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 Donor's Bill of Rights - Part 2

Why is it that donors to Christian charities, such as schools and other ministries, have missed the opportunity to be blessed as they give to the gospel work of their choice?

This observation comes from seeing so many Christian schools and other gospel-based works employ a secular methodology. Here is what I mean.

Take the typical appeal letter that arrives in our mailbox on any given day. It has, in general, several standard components.

1. A greeting
2. The great work
3. The needs of the great work
4. Your opportunity to fund our needs

That is fine as far as it goes, but is "there's nothing really wrong with that" the standard?

This begs the question, "If the Lord has principles by which gospel ministry is done, then does He care about the way resources are raised?"

I believe the answer is a resounding "yes" and I am concerned that donors do not experience ministry when they give. Not only do the scriptures provide much guidance for the accumulation and use of money, they also teach how our hearts should be oriented as we give. If we give "God's way" then we should expect to be blessed in the process. It's a kind of growing in grace if you will.

What kind of ministry should a donor experience? Is that too much to ask of a school or crisis pregnancy center?

But, if the fundraising methods "work", then do we really care whether they are secular or not? A ministry can raise great sums with a secular appeal with a little Bible sprinkled in to sanctify or bless it. But, God will not be mocked. If a ministry pays lip service to God's provisions, why should he throw open the gates of heaven and bless it?

As a donor I want to see my local or national ministries flourish especially in times of economic stress. When they do I can see the Lord defying conventional wisdom and demonstrating that He is, in fact, the owner of everything.

Here is the continuation of last week's list:

Donor Right #6: Make the connection to the Gospel a regular part of our dialogue; let me know you are more than Christian in name only.

Donor Right #7: Show me good stewardship of how you spend money; get an annual audit or accreditation from ECFA. Also, let me know how you are leveraging your gifts to help other works that are similar to yours.

Donor Right #8: Remind me that accumulation is fleeting (and dangerous); I need to remember that I cannot take it with me

Donor Right #9: Get to know me personally; help me connect my own passions and provisions with Kingdom purposes.

Donor right #10: Show me the eternal consequences of this work; even more than the direct relief it provides.

If donors demanded more of ministries then maybe that would drive the ministries to seek the scriptures to learn how they should go about raising resources.

Then, and only then, should they expect to experience God's favor in His pouring out more from the heavenly treasure stores He controls.

If you believe this way of thinking is helpful please contact me and we can discuss where to go from here.

Christian Fundraising vs. Secular Fundraising

The book Revolution in Generosity does a nice job of comparing two mindsets about fundraising,; one honors the fundraiser themselves; the other seeks God's blessing on everyone and in every step of the process.

Let's look at how the two approaches differ:

Philosophical underpinning:

Transactional model - Philanthropy-improving Stewardship for the common good

Transformational model - Managers of what God owns

Focus Raising money through:

Transactional model - marketing transactions

Transformational model - Facilitate raising stewards to be rich toward God, which results in generosity

Ethical framework

Transactional model - Minimalist-”is it legal?” or “will it work?”

Transformational model - Commitment to gospel values of truth, integrity and love

Ideal Outcomes

Transactional model - Donor meets organizational needs

Transformational model - Giver becomes conformed to the image of Christ and becomes generous, like Christ

Solicitation

Transactional model - Manipulative business sales, technique intensive, hype the need

Transformational model -Present giving opportunity, prayerfully matching call to ministry

Motivator

Transactional model -Asker’s style, personality

Transformational model - Holy Spirit works to transform heart toward Christlike generosity

Follow-up

Transactional model -Pressure and persuade to meet quota, don’t take “no” for an answer

Transformational model - Encourage prayer to lay up treasures in heaven and experience godly joy

Accountability

Transactional model - To organization, the law

Transformational model -To God, external values

Predictable Outcomes

Transactional model - Success/failure depends on asker. burnout

Transformational model - Success/failure according to God’s calling

Rewards

Transactional model - On earth, temporal

Transformational model - Crowns and responsibility in heaven for eternity

Re-thinking the Appeal Letter

1 Th. 5:11

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."

