Social Media’s 80/20 Rule

Oct 16, 2019

Do you know social media’s 80/20 rule? It’s the same as the 80/20 rule in other areas of Catholic parish life. If you review your parish finances, it’s highly likely that 80 percent of your offertory comes from 20 percent of your families. Likewise, 20 percent of your volunteers are completing 80 percent of your volunteer hours. This concept, known as the 80/20 rule or the Pareto Principle, also applies to social media. Eighty percent of your online activity – likes, shares and comments – is generated by 20 percent of your followers. Even if you’re posting daily and have hundreds of followers, you’ll start to notice the same key followers are the most likely to interact with your posts. That’s good. Let’s identify those people and then use their skills to help grow the parish.

Here’s how to put these folks to work.

Identify the “usual suspects” on your Facebook page: Who are the first people to like, comment and share?
Acknowledge them: Send an email, Facebook message or a personal note to each of your online super supporters. Thank them for their support. Recognize the important role they play in the New Evangelization and encourage them to keep it up.
Compare your active online and offline volunteers: Is there overlap between your key parishioners and your key online followers? Personally reach out to any key volunteers who aren’t showing up on your parish Facebook page. Simply ask them to follow the page and share anything they really like. Let them know it’s part of the parish’s strategy for the New Evangelization to be more active online. Just ask for their help!
Get everyone together: By inviting your most committed parishioners and key online followers to meet and work together on committees, councils, and task forces, you are assembling a dream team for your parish that will have a reach far beyond the usual working group.

Part of the reason you want to invite the 20% to gather together is that they tend to score high in the “Woo” category (not “WHOO!” – rather, “woo” as in they know how to woo others to the cause). They’re highly skilled at enthusiastically recruiting others to their cause. They are the people you need to grow your online audience. Apply social media’s 80/20 rule and make it work for you!

Nic Prenger, J.D.

Nic Prenger founded PSG in 2018 to help Catholic dioceses, churches and schools adapt and thrive in the new world of digital fundraising.

Having spent the previous 12 years leading one of the largest Catholic fundraising firms in the nation, Nic has seen first-hand how quickly donor habits are changing as the world moves online. Tried-and-true fundraising strategies are becoming less effective, while new, digital tools allow dioceses to find and connect with donors in ways that were previously unimaginable.

Over the past decade Nic has raised more than $300 million for Catholic organizations and served as trusted counsel to many of the country’s premier Catholic development programs.

As CEO of Prenger Solutions Group, Nic leads a team of experts who provide digital fundraising solutions to Catholic dioceses, schools and parishes. Clients choose to partner with PSG in order to design and implement next-generation fundraising programs that include online giving, email marketing, donor software, data analytics, social media, website design and landing page optimization.

A native of Carroll, Iowa, Nic is a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha and the University of Iowa Law School. A former board member for the Magis Catholic Teacher Corps, Nic served on the National Catholic Educational Association’s national advisory council for leadership development. He also serves on the stewardship committee for Christ the King Parish in Omaha, where he belongs along with his wife, Holly, and their three children.

Nic’s leadership experience includes working for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee in Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

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John Rogers, M.A.

John Rogers joined PSG in 2019 and works with church and diocesan clients to improve their digital giving and communications practices.

Prior to joining PSG, John served as director of advancement for the Anselm House Christian study center at the University of Minnesota. Before that, John worked as a development consultant, serving Catholic churches, schools, and dioceses in Minnesota, Colorado, and California. John's professional passion is uniting the principles of Christian stewardship with modern technology in order to help churches minister more effectively.

John lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife, Sara, and their four children, where John is a deacon candidate. In his free time, John and Sara manage Catholic Miscarriage Support, a website and independent ministry that supports women and families suffering from unexpected pregnancy loss. His written work has been published in Dappled Things, Catholic Yearbook, and through the Minnesota Catholic Conference website. John is active in his church as a minister to the homebound and is a member of Teams of Our Lady, an international marriage apostolate.

John holds a BA in English/Language Arts from St. John's University (Minn.) and an MA in Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas (Minn.).

Andy Schroeder, MBA

Andy Schroeder joined PSG after spending more than ten years fundraising for higher education and Catholic organizations.

Andy has planned and implemented both capital and planned giving campaigns and has extensive experience in major gift fundraising, strategic planning and creative problem solving.

A self-proclaimed “data geek,” Andy has presented webinars and spoken at national conferences on how to leverage data and analytics to achieve success in fundraising. Andy is recognized as a Blackbaud Champion and he brings that knowledge and insight to bear for PSG clients who utilize Raiser’s Edge software.

Residing in Dubuque, Iowa, Andy is a graduate of Clarke University (Iowa) and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication as well as a Master of Business Administration degree from the institution. He serves on the board of directors at several nonprofits including Dupaco Community Credit Union and Carnegie Stout Public Library Foundation. He also serves on the Development Committee of Holy Spirit Parish in Dubuque, where he is a member alongside his wife and two children.

