A powerful testament to the life of a true hero to the poor and needy was unfolding in the Central African Republic on December 12^th, the day veteran fundraiser Father Edward Cappelletti died at age 92.

In dangerous and heartbreaking circumstances, 20,000 men, women and children fleeing in terror for their lives were being protected in two shelters of the Salesian Missions in the capital city of Bangui.

This latest example of humanitarian response in aid of the poorest and most abandoned in our world has been repeated decade after decade by the Salesian Missions, thanks in no small part to the 40-year fundraising career of Father Cappelletti.

Beginning with a three person office the 1950s, Father Ed transformed the Salesian Missions into a fundraising powerhouse with $25 million+ in small gifts from millions of donors.

Father Ed broke a lot of important fundraising ground, not only for Catholic charities, but for all direct response fundraisers.

As long-time associate and Father Ed mentee Chris Ragusa, president of the Estee Marketing Group, notes: “He was an ideas guy, a thinker. The kind of guy who would come up with 10 crazy ideas and one or two of them would be brilliant.”

Among Father Ed’s  brilliant contributions:

• Helping to found the National Catholic Development Conference (NCDC).

Until NCDC came along, there was no place other than the Catholic Press Association where Catholic charities could share information and educate themselves about fundraising.

To Sister Georgette Lehmuth, president and CEO of the NCDC, “He was a ‘wisdom figure’. His career was characterized by a willingness to share his expertise.”

• First Hispanic Database.

Today we all take for granted the existence of Hispanic mailing lists and databases. That was not the case in the 1970s.

To involve Hispanic donors in the U.S. in the Salesian Missions, Father Ed built the first surname table. No fancy algorithms, just a copy of the phone book of Puerto Rico, which was enough to build the surname table for the United States and to deliver the first direct mail campaigns written in Spanish.

• First Catholic Surname Table. 

Again, 40 years before the era of sophisticated data mining and Big Data, Father Ed  developed a combination of surname and geographic to create the first filters for identifying likely Catholic donors within massive mailing lists.

The result? Higher response rates. Greater retention. More efficiency.

For 73 years as a professed Salesian, 63 years as a priest, and 50 years as a fundraiser, Father Cappelletti lived by the priestly motto he took at his ordination on July 2, 1950: “The Son of Man came, not to be served, but to serve.”  (Mark 10:45)

We honor and celebrate his service.

Roger