Skeptical about the idea of discipling your donors? Interested but don't really understand what it means? Below is a collection of articles, books and other resources urging ministry leaders to disciple their donors in Christian giving. If after reading you have further questions, you may want to consult our common objections from ministry leaders.
Raising Up Stewards
Gary Hoag. Denver Seminary Focal Point 27, no. 4 (Winter 2004).
Gary Hoag, vice president of advancement at Denver Seminary, explains the vision of the seminary’s “Equipping Leaders, Increasing the Impact” campaign. More than raising funds (for a potential new seminary campus), Hoag wants this campaign to raise up stewards who incarnate the same kind of radical generosity that Jesus did. Hoag reflects upon the stewardship ministry of biblical figures such as Moses and Paul, and especially of Jesus, to arrive at principles of fund raising in the Christian community. According to Hoag, a succinct statement that should characterize any stewardship campaign is the quote attributed to Jesus in Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
 Back to top
God, Money, Giving, and Asking
Wesley K. Willmer. Boardwise (January/February 2002).
Writing for board members of nonprofit and Christian organizations, Wesley K. Willmer, vice president for university advancement and professor at Biola University, maintains that in order to raise money successfully, we must understand God’s view of money. This first installment of a three-part series reminds us that God is in fact concerned with our money and our possessions; in fact, almost half of all of Christ’s parables concerned this topic. There is a correlation between a commitment to giving and spiritual maturity, and when we grasp this, we will begin to learn God’s principles for fund raising. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
Back to top
How Does God See Our Giving?
Wesley K. Willmer. Boardwise (March/April 2002).
Board members of Christian and nonprofit organizations are often involved in both donating money themselves and asking other people to give. Wesley K. Willmer, vice president for university advancement and professor at Biola University, reminds board members that God sees giving as primarily a spiritual matter, and this should be kept in mind in any fund-raising activities. Willmer gives six ways in which God links our earthly possessions with our eternal souls. His first self-examination question is undoubtedly his most thought-provoking: “Who will greet you in heaven because they are there as a result of how you used possessions on earth as a tool to bring them into heaven?” Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
Back to top
Giving and Growing Spiritually
Wesley K. Willmer. Boardwise (May/June 2002).
Our spiritual maturity is directly related to how we think about and what we do with our money. Wesley K. Willmer, vice-president for university advancement and professor at Biola University, gives six stages of faith and stewardship maturity: the imitator, the modeler, the conformer, the individual, the generous giver, and the mature steward. As we recognize these stages in ourselves and those we are encouraging to give, we will have a context in which to stimulate further growth in our maturity as stewards of God’s kingdom. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
Back to top
Ministry or Manipulation?
Todd Harper. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Generous Giving, 2005.
What is our purpose in our relationships and interactions with others? Are we motivated to help others or help ourselves? Todd Harper, a Generous Giving executive and a former Campus Crusade for Christ fund raiser, speaks to fellow ministry leaders by asking yet another question: “How do we go about interacting with people in such a manner that they feel as if we are giving and not taking, seeking their best interests over our own?” Unfortunately, this is a struggle because even fund raisers are selfishly motivated beings who want the benefits for themselves. Harper’s response: reliance on Christ. By focusing on Christ, we are able to seek the interest of others over our own. Only through “an hour-by-hour, if not minute-by-minute, decision for me to die to my own agenda and seek to serve others” can a fund raiser truly say that he is ministering to and not manipulating donors.
Back to top
Do You Want Something from or for Givers?
Todd Harper. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Generous Giving, 2004.
What is the objective of a Christian engaged in fund raising? Is it only to raise money, or does it have a more relational side? Todd Harper, a Generous Giving executive and a former Campus Crusade for Christ fund raiser, has an important question for his fellow ministry leaders, and thus the title of this essay. He offers several suggestions: (1) joy, (2) God’s glory revealed in their lives, (3) Christ-likeness, (4) meaning and purpose, (5) eternal perspective, (6) kingdom impact, (7) freedom, (8) contentment, (9) obedience and (10) calling clarified. Tying this list in with Generous Giving’s mission, Harper says, “Our belief ... is that spiritual transformation is perfectly compatible with resource development—and that the fund raiser’s unique function in the body of Christ is to provide chances for others to grow in grace by giving to the Lord.”