Ashley Winans, MPA

Ashley joined PSG in 2020 to lead strategy and implementation for schools, dioceses and parishes.

Ashley has spent the last sixteen years in the nonprofit sector focusing on strategic planning, capital campaign, major gift and annual fundraising, special events and marketing.

As an Omaha native, Ashley has a master's degree in Public Administration with a concentration in Nonprofit Communications from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. She established tenure in the non-profit sector working for Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands, Boys Town, Creighton University and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Her most recent achievement was leading a $25 million capital campaign to provide new Clubs for after-school programming for local youth.

Ashley, her husband, Robert, and their two children are members of St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church. In their free time they enjoy international travel.

Rob Simms

Rob Simms is Vice President at PSG where he works with diocesan and school clients to design modern, effective fundraising programs.

Prior to joining PSG, Rob led capital campaigns for Catholic dioceses and churches and served on the management team of one of the largest Catholic fundraising firms in the nation.

Rob has raised more than $100 million and led diocesan campaigns for the Archdiocese of Omaha and the Diocese of Knoxville. The latter campaign raised more than $44 million from just 51 parishes in a young, mission diocese in order to fund the construction of a new cathedral and other priorities.

Rob has a communications background and worked in media relations at Creighton University for more than a decade before answering the call to work with nonprofits. A proud native of St. Louis, Mo., Rob is a graduate of Truman State University (Mo.). While working on his communications degree at Truman State, he earned four varsity letters as a pitcher on the baseball team. In fact, Rob's name can be found in the NCAA record book - only because the NCAA tracks statistics like earned runs allowed in a game.

Rob and his wife have twin daughters and a son. When he’s not helping nonprofits, he can be found volunteering at his church in West Omaha, coaching his son’s little league baseball team, and broadcasting various Creighton athletics events.

Andrew Menke

Andrew Menke joined PSG with more than five years of professional experience in fundraising for Christian organizations.

In his roles as a campaign manager and development director, Andrew managed planning studies, capital campaigns and stewardship programs for 15 different schools, parishes, and dioceses, helping raise more than $50 million for various needs.

Andrew graduated from the University of St. Thomas (Minn.), where he entered the Catholic Studies program, and studied business at the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship. Andrew also participated in his college’s theater program, taking lead roles in several major productions.

Andrew lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Theresa, and two daughters, where they are parishioners at St. Peter’s Church in Mendota. He serves as a visiting companion for Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly in Minneapolis.

Sarah Aligo, M.S.E.

Sarah Aligo was recruited to join PSG in 2020 to provide digital fundraising solutions for Catholic dioceses, schools, and parishes.

With nearly 20 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit fundraising, Sarah has spent her career focusing on annual and major gift fundraising, direct mail, online giving campaigns, grants, marketing, board fundraising, special events, and volunteers.

The Kansas City area native earned a master’s degree in education, with an emphasis in higher education administration, from the University of Kansas, and a bachelor’s degree in communication, with a minor in public relations, from Emporia State University (Kan.). Before joining PSG, she raised private support for the University of Kansas, Oklahoma State University, Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and the Chattanooga Area Food Bank. She is an active member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and Rotary International.

Residing in DeWitt, Mich., Sarah, her husband, Scott, and their two children are members of the Catholic Community of St. Jude. They are avid football fans, spending their free time on the practice field and Saturdays cheering on their University of Kansas Jayhawks, where her husband is the Director of Scouting for the football team.

Stacy Cope

Stacy provides high-level database services and solutions to PSG clients. She is happiest when helping organizations make the best use of software solutions to make their work easier and more effective.

Stacy has significant diocesan fundraising experience, having started her fundraising career coordinating the annual appeal for the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas.

Over the years her fundraising and database skills have also benefited Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas; Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha, and the CUES Schools in inner-city Omaha, where Stacy served as database administrator and led complex data conversions.

After growing up in Kearney, Nebraska, Stacy attended Benedictine College where she earned a B.A. in Theology and Music and was a Presidential Scholar.

Stacy and her husband Brendan live in Omaha with their two children. They are members of Immaculate Conception parish. In her spare time, Stacy enjoys making jellies and kolaches to share with friends and family.

Mitch Fisher

Mitch Fisher joined PSG in 2021 and works with parishes to improve their use of social media.

Before joining PSG, Mitch was a content creator at Class Intercom where he worked with schools and students creating content for social media. Prior to that, he served as a support intern at Hudl where he assisted high school and college coaches with a wide array of digital products.

In 2017, Mitch accepted the #Digital4Good Award at Twitter Headquarters for his efforts to promote positivity on social media. Mitch's passion lies at the intersection of social media content and the Church, and he volunteers with his local parish helping them with social media and livestreaming.

Mitch is the son of Greg and Angie Fisher and is the oldest of four siblings. He lives in Lincoln, Nebraska where he enjoys running, playing sand volleyball, eating ice cream, trying local craft beers, and singing in the church choir.

Mitch attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he was president of the Phi Kappa Theta Catholic fraternity. He graduated with a degree in Journalism.

