7 Things I'd Miss If I Didn't Do Fundraising

Fundraising is hard work and it's really, really easy to come up with reasons why I don't want to do it.  Often my heart screams at me to just "get a normal job".  But in my sober moments, I know that I'd really miss the rich benefits of fundraising.

Here are 7 things I'd miss if I didn't do fundraising:

#1: Having a huge, godly family

Though I didn't know it when I started fundraising, over time I realized that God had provided a huge, godly "family" around me.  I have dozens of "moms" and "dads" who love me a ton and are constantly offering up prayers and sending me encouragement.  There are few things I love more than going "home" to visit them and hearing how God has been at work.

Moreover, there are many on my support team that I really look up to.  They're gifted in so many ways - ways that have convicted and inspired me.  Some of my biggest heros are people I met through fundraising.

#2: Reaffirming my calling regularly

A repeated assertion in this blog is that fundraising is hard.  And whenever anything's hard, it makes us question if it's worth doing.  Though it's tempting to view such questioning as a bad thing, I've seen many times in my own life that the end result of asking these questions is a deeper resolve.  In fact, I'm convinced that my earlier years as an atheist came about precisely because I didn't ask enough questions.

Fundraising causes me to question regularly whether I truly feel called to the ministry I'm involved in.   After asking these questions almost 13 years now, it's only caused me to love this ministry more deeply.

#3: Recalling God's faithfulness constantly

The very nature of fundraising requires me to share my testimony at every opportunity.  Though I confess that at times, in my selfishness, I've grown tired of sharing it over and over again, I've realized that I never have to share it the same way twice - and actually I'd do well to purposefully connect it to each person's own story as best I can.  This causes me to remember God's faithfulness to me constantly and in fresh ways.

Moreover, though it's not always super-encouraging to read my monthly reports at the end of the month, I've learned to focus my viewpoint on what God has provided rather than on what He has withheld.  Recalling God's faithfulness fills me with thankfulness for His monthly provisions.

#4: Reminders that this is not my home

Most fundraisers I know could be pulling in a more impressive paycheck if they'd used their skills in the secular world.  For example, a couple years ago a friend shared with me his job description.  It sounded remarkably similar to mine, except that he was working for a big company rather than a small ministry - and it turned out that he was making over three times what I made!  That led me to have one of those "reaffirming my calling regularly" moments!

In pondering that further, however, I was grateful.  Yes, we fundraisers may not be able to afford the same kinds of vacations or houses, but in realizing what we can't have in this life, we can have excellent reminders that this is not our home.  One day we will reign with Jesus.  But not yet.

#5: Financial security

The flipside of #4 is #5: fundraisers actually have great financial security!  When the recession hit the US years ago, my support level dropped - but only by a small percentage.  However, many of my friends and family lost their jobs altogether.  They may have been making more than I did before the financial crisis, but even my smaller portion was better than suddenly having nothing!  Fundraisers are recession-proof.

#6: Fantastic training for ministry

Yes, fundraising IS ministry - but fundraising is also not your end-goal.  Yet, your end-goal ministry will benefit tremendously from your time in fundraising!  You're learning to connect with all manner of people, to share the gospel in winsome ways, to network when you're out of contacts, to be diligent, to rely on God to provide (see #7), etc.  Honing these skills now will allow you to hit the ground running once you're fully-funded.

#7: Increasing my dependence on God

I'm personally convinced that God can finish your fundraising anytime He wants.  Money is not the limiting factor.  Rather, He wants you to learn something.  That something almost certainly includes dependence.  And patience.  And crying out to Him when all else seems lost.

That way He gets the glory, you get the blessing and the world gets to see what faith looks like.

I wouldn't trade that for anything.

What would you add to this list?

How NOT to be encouraged at a missions conference

Here are some sure-fire ways to NOT be encouraged at a missions conference:

1. Compare your materials, displays, website, family size, character or fundraising status with those of the other missionaries.
2. Wonder if there will be enough room for everyone to gather around your table at once.
3. Bring an extra ream of paper in case your newsletter sign-up lists get filled up.
4. Come ready to thank the pastor for his intimate knowledge of your kids names, hobbies and/or daily responsibilities.
5. Wait eagerly for people to dump money into your lap.
6. Live-tweet the event so your followers needn't be in suspense.
7. Spend the whole time behind a table rather than engaging people.
8. Expect to hear only fully contextualized and insightful Biblical encouragement as though they were spoken by Solomon himself.
9. Ask the missions chair whether you'll be the main speaker today or tomorrow.

