The first annual Mission Cup was contested this year between Prep and Villa. The leading figure in putting all of the necessary rules and regulations in place was Mr. Krahe. Mr. Krahe is one of the head staff members in the Advancement Office at Cathedral Prep. He, along with his staff, work to help raise the amount of donations that Prep receives every year. They also sort through donations and decide exactly where the donations should go towards.
Luckily, the Advancement Office got a huge lift when a Cathedral Prep alum decided to do a 60 Days of Giving fundraiser at Prep. The anonymous alum pledged that he would double every donations given to Cathedral Prep during the first 59 days. Also, on the last day, he would triple the donations.
Mr. Krahe then decided that he needed a way for Prep students to start donating even while they are at Prep. He wanted to get students involved because donating now, even a little, helps to make students aware of the need for donations and also gives them a better understanding of giving.
Teachers from Villa Maria Academy, the sister school of Prep, heard about Mr. Krahe’s situation and about the 60 Days of Giving. They suggested to Mr. Krahe a competition between Prep and Villa to see who could donate the most money on the day when donations were going to be tripled. Mr. Krahe loved the idea and started the Mission Cup.
The results were better than expected and together, both schools raised over $40,000. They also got 500 new donors as a result of the Mission Cup. Mr. Krahe said that they would like to continue to do this every year, but that requires the students to continue to contribute to donating.  The first Mission Cup was awarded to the Villa campus for having the highest student participation total between both campuses.
Unfortunately, the 60 Days of Giving was only a one year commitment by the anonymous Prep alum. Mr. Krahe said that the Mission Cup went well overall. There were some complaints, but that happens with anything that is new. When asked about the point of the Mission Cup, he said, “It was mainly to raise awareness for donating, especially because most students donate their time and talents, but always forget about the treasure part.” Ultimately, the Mission Cup got the conversation of donating started, and that’s all that Mr. Krahe hoped for.