If you’re feeling confident right now: give thanks.
If you’re feeling anxious: take heart.
If you’re somewhere in between: you’re not alone.

January is about showing up!... Reach out, share your heart, tell the story of what’s unfolding on your campus this semester and invite others to walk with you.

Relationships begin with presence… And funds are the fruit of relationship.

As this semester begins, please know that CCMA is walking with you, and that we are grateful for the work you do every day to accompany students where they are.

We’re praying for you as this new season unfolds.

Rosie Chinea Shawver