Back to top
Fund Raising Is a Form of Ministry
Todd Harper. Chattanooga, Tenn.: Generous Giving, 2004.
The author, a Generous Giving executive and a former Campus Crusade for Christ fund raiser, offers highlights of a paper by author and priest Henri J.M. Nouwen titled Spirituality of Fund Raising: A Conversation with Henri Nouwen. Nouwen has three main points that fund raisers need to know: (1) Fund-raising is not a response to crisis; it is a form of ministry. (2) As it is ministry, there is always a call to conversion. (3) As ministers, then, we must reflect on these three things in our own lives: our relationship with money, our attitudes toward the wealthy, and our perspective on asking. Harper responds to Nouwen’s critique by emphasizing three goals for fund raisers: (1) We cannot put our security in money. (2) We must be free to love and serve the wealthy. (3) Only once the previous two issues are in order and only once we view fund raising as a ministry, are we then free to ask boldly.
Back to top
The Heart of Fund-Raising
Daryl Heald. Focus on Accountability (Fourth Quarter 2004).
At its core, the perennial problem of funding shortages faced by many Christian ministries is not so much a practical problem as it is a problem of the heart. Daryl Heald, president of Generous Giving and program officer of the Maclellan Foundation, points out that much of our attention in fund-raising focuses on improving tactics and perfecting transactions—to the critical neglect of the participating in the transformation of the giver’s heart. “It’s not necessarily a matter of articulating a clearer vision, improving a ministry’s effectiveness, strengthening the economic position or securing political stability that will generate greater giving; it’s a matter of transforming the [givers’] heart.” Applying this principle to the ministry leader first, Heald suggests three steps to help them disciple givers in the grace of giving. Ministry leaders must (1) “model with authenticity” through sacrificial giving to their own ministries, (2) “lead with the kingdom” before their own ministries and (3) “bring something to the table” because “generosity begets generosity” (Luke 6:38, The Message). Heald acknowledges the difficulty of this calling but encourages ministry leaders to help givers to “excel in this grace of giving” (2 Corinthians 8:7) as an important aspect of who they are in Christ.
Back to top
Study Shows Planned Giving Still in Early Stages: Charities Can Help Shape Thinking, Giving of Donors
John J. Havens, Paul G. Schervish and Mary A. O’Herlihy. The Nonprofit Times, July 1, 2003.
Fewer than one-third of Americans (31 percent) have designated a planned gift to charity. And those who have a plan contribute a larger proportion of income to charity on an annual basis than those who do not. Twenty-six percent of the population said that they are considering a planned gift in some form, with charitable bequests and donating assets the most popular method of planned giving. Furthermore, more households that donated to charity in 2002 also used one or more vehicles of planned giving, as compared with households that did not donate to charity that year. These results are among those of a study which show a large opportunity for charities to talk to donors about planned giving and help donors to shape the form the gift will take.
Back to top
Contemporary Evangelicalism and Mammon: Some Thoughts
Joel A. Carpenter. Chap. in More Money, More Ministry: Money and Evangelicals in Recent North American History. Larry Eskridge and Mark A. Noll, eds. Grand Rapids, Mich.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000.
This essay concludes from the preceding chapters in this book that evangelicals have, in many ways, been hampered by their own success when it comes to thinking biblically about money. “The vast majority of ministry leaders would never subscribe to a prosperity gospel ideology, but they are deeply infused with an American capitalist cultural understanding of the gospel—that God measures success by the numbers, that more money means more ministry, which means more success for God’s kingdom. So they tend to measure their own success as disciples and servants of the Lord by the size of their ministry. The ones whose ministries command millions are introduced on the prayer breakfast rostrums as God’s ‘choice servants.’ ... American Christians are material creatures, as missions historian Andrew Walls reminds us. We are ‘uninhibited about money’ and have a very large concern for size and scale.’ This ‘materiality,’ Walls asserts, often gives us a somewhat stunted appreciation for the less material dimensions of life, including the realm of the spirit. We tend to transform everything into the technical, material, and pragmatic dimensions we can appreciate. As Walls puts it, we see life as a series of ‘problems to be solved,’ as ‘something that can be all worked out. ... Evangelicals have mastered some of the organizational, financial, and managerial keys, it seems to achieve a level of institutional takeoff and cruising speed that will sustain the movement’s levels of ‘ministry activity’ for a long time. But does more ministry activity mean an advance of the kingdom? To answer that question aright, we Americans need some outside help.”
