The Applied Business Analytics Casebook: Applications in Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, and Operations Research

Case 3. Forecasting Offertory Revenue at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church^*

* Finalist in the 2011 INFORMS Case Competition

Matthew J. Drake, Duquesne University

Ozgun Caliskan-Demirag, Pennsylvania State University—Erie, The Behrend College

Introduction

Fr. Clyde Jarreau could not sleep early in the morning of October 10, 2005. The evening before, he had presided over his parish’s monthly finance committee meeting, where concerned parishioners examined the church’s monthly financial statements and provided recommendations to keep the organization on track financially. At the previous night’s meeting, a few of the committee members continued to voice their concern that spending was out of control. The church’s bank account balances had fallen ...