When Bishop David Zubik held his first meeting with the board of directors of Our Campaign for the Church Alive!, Inc., nearly two years ago, he had an important message to deliver.

Their responsibility as volunteer members of the board, he told them, is to assure trust, accountability and transparency in all that they do.

The campaign’s mission is to strengthen parishes, invigorate evangelization, revitalize sacramental life, support education and formation in the faith, train pastoral and lay leaders, and serve the poor and marginalized.

“From the very beginning, we wanted donors to be confident that their gifts are being used for purposes outlined in the diocesan and parish cases for support,” Bishop Zubik said. “The non-profit corporation implements policies and procedures for assuring that gifts are used for their intended purposes.”

Some of the region’s finest experts in finance, accounting, law and the church are serving Bishop Zubik on the board and represent more than 41,000 families and individuals who said “yes” and gave to the campaign.

The board reviews grant applications, ensuring the requests relate to the diocesan case for support, such as   $1 million to endow a full-time dentist for the Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center and $150,000 to help expand the facility.

To date, $8.6 million in grants has been awarded by the board, with another $9.3 million distributed directly to parishes for their campaign priorities.

The board is chaired by J. Christopher Donahue, President and CEO of Federated Investors, Inc., and member of Sacred Heart Parish in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood.

“What you really have is a revitalization of the Church in Pittsburgh,” Donahue said. “The real purpose of the campaign is to make the Church come alive. Bishop Zubik has a lot of strong support. He’s a real shepherd.

“This board was created to be able to help the bishop assure that donor intent would rule and the diocesan Case Statement is followed,” Donahue said.

Board member and retired CPA Nick Constantakis, a member of St. Scholastica Parish in Aspinwall, has worked alongside Donahue for four decades.

“I have the utmost respect for Chris, especially his credibility and his honesty,” Constantakis said. “When he gets involved in something, it’s going to be done right and is something with which I want to be involved.”

Constantakis, who spent 37 years with Arthur Andersen & Co., including 25 years as an audit and consulting partner, serves on the board’s audit committee.

“We make sure that policies and procedures are in place and the auditors test the process to verify we’re honoring the donors’ intent,” Constantakis said.

Attorney Marie Milie Jones, chair of the audit committee, understands it’s important to be accountable to donors because of what is at stake.

“People are being asked to make a big sacrifice,” said Jones, a founding partner of JonesPassodellis, PLLC, and parishioner at St. Kilian in Cranberry. “As board members, we appreciate their sacrifice and must be comfortable that the money is used for what is intended. Trust is very important.”

It’s also an important principle of good Christian Stewardship.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops teaches that stewardship means safeguarding our resources and using them responsibly, along with generously sharing our time, talent and treasure.

“But being a Christian steward means more,” the bishops’ pastoral letter states. “We receive God’s gifts gratefully, cultivate them responsibly, share them lovingly in justice with others, and return them with increase to the Lord.”

Board member Brian Tarquinio believes Our Campaign for The Church Alive! could do wonders for evangelization—not just because it will help fund outreach efforts.

“Seeing what the Holy Father, Pope Francis, has done over the last 19 months, we have a chance to build on that momentum to show the positive nature of the Catholic Church,” said Tarquinio, senior vice president of wealth management for UBS Financial Services, and member of St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland.

“The great generosity of the faithful of our diocese is transforming our hopes and wishes into wonderful opportunities,” Bishop Zubik said.