Christian Generosity "Works"

For some people, being generous is a not a natural act. They (we) share because the Bible tells us to share - so it must be right and good for us. Some people are so awed by the amazing grace shown to us on the Cross of Calvary that generosity is the natural expression of gratitude and love.

If, then, generosity is Biblical and good for us, what are the specific blessings that we experience and that we can share with our donor friends? In other words, how does generosity work?

1. Generosity is brilliant because it changes our lives. People who give generously feel great about it and find themselves blessed in ways they never expected. Great things happen for the giver and the receiver - bi-lateral blessings if you will. Jesus confirmed this in Acts 20:25 (more blessed to give than to receive). Proverbs 11:25 tells us "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed."

2. Generosity connects us with others. When people are generous and gracious, they exude love and happiness. That type of kindness is very attractive to others. Also, when we give it makes us draw closer to the one we are blessing. If we allow this behavior to continue we become empathic and we realize that we have even more to share.

3. Generosity helps us invest in what matters. Generosity causes us to invest in high-yield instruments, the lives of others. Spiritually, generosity protects us from short-sighted, bad investments of our time, out talent, and our treasure and creates long-term wealth. In a sense, everything we do is an investment. How we do our "sowing and reaping" is a function of our maturity. Again, Jesus taught us about this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 6:19-24) where He instructs us about investing where moths and rust so not destroy.

4. Generosity frees our hearts. "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." This is the reason Jesus gives to invest wisely and for eternity. Money is the mirror of our heart before God. The checkbook is the visible manifestation of this reality. When asked about my stewardship work, I will say (with a smile), "my job is to relieve people from the burden of wealth." Having less simplifies life and allows us to spend more time listening to God's leading.

These are some benefits that we can have in mind as we help people see the "genius of generosity".

Growing Generosity in Donors' Hearts

Stewardship is a term that describes the care and management of God's blessings that are entrusted to our care. We can either be poor stewards (hoarders of that which doesn't belong to us) or good stewards (freely returning to God what is His and in ways that honor Him and delight us).

Where the rubber meets the road is when we go down one level and ask, "Where does generosity come into play?"

We might say that generosity is for those who have amassed a large amount of money and who are near the end of their careers when they know their financial needs are very manageable.

Maybe generosity is for the person who wins the lottery or gets a big inheritance.

The problem for me, and maybe for you, is that I cannot bear the thought that I might not be generous. That problem is magnified when I have the professional role to encourage people to give joyously to God's Kingdom. Because I know the condition of my heart, one that holds back too often, I sometimes feel wholly unqualified to address giving with others.

Praise the Lord that my life is not the standard; His Word is. One of the ways we can encourage generosity to help donors see the eternal perspective:

Matt. 6:19-24
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Notice the reference to temporal treasures - they go away. Notice the heart's affections. Notice the absence of sight (darkness) when we try try to serve two masters.

There is a warning and an encouragement. While we preach this message to our donor friends, let us make sure that we stand and practice in the mirror to make sure we hear it ourselves.

Christian Fundraiser's Giving Resource

The ECFA has many great resources, but I want to highlight one in particular. It is a 32-page booklet called Giving from the Heart: A Legacy that Lasts Forever. Here are the topics covered:

• A Godly Steward


• Your Time and Talents


• Gifts to Family


• Outright Gifts


• Gifts of Securities


• Gifts of Inventory


• Gifts of Life Insurance


• Gifts of Inventory


• Gifts of Real Estate


• Giving a Life Estate


• Giving through Charitable Remainder Trusts


• Giving Through Your Will


• Giving Through Charitable Gift Annuities


• Giving Through Living Trusts


• Giving Through Donor Advised Funds


• When Gifts Are Deductible


• Your Charitable Deduction Limitations and Proving Your Deductions

This handy booklet can be ordered in bulk at discounted rates. You can call 800-323-9473 and they will send you a free copy to review. You can go here for a link to the ECFA page.

Please order the free one for yourself and see if the booklet, in combination with you overall stewardship plan, can help educate donors in how they can support the Kingdom work going on at your school.

The Stewardship of Time and Talents

You are (or become) aware of a particular need. You become personally involved because you want to be a part of something that positively affects the lives of others. Gifts of time and talent are perhaps the best contributions a donor can make to the school.

We often overlook the importance of being good stewards of the time God has given us. "...As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." John 9:5.

Stewardship of time is giving God first priority. In spite of all He had to to do, He took time for quiet meditation. He found time to be alone with his heavenly Father.

Stewardship of time means taking time to rest and renew your strength, evaluate your life, and focus on God's will for your life. As I get older, I have a greater sense of urgency to use my time well; I feel the clock ticking.

And it is setting apart time to be with the ones you love the most here on earth. Do we give adequate time to family and friends?

Similarly, Goad has equipped us with gifts and talents. Who benefits from them? Are they just used in our working hours - or are they used for God's Kingdom?

So, at Back to School Night, I intend to ask people how they used their time this summer. Did the time off allow them (and me?) to re-kindle their relationship with Jesus?

In summary, stewardship of time and talent for the Kingdom reminds us:

• who He is,


• who we are, and


• what our relationship should be to the time and talents He has given us to manage in His name.