Back to top
Every Ministry Locally Funded Because Every Christian Is a Maturing Steward
Richard D. Allen. Occasional Bulletin, Fall 2002.
This is the bold vision, the new paradigm, for the expectant church in the 21st century: Unless every church in every location begins to fund its own future through biblical stewardship, there will always be a severe limit to its potential for growth, maturity, and outreach. The church will be relegated to deeper and deeper dependence. God’s people, whether in villages of poverty or high-rises of wealth, must become effective managers of God’s resources in order to live Christ’s life to the fullest and to locally fund the Great Commission.
Back to top
Encouraging Generosity: Learning to Value What God Values
Wesley K. Willmer. Christian Management Report 26, no. 4 (June 2002).
One reason Christians have a separate management association (Christian Management Association) is that they believe leadership through the eyes of Christ looks different—that a Christian worldview is distinct from a secular worldview. Christians, we understand, are to be in the world but not of it, pilgrims on this earth because our real, eternal home is in heaven. If that’s true, then when it comes to encouraging generosity from an organization’s constituents, it should look different from a secular model. If Christian leaders saw their organizations through God’s eyes, what would they value and what difference would it make in their money raising practices?
Back to top
Asking Is Just the Beginning: Maintaining Transparent Integrity throughout the Fundraising Process
Dan Busby. Christian Management Report 26, no. 4 (June 2002).
The complete stewardship process starts with a ministry’s written fund-raising philosophy. In the eyes of the giver, gift integrity has only begun when the donation check is written. What particular areas of gift integrity must Christian ministries carefully guard in the complete stewardship process? Here are just a few.
Back to top
A Stewardship Model for Fundraising: What the Words of Jesus Teach Us
Chip Grizzard. Christian Management Report 26, no. 4 (June 2002).
John R. Frank describes fund development in his book The Ministry of Development as “creating opportunities to involve God’s people in God’s work.” Frank’s quote expresses precisely what we do in fund raising. Through our work, we offer people an opportunity to place their treasure in God’s service. So why is this opportunity interpreted as a burden by those unfamiliar with Scripture? Perhaps it’s because they’re inundated with the messages of a popular culture that has a very different angle on the appropriate use of worldly treasures. As Christian fund-raisers, we must see ourselves not just as fundraisers, but as educators. We have a great and enduring text to fall back on. It’s capable of breaking the spell of popular culture, by reminding givers that the Lord is the source of all wealth and reserves his highest favors for those who follow his teaching.
Back to top
The Kingdom Currency: It’s All About Building Relationships
Larry Yonker, Chuck McGinty and Devlin Donaldson. Christian Management Report 26, no. 4 (June 2002).
For people of faith who have acquired significant wealth, there’s one ever-present question: “What does the Lord require of me?” This question rolls through their conscious and unconscious thoughts on a regular basis. And the message in I Timothy 6:17 is clear: We as believers are to be engaged in relationships with these wealthy people, pursuing our faith journey with them, discipling and instructing them to the answer to this question which plagues them, “How can I be a good steward of what God has given me?” Our job, contrary to human nature, is not to judge those with wealth, but to afford them the same opportunities for involvement we offer all of the other various constituencies we serve. That is, to befriend, engage and disciple them. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to help these wealthy individuals understand with clarity and compassion what Jesus says to them regarding earthly wealth.
Back to top
A Hospital in East Los Angeles Reaches Out to Local Residents and Increases Its Fund-Raising Power
Rebecca Gardyn. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, June 10, 2002.
The gala benefit dinners and golf tournaments just weren't working anymore. In truth, the events, which had been staples of White Memorial Medical Center's fund-raising efforts for years, never did bring in the kind of money the nonprofit hospital in East Los Angeles really needed. The health-care resources that the institution wanted to provide for its largely indigent, Hispanic constituency required far bigger sums than the mere $300,000 to $575,000 its foundation had consistently raised each year. But in 1997 a new CEO began to see potential in the ties that neighborhood residents had with the hospital. "It is a poor community, but people give what they have. They love this hospital. Many of their grandparents were born here. So when they are invited to be involved, they are very open about what their needs are." But because the hospital's charitable foundation's board of directors had for years been composed primarily of wealthy, Adventist, Caucasian doctors with few ties to the poor, Catholic, Hispanic population it served, those invitations for involvement rarely materialized. White Memorial's new emphasis on outreach has not only helped it bring in more funds and programs, but also increased its return on investment.
