A Generous Donor Dreams a Big Dream

Yesterday I got to visit with a donor who I've never met in person. He and his wife became major donors when they blessed the school with a gift of $1,000. As with almost every gift to the school I called to say thank you and to inquire as to what motivated this particular one. But, since we had not met in person, I asked for an breakfast appointment.

As we talked he told me why he and his wife were so pleased with the school and how the education provided the perfect incubator to develop their son spiritually, academically and relationally. He has just finished his first year of college and he is excelling there, too.

Given the impact that Tall Oaks education had on their son, they desire to help scholarship a student from a lower-income family who might not otherwise be able to come. They are particularly interested in inner city kids whose parents may have never considered this kind of school.

It gets better. Their really big idea is to have our suburban school mentor and nurture an inner-city Christian school that desires to become a premier academic institution. We only dreamed yesterday about what this could like and the resources that would be required, but it was an exciting conversation to be sure.

What is important is that this donor had the opportunity to "fly their dream" and to express their dedication for Christian education.

We are "donor disciplers" who are called to help God's people bring their best to His table.

The Legacy of Generous Giving

I am thankful for national Christian leaders like the National Christian Foundation (NCF) who helps donors with planned and other significant giving. What follows is compliments of NCF and reprinted with their permission.

According to a recent study by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, teenagers report that their parents are the biggest influence on whether they give their time or money to non-profit charities.

Do you know what teen givers say their parents do?

Here are the top ten parenting techniques that separate giving teens from non-giving teens, in their own words:

1. They explained how I can help other people by my actions.



2. They encouraged me to speak up in family discussions.



3. They spoke to me about the volunteering and giving they do.



4. They supported me on things I cared about.



5. They told me why they were proud when I did good things.



6. They encouraged me to be my own person.



7. They set goals for me to achieve.



8. They spoke to me about the way my actions made other people feel.



9. They taught me to always consider other people’s views.



10. They explained the importance of giving to others.

Even though we do not see a thread of Christian generosity in this list, imagine how much more potent this teaching can be when we tie it to the work of Christ on the cross as He purchased eternal life for us.

As we talk to our donor friends, here are two more questions we can pose: "How do you inculcate your generosity to your children? What are some of the disciplines that you employ to make giving a way of life and not just a grudging obligation?"

Generous Giving - the Story within the Story

2 Corinthians 8:1-5

"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."

Look at these poor people giving their money away - they even ask for the privilege of doing so! What did these Macedonians have that we don't have?

I think they asked the right question first. They did not ask "How much shall I give?", but must have realized that the preceding question "Who is the real owner of everything I have?". Maybe, the question is upstream from there. More foundational: "Who owns me?"

That's the real question we have to ask ourselves and our donor friends. We cannot meet with people and we beat around the bush to see how generous they are feeling before we do the "ask".

As I compiled the year-end statistics I learned that the Lord brought in almost 40% more than last year. As wonderful as this overall number is, there are wonderful stories behind this:

• The new family that didn't think they could afford the tuition and they gave a big gift


• The donor with no children but sees this school as critical for our area and wants to scholarship a student


• The non-Christian couple who loves our school and volunteers in many ways - they gave generously


• The grandparents who increased their giving by 40%

Each one of these is a reason to celebrate God's goodness. Let's make sure we don't lose these precious gems while we gaze at the whole jewelry case.