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?

Four lies about "disposable income"

"That guy won't be able to give because he doesn't have any disposable income."

That's what I heard a fundraiser say recently about someone he was planning to meet with to ask for support. While I understand what he meant by the statement, I think it reflects a wrong view of fundraising - a wrong view that I also share all too often.

Hidden behind those words is the assumption that fundraisers are asking for the scraps of people's budgets. It's as though we're asking people for the money that they'd otherwise throw away or spend on meaningless things.

There are at least four lies behind that belief:

Lie #1: Christians have disposable income

If I knew any Christian who treated money as though it were disposable, I'd sit down with them quickly and talk to them about stewardship. Jesus has a lot to say about money, including, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt 6:21). What does it say about our hearts if we're throwing away money?

Lie #2: Our ministry is only worth the scraps

What a low view we must have of our ministry (and I dare say, our God) to believe that our ministry is only worth the scraps! If a famous world leader asked you to accomplish a mission for him, would you go about it as though it were unimportant? Would you ask for the scraps of the military or the rejects of the intelligence agency? Certainly not - you would ask the leader for SEAL Team Six and a six or nine figure budget and a story in every major newspaper. If he called you to this mission, he'd better well equip you. And everyone had better know what they can do to help. No one would dare offer you their scraps! 

How much greater is our God than even the mightiest of world leaders?

Lie #3: Our ministry only requires the scraps

Jesus is not offering us scraps to accomplish our mission. He's entrusting us with the hearts and souls of His people, calling us to shepherd the 99 and chase after the 1, forgiving seventy-times-seven times and giving up all our rights in the process. This will require huge, heaping portions of grace every day: spiritual, mental, emotional, relational and certainly financial. Woe to us if we expect to get by on scraps!

Lie #4: Jesus only asks for the scraps

Fundraising is a training ground for what you'll be doing once you've raised your support. At that point, what will you be asking of those you're ministering to? Will you ask people to give Jesus their scraps? Should they spend time with Him as they find opportunity? Should pursuing holiness be prioritized somewhere between trimming your toenails and repainting the den?

Shortly before accepting Christ as my Savior, I said to a Christian, "I've been told that God only asks for an hour of our time each week [at church]." He wisely responded, "God doesn't want an hour. He wants everything." I was offended by that, but for the first time, I understood that God was bigger than me. He wanted more than my scraps.

Here's how Jesus said it Himself: 

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. . . .So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26-27, 33)

I've written strongly on this matter because these lies about "disposable income" can be so devastating to our effectiveness - and it has been to mine from time to time. Don't believe them!

Remember your position as beloved sons and daughters of the Most High God. When you ask others to be part of your Father's work, don't ask for scraps; Ask BIG, and do so with equal measures of grace and boldness. 

Jesus is worthy of nothing less.

Refresh: The Wise Big-City Pastor

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh", named for the verse above. "Gospel" means "good news", and so it seems appropriate to highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Names and other details are modified just enough so as not to incriminate the innocent... or guilty! May this tale help refresh your bones!

- - - - - - - - -

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 ESV)

Early in my fundraising experience, I traveled to a large city and met with a pastor there. I felt intimidated and was having a hard time believing he'd be interested in supporting my ministry. Because of that I did a very "soft" ask for financial support. I was apologetic and felt embarrassed. I felt like I didn't know what I was doing and only saw myself as a beggar. 

At that point this wise pastor stopped me and said, "You are an ambassador for the King. And this is God's work. It is a noble work. You don't ever have to apologize for asking for support for God's work!" 

This made a big impression on me and changed the way I asked for support on future appointments.

Submitted by "Brad"

3 John: Validity of Fundraising

3 John is a very short book.  It's the kind of book we love to have on our reading plans because we can finish it in about 62 seconds and still feel like we've accomplished something.  Because it's so short, however, it's easy to miss the really amazing stuff it tells us about the nature of fundraising.

I'd like to take the next two posts to make some observations about 3 John  This one is going to be about the validity of fundraising from verses 5-8.  The next one will look at opposition to fundraising from verses 9-11.

For the context, this is a letter written from "the Elder" (John) to a man named Gaius, his beloved friend.  John has sent with the letter some brothers (whom Gaius doesn't know) who appear to have some needs...

[5] Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, [6] who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. [7] For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. [8] Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. (3 John 1:5-8 ESV)

So what does John say about the brothers who are visiting Gaius?  First off, Gaius doesn't know them (5), though John apparently does.  Any effort put forth to care for them is "a faithful thing" (5).  Also, these brothers go out because of "the name" of Jesus (7), but they aren't taking anything from those they're ministering to: the Gentiles (7).  This should probably sound familiar, as it's likely how your ministry looks too!

John also advises Gaius to do a couple things as a result.  First, he should send them on their way, giving them what they need to do so (6, 5).  John then uses inclusive word, "we" (referring to John, Gaius, and presumably others) in saying that we ought to support people like these brothers who make their living from the gospel (8).  

John then makes one of my favorite statements about fundraising in all the Scriptures: those who support people (but do not actually "go") are "fellow workers" with those who do (8).  There is a real, genuine partnership that exists between the "goer" and the "sender".  We need to believe this and act accordingly.  We need to treat our donors like partners, and we need to remind them of this regularly.

So, according to John, how will Gaius "do well"?  Gaius and others do well when they send (6) and support (8) missionaries!  When people help send and support your work for the Kingdom, they are doing well!

Have you ever felt insecure about asking people to give toward your ministry?  (Of course you have, else you wouldn't be reading this blog.)  This passage addresses those fears: we should be unashamed to ask others to help us.  Though we begin as strangers to them, they could soon become our fellow workers for the truth!  The Kingdom of God expands through both fundraisers and donors together.

Notice also that John doesn't claim that these missionary brothers have it all together.  He doesn't say that Gaius should support them because of their resumes, their testimonies or their spiritual giftings.  It's easy to think that those things are why people should support us and our ministries.  Rather, they are to be supported because "they have gone out for the sake of the name."  Has Jesus called you to your ministry?  That's enough.  Jesus died because your resume, testimony and spiritual gifting aren't sufficient to save you or others.  In other words, the reason people support you is not because you are going out; people support you because Someone Greater sent you.

Finally, it's worth noting that this passage demonstrates the benefits of a friend personally referring us, as John did for these brothers.  It's always great to have an advocate to remind others of the joys of supporting missionaries.  So be sure to ask your current support team if they will introduce you around to others they know so that their friends can become fellow workers for the truth as well.  Perhaps you may even point them to 3 John in the process!