Leslie Ulrich, MBA

Leslie joined PSG in 2021 with nearly ten years of fundraising experience. She has served as a front-line fundraiser in higher education and served dozens of Catholic organizations.

Prior to joining PSG, Leslie conducted feasibility studies and capital campaigns for nonprofit organizations across the country, helping to raise more than $10 million. Leslie’s ability to build relationships has proven invaluable in her fundraising career.

Leslie holds two degrees from Creighton University in Omaha: a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Business Administration.

Leslie lives in Wichita, Kansas and is an active parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. She and her husband, Luke welcomed their first son in 2020. They spend their free time outdoors as much as possible, whether it’s at the park with their dog, at the lake or just doing yardwork.

Lauren Ballew

Lauren provides Raiser’s Edge consulting and database administration services to PSG clients.

She was recruited to join PSG because of her passion for helping Catholic nonprofits succeed, and her 15 years of experience with Raiser’s Edge software.

Lauren graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Psychology. She volunteered as a Catholic missionary after graduation and has worked with NET Ministries, the Seminaries of Saint Paul, and The Church of St. Joseph in West St. Paul.

After almost 20 years in Minnesota, Lauren returned to Texas, where she now lives near her parents and sister. She enjoys watching Aggie Football, Broadway theatre, traveling the US and abroad, and volunteering.

Austen Brown

Austen provides Raiser’s Edge consulting and database administration services to PSG clients.

Austen has worked as a Database Administrator within the non-profit sector for nearly a decade. She has extensive experience working within databases to reduce redundancy, create consistency, and find sustainable solutions that stand the test of time. She was recently recognized as one of Blackbaud’s “50 Most Engaged Customer Advocates” and is a sought-after speaker on all things Blackbaud. She has been a featured speaker at Blackbaud’s Annual Conference on the Mainstage and has joined a Blackbaud RE NXT Geek Out webinar to inspire fellow citizen developers to create custom automations through Microsoft’s Power Platform.

After growing up in Charlottesville, Virginia, Austen attended St. Lawrence University where she earned a B.A. in Music and History. Austen and her husband live in North Carolina. In her spare time, Austen enjoys solving complex Sudoku puzzles, creating art, playing music, and spending time outdoors.

Katie McCurdy

Katie provides Raiser’s Edge consulting and database administration services to PSG clients.

Katie comes to PSG with over 10 years of non-profit advancement experience. Her most recent position was Director of Advancement Operations and Special Events at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, her alma mater. In this position Katie oversaw the school’s Raiser’s Edge database ensuring accurate constituent and gift records, processing reports, segmented appeal lists and maintaining lifetime giving records for proper recognition. She also managed and executed all stewardship and fundraising events which consistently netted over goal.

Prior to Santa Margarita, Katie worked at St. Joseph Hospital Foundation as a Development Assistant - Special Events and Annual Giving and as a Media Research Analyst at SmithGeiger, LLC.

Katie graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor in Science in Communication, Public Relations. She lives in Mission Viejo, California where she enjoys running, reading, ballet performances and spending time with her friends and family.

Andrew Bridger

Andrew Bridger joined PSG in 2022 and is responsible for the development and execution of a comprehensive marketing philosophy, business strategy and direction of the brand. He oversees the organization’s digital & traditional marketing, event planning, public relations and community outreach programs.

Prior to joining PSG, Andrew spent 10 years working at Gallup with a focus on growing the CliftonStrengths brand through strategic marketing efforts and product development. With a passion for marketing, Andrew’s greatest strengths are his creativity, drive and leadership. He thrives on challenges, particularly ones that require action immediately.

Residing in Omaha, NE, Andrew has his bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Human Resource Management from the University of Nebraska Omaha where he was also the captain of the Men’s Basketball Team and Male Athlete of the Year in 2010.

Andrew, his wife, Cara, and their four children are members at Relevant Community Church. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching sports, working out and spending time with his kids.

Angie Addison

Angie joined PSG in 2022 to lead efforts in standardizing development lifecycle practices to increase the speed, efficiency, and value of products and services delivered to PSG’s customers.

Prior to joining PSG, Angie was a Team Lead at Blackbaud on the Education Management platform where she was the Product Manager on several applications and managed other product staff. She was featured and presented on the main stage at Blackbaud annual conference in 2021. Prior to Blackbaud, she was Partner at a start-up that secured a spot in a regional incubation program and was featured in New Hampshire Business Magazine’s annual top entrepreneurs’ issue.

Angie has twenty-five years of experience in systems development and product roles in non-profit, healthcare, and education. She has a BS in Business Management with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from Granite State College and holds LEAN, Scrum Master, Product Manager III, and Project Management certifications.

A New Hampshire native, Angie lived and worked in Boston for many years before moving to the Sunapee, New Hampshire region where she now raises her two boys. When not at soccer or baseball they enjoy traveling and spending time with friends and family.

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Here’s how to put these folks to work.

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