Appeal letters are an important aspect of the school's regular communication. They serve to help the donors understand the condition of the school and to see how they can support the work.

Sometimes the letters are not letters at all, they are appeals within a newsletter or some other publication of the school.

Either way, it is an important communication that merits tremendous thought and prayer ans we conceive them and send them out.

Too many schools send out desperate request for funds, warning readers of the dire results if we don't make a contribution and soon. Indeed, there are times when the urgent appeal is necessary, but these cannot be the regular approach to our partners. It is like the boy who cried "wolf"; we'll be ignored after awhile.

As we write these one-way communications, there are some things we need to keep in mind:

1. We are Christian ministries who depend on prayer and provisions of the Lord for our existence
2. We serve at His pleasure for His purposes; we do not exist for our own good
3. We must talk about the consequences of our work, the Christian worldview and how that manifests itself in the lives of young people who will be used as "change agents" for Christ
4. Donor/friends should be invited in to participate with the school in its Kingdom work and to do so as they respond to God's call on their lives to be good stewards of their blessings
5. We must be transparent in our financial status so that trust can be established. It may mean that we need an eternal validation of financial integrity, like the ECFA mark
6. Lastly, keep in mind that neither the school, not the donor are the center of this communication; it is the Gospel and its transformational work in lives

As we plan and write these communications over the next several months, you may want to have them read by some friends who will give you honest feedback when you ask the question,

"Did this encourage you in you walk the King?"

No Competition in the Kingdom

In ECFA's Focus on Accountability newsletter (2nd Qtr. 2009) Shelley Cochrane lays out the case for why we should not be striving to improve our ministry resources at the expense of other Kingdom enterprises.

See the entire article here http://www.ecfa.org/HomePage.aspx

Here is the shorthand version of Shelley's writing:

1. Shortage of resources - "...the issue of competition is only a symptom of a much greater problem. Competition in the kingdom exposes the fact that Christians falsely believe that resources are finite and inherently limited".
2. A God-centric model - "There is no evidence in God's word to indicate that God encourages competition to improve performance and motivation. A god-centric model is not based on a finite, closed system that encourages competition, but rather on the nature of God Himself. God is never confined to limitation of time and space."
3. The Human Element: Faith in God's Supply - "God created people with the ability to learn and think and act. Very often accomplishes His will by enabling men and women to exercise their gifts and abilities to produce good results."
4. So what does biblical stewardship look like? - "God resources what He initiates, and great care must be given to discerning the mind of Christ before creating an agenda that requires funding...When the believer crosses the line from fixating on the tangible to relinquishing himself into the hands of a fearsome God, this desperate dependence is the substance of faith."
5. Collaboration not Competition - "Whether the structural competition that has crept into our ministries is accidental or intentional, a choice must be made. Every single servant of God must choose: Either God is abundantly able to meet every need according to His riches in Christ Jesus or there is a shrinking pie of resources and each ministry must get a piece before it's gone." Shelley goes on describe how we fundraisers can help others to be generous toward God. This can only come if we believe everything we are telling the donor.

There is also a collaboration that can (and should) happen between ministries. This cooperation is not just exchanging ideas (tips, tricks and techniques), but sharing stories of transformation that the Lord Himself orchestrates; He just lets us be used in the process.

Lastly, what a testimony we can have when we demonstrate love and appreciation for each other's kingdom work. Non-Christian can look at that see how we love and care for each other.

More Gospel grace in action!

ECFA's new ServantMatch program

There are few Christian schools in the US who have the ECFA designation. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability certifies that its members maintain the highest standards of financial integrity - those who do are in the company of Focus on the Family and Campus Crusade for Christ.

The organization has a new service called Servant Match http://ecfa.org/ServantMatch.aspx that helps donors find organizations that match their interests and passions.

So, when you check "education" in the categories and either Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, or New Jersey in the state category you will quickly find "Christian Academy, The". This tool is useful for donors who want to fund other areas of course and I hope you will cascade this to friends so they can avail themselves of this new and helpful aid to their giving.