Christian Fundraisers Need to Dream Big, too

A few weeks back I wrote about a donor to our school who has some lofty ambitions to reach the inner city schools with a classical and Christian education. His dream goes beyond what he can act on right now and even further than our school has forecast in its strategic plan. However, the idea stimulates our thinking to go beyond what we usually think of and it is an opportunity to lay before the Lord some plans that only He can make happen.

We fundraisers should dream, too. Many times it is about a new facility which implies a capital campaign. What if we set our financial sights a little lower and conceived of a new program or two that would substantially change our offering and strengthen the overall education?

Some of these ideas are contained in the school's Strategic, or Long Range, Plans. For example, we have some specific ideas of expanding our music and orchestral program. We can see the day when our athletics program is broader. Our Strategic Plan envisions the day when we can launch an NILD program to help students with mild learning disabilities.

When the rest of the school is occupied with the daily task of training the young minds, we stewardship folks can be projecting a year or two or three into the future and talking to people about projects that create a step change in the school's overall education.

Think about these and when someone asks, "What's new?", you'll have a great story to tell that might just capture someone's imagination.

Stewardship Question: How Much is Enough?

Philippians 4:12
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

How much is enough? This is one of the really hard questions for people (me included) to answer.

You might say, "Why should we ask the question; aren't we just trying to help people become generous toward God?" I would say yes and I would also say that we can help people see how God has already providing for them so they can see how they can give more today.

Just this week I had the conversation with someone I am close to and we were able to step through a "poor man's" financial needs worksheet. We talked about:

• Getting debt free


• Retirement cash flow


• What he wanted to allow his children's remaining education, transportation, wedding and even a down payment on a house


• Health care and long-term living

After this brief analysis we concluded and agreed that he had plenty for every foreseeable and unforeseeable event.

Ready to give now? No, not really. "There might be something else", he declared.

That's the way it is with our work. We are the Holy Spirit's messenger of the Good News that Christ is all we need. How our friends respond to this and other biblical truth is a function of spiritual maturity.

We should still ask the questions and provoke people to think more deeply. From my experience, we stewardship officers may be the only people asking these questions. Praise the Lord that there are some Christian financial advisors who will do so, too.

Working together, while allowing the Spirit to do the heart work, we may be able to help our fiends get relief from the burden of wealth.

Christian School Scholarship Funds

Many Christian schools would break even each year if they didn't have to give so much financial aid. Said another way, schools that could collect full tuition come close to having a balanced budget.

For many schools (mine included) financial aid to needy families is not funded by external means; we just see it as "negative income." In reality, our schools' average realized income is ten to twenty percent less than the published rates.

Christian schools want to reach more students and families with Christian worldview education. So, how do we go about it?

First, we pray for guidance in how to award financial aid. Many schools have solid processes that require the student to maintain high academic and behavior standards as well as having the parents submit financial information that is evaluated by third-party analysts who evaluate how much tuition the family can pay.

Next is the funding sources. There are some foundations who will help schools underwrite the annual scholarship/financial aid (using these two terms interchangeably in this blog) requirements. The problem with foundations is that they will only fund a school for one to three years; then they move on to another organization.

There are two ideas that foster generous giving and build long-term relationships with the school and even needy parents.

Scholarship Fund or Endowment
This can be started with a single large gift or just committing funds on a regular basis until it builds to a large amount. The idea is to maintain the principle and take out the earnings (or some fixed percentage), say 5%, each year which is designated for scholarship. An endowment of one million dollars would contribute $50,000 to scholarships for year. How it is divided and allocated is a function of school policy. This kind of giving may be interesting to grandparents who might have appreciated securities, real estate, or life insurance policies.

Student Sponsorships
This idea is popular in urban schools where most of the students needs lots of aid to be able to attend. In these settings, sponsoring families will contribute a ten to twenty percent share for a student's monthly requirement. The school can invite donors to sponsor a student chosen by the school. Here is a place where a school can be very creative. For example, two donor families could contribute $1,500 per year, which is fifty percent of a $6,000 tuition. These sponsors could meet the family and see if there are other ways to support them, thus strengthening the connection and making it more than just a financial transaction.

As we go about these plans, keep in mind Paul's admonition from Philippians 4:17 Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account.

May our donors experience the joy of giving generously.

Christian School Fundraisers - Start Your Engines!!

Today is the beginning of the last summer month. For many of us, it isn't even a whole month to get our plans mapped out and key dates set on the calendar.

As we get ready to greet the students and parents back, now is a good time to look at our overall plans and see if we are ready to hit the school year running.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Are the major dates and plans on the calendar?


2. Have you thought about the major themes you want to convey?


3. Who are some key donors you want to contact before the year begins?


4. Have you thought and prayed about some key volunteers that you want to bring along to help share the load?


5. What books or articles do you need to read to get your mind and heart focused on where the Lord wants you?


6. Have you picked a big goal that, without the Lord's supernatural work, will make a large difference in the life of the school?


7. Who are your prayer and accountability partners?

This also a good time to renew some professional friendships and to run these ideas and plans by.

Who knows, maybe someone has some insight that could help you be more successful.