Alternatively... here are a couple verses worth meditating on to help counter the list above:

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
a stranger, and not your own lips. (Proverbs 27:2)

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4)

An open thank-you note

This is an open thank-you note to those donors who help make fundraising worth it.

To those donors who return phone calls, thank you. You have no idea how rare you are.

To those donors who give special gifts, even on top of your regular giving, thank you. It is common for a regular gift to be skipped; it is not common for someone to help make up the difference.

To those donors who pray for us, thank you. Many people, including us ourselves, can believe that what we need most is funding. But you know the truth: what we need even more is Jesus. Please keep praying that we would know Him more. (And for funding, too, please!)

To those who send us a card, text or Facebook message to let us know we’re being prayed for, thank you. You are like the previous donor but worthy of double honor.

To those who remember the name of our ministry when we call the second time, thank you. We often appreciate this even more than you remembering our names.

To those who confront the elephant in the room by asking what our needs are, thank you. There is not a fundraiser in the world who knows how to bring this up in a non-awkward way. If anyone claims otherwise, they're lying.

To those who talk about Jesus more than anything else, thank you. We need this for the sake of our souls. We also need this modeled for us because being in full-time ministry doesn't mean we're good at it.

To those who control their pets when we meet together, thank you. Our allergists also thank you.

To those who send us home with leftovers, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

To those who treat us like royalty when we feel like beggars, thank you. You remind us that we are ambassadors of the King. Please continue reminding us of this, because we forget it more quickly than you know.

To those who introduce us to your friends at church, thank you. We may appear confident on the outside while meeting new people at a church, but inside we're terrified. (Watch our eyes and you'll see it.) You standing by our side and saying even one encouraging thing about our ministry is like offering a glass of water to one dying of thirst.

To those who see yourselves as our partners in the gospel, thank you. We truly need you. Without you we would wither and fail, but with you we are encouraged each day to trust again in God's sustaining grace.


If you have done any of these things, on behalf of those you're supporting, we sincerely thank you.

For you fundraisers: when’s the last time you've thanked God for your donors by name, and especially those who come to mind as you read this list?  Why not drop them a note right now to let them know that you’re thankful for them?

What else would you add to this list? Let us know in the comments or on your favorite social network!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV)

If we're to give thanks in all circumstances, how much more so on a day called "thanks giving"?

To help you with that, here are some questions to help cultivate thankfulness for what God is doing through your fundraising:

1. How much of your support has God already brought in? Usually we focus on how much we have left to raise, which causes us to focus on what we lack. Let's instead give thanks to God for what we have by His grace!
2. How much of your support has come in because of your excellent fundraising skills? Maybe you're much better at fundraising than I am, but most likely this is a very, very low number. Let's give thanks to God that He has worked in people's hearts to bring in so much!
3. How many amazing people have you met through fundraising that you wouldn't have met otherwise? Let's give thanks to God that He has led us to such people!
4. How many times has your fundraising experience caused you to rely more fully on His grace? Though often painful, let's give thanks to God for causing us to find the most possible joy in Him alone!
5. In how many other ways has God shown you His faithfulness so far? Let's give thanks to God for all those ways - and for the ways yet to come!

Have a wonderful holiday!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV)

10 things that fundraising is NOT

Fundraising is NOT...

1. easy
2. impossible
3. for those who want to be wealthy (in this world, anyway)
4. self-glorifying
5. about the money
6. the end-goal of your ministry (usually!)
7. begging
8. pointless
9. only for someone else
10. all this blog is about...

...this blog is also about the gospel. 

The gospel...

1. frees us to do hard things
2. makes the impossible possible
3. offers us immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine
4. glorifies Christ
5. is about rescuing the lost
6. is the means to reach the end-goal of your ministry
7. recognizes that we are perpetually beggars (who are offered all we need in Jesus)
8. gives meaning to our lives, to suffering, to history and everything else we experience
9. is for everyone
10. is the foundation of every blog entry here.

What else would you add to these lists?