Back to top
Ivy League Advice: Elite Universities Find a New Line of Work: Providing Financial Advice for Loyal Donors
Dan Rottenberg. Bloomberg Wealth Manager, May 2002.
There exists a growing force in the world of finance: squadrons of sophisticated planned-giving officers for elite colleges and other major charities who package themselves not so much as institutional fund-raisers but as personal philanthropic advisors to alumni, givers and potential givers. Granted, planned-giving departments aren't actually drafting wills or managing assets for givers, but some of them come close.
Back to top
Donor Relationships: Valuing the Donor More Than the Donation
Mark Walker. Fund Raising Management, June 2001.
A growing number of organizations are realizing the importance of their elder donors for their financial future and have begun to develop approaches that are more in line with their donors’ needs and interest. Each resulting relationship occurs over the donor’s entire involvement with a ministry, not just during periods when he can “produce cash.”
Back to top
The Philanthropic Quest: A Fund-Raising and Organizational Development Paradigm Shift
Mark Walker. MAP International, 2001.
The use of a method called “The Philanthropic Quest” has helped ministry leaders impact the lives of donors and their organizations far beyond what fund raiser normally would expect to do. Donors’ lives have taken on new meaning as they reflect on the impact their involvement and philanthropy has had on the lives and organizations they care the most about. Lives have been transformed and organizations have been changed as they begin to appreciate the true values and importance of their donors and staff, allowing them to develop a shared vision that will continue to drive them to new levels in the future.
Back to top
Worldly Rewards: Religious Institutions Are Invoking Premiums to Inspire the Wealthy but Moral Dilemmas Arise over Events and Honors Reserved for Big Donors: Sipping Cocktails at a Convent
Lisa Miller. The Wall Street Journal, March 10, 1999.
Maybe money can't buy a ticket to heaven, but it can buy some nice perks from religious organizations here on earth.
Back to top
Ministry Leaders Too Often Sacrifice Family for Work
Greg Leith. Christianity Today, December 6, 2002.
The author’s urgent appeal to overtaxed fellow ministry leaders can be summed up in two words: family matters! If indeed it is time for you to re-balance your ministry and family, here are 10 ideas to jumpstart your thinking and to help you get back on track.
Back to top
Revolving-Door Dilemma: High Turnover of Fund Raisers Causes Big Problems at Charities
Elizabeth Schwinn and Meg Sommerfeld. The Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 18, 2002.
High turnover among fund raisers continues to plague many charities. It is a problem that, at least anecdotally, appears to be going strong or getting worse, despite a weak national economy that has prompted people in many other professions to curtail their job hunting. Yet for all its talk, the issue has received little recent attention from researchers, charity associations or foundations. Even at foundations that have made it a priority to help charities become more effective and efficient in their work, the issue of turnover among fund raisers rarely is discussed.
Back to top
Moses: Responding to God’s Revelation
Whitney T. Kuniholm. “A Biblical Foundation for Fund Raising” series, no. 1. Boardwise (May/June 1996).
In the book of Exodus, God calls the Israelites to build Him a tabernacle. Not only does God require His people to give toward this project, but He also commands their leader Moses to raise the money. As we consider Moses’ role as divinely appointed fund raiser, the author suggests that three principles from the text have application to Christian fund raising: (1) Biblical fund raising can be a response to God’s direct revelation. (2) Biblical fund raising encourages people to give only as a genuine response from the heart. (3) Biblical fund raising recognizes that volunteering of time and skill is just as important as giving possessions. Note: No downloadable text or audio is available at this time.
Back to top
|
| | |
Top Picks
The Heart of Fund-
Raising
More on This Topic
Books
Common Excuses
FAQ
Related Topics
Accountability and
Transparency
Christian Fund
Raising
Discipling the Donor
Naming Gifts after
Donors
Related Resources
Ministry Leaders’
Home Page
|
