Courtesy photo
Bliss Austin Spooner
Bliss Austin Spooner, who served as director of development for four years, departed from the diocesan staff on June 14, having accepted a position with Hearth, Inc., a Boston nonprofit organization dedicated to ending elderly and older adult homelessness through the creation and management of affordable supportive housing.
Austin Spooner oversaw the diocesan Annual Fund and major gift appeals, as well as the conclusion of the Together Now campaign, the 2020 COVID-19 emergency grant appeal and the initiation of new development software.
Going forward, as the approach to development models is being reviewed, the diocese is contracting for now with Cornerstone Fundraising to guide development efforts. The Rev. Brian Raiche is the president and senior principal of Cornerstone, and has led numerous capital campaigns, annual appeals, major donor solicitations and endowment campaigns in more than 50 churches and institutions. He also serves as the rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Reading.