Christian School Fundraising - The Reason to Give

If someone asks you, "Why should I give to your school, how do you answer?". Here are some possible responses:

1. Tuition does not cover the entire cost; we need outside funds to exist and pay for incidentals.
2. We have students from low-income families; they need financial aid.
3. Our enrollment is declining and we need help to make up the gap.
4. Our enrollment is increasing and we need funds for our growing pains.
5. We are expanding our programs and we need infrastructure.
6. The church dropped our school from its missions budget and we need to make up the funds.

While any or all of these may be true, they are not reasons to give to our schools.

We must ask God to show us what is special about our school so that we can communicate it's unique mission for the community in which we are located. Then, we show the impact of the program in the lives of graduates and how they are prepared for their calling.

Lastly, we encourage donors to become generous givers and to enjoy the blessings that come from building up the Kingdom through sacrificial giving.

Here are a few ways to convey these:

1. Our school has these special qualities or unique selling propositions (USP's) that cause us to be effective in executing our mission to train the next generation of Christian leaders.
2. Here is a story about how God used the training at our school to impact a student who later impacted his or her community for Christ.
3. Here is a story of how a donor connected their passion for Christian education and how thrilled they are to participate in the life of the school.

We must always think of the consequences of our educational ministries. Why and how is our community stronger, more caring, more Christlike because our little army of change agents are impacting the world for Christ.

Challenge Grant for Christian School Annual Fund

Next month we will have the formal launch of our Annual Fund campaign. We combine the launch with an evening called the Fine Dessert in which we feature every grade demonstrating some aspect of what they are learning. To that extent, the evening serves as both an introduction, or showcase, for prospective parents. It is one of the few times we can gather the entire school.

This week I had a meeting with the father of one our newer students who wants to make a gift of $10,000, a large gift for a school of our size. He was excited that God has been blessing his business and he is in position to do something significant in response to the Lord's goodness.

He asked how this gift could be leveraged to encourage additional giving. We came up with two ways:

1. Use this gift to encourage other major donors to make a significant commitment.
2. Use the combined commitments of these major donors (10 total) to provide the encouragement and impetus for others at the Dessert to make a pledge or gift to the Annual Fund.

In this past week I had some wonderful conversations with friends of the school who are committing to larger-than-usual gifts to bring this "Challenge Grant" up to a larger amount.

So far, we have over $40,000 in commitments and there are others to hear from. I believe we will be able to go to the dinner with almost half of the Annual Fund pledged. Praise the Lord!

This Challenge Grant is not a matching program. The individuals are going to contribute; this is not a conditional offer, i.e. if you don't get the first $50,000, then you cannot get the matching $50,000.

No, we have a group of families who stand strongly for the school and want to back their words with action. They do not want to be named, their donations will aggregated and anonymous.

Maybe your school has a donor who God is raising up to lead such a challenge.

Connecting Faith and Generosity

Acts 4:32-47 The Believers Share Their Possessions

"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For, from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need. Joseph, a Levi from Cypress, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and set it at the apostles' feet."

Throughout the scriptures we see how faith and generosity are connected. This is not surprising since we see many examples of greed leading to destruction and misery.

As we encourage generous giving and generous living in others, it is critical that we live that way ourselves so that we, too, experience the freedom and the power that comes from holding loosely onto things. Notice that in the process of "unclaiming" possessions, the apostles were testifying with power and with grace.

If giving generously is conducive to sharing our testimony that Jesus saves sinners, how much more so should our sharing God's blessings be a witness to others to follow the example?

How good are we at being generous? Generosity includes our material wealth; it isn't limited to it? What skills has God placed in you? Are you sharing these freely? How about your time? This is what we hold onto the most tightly.

We cannot preach and teach what we do not live.