I get the opportunity to work with a lot of faith-based organizations. I love helping them get excited about raising money and showing them that others in the Bible did too.

But I’m amazed by a persistent cop-out so common among Christian causes, I’m adding it to my “Fundraising Myths” category.

The cop out is: this ministry is so important, God will fund it. Or more to the point:

If we build it, God will fund it

It sounds wonderful and faith filled, doesn’t it? And there’s even Scripture about God supplying our every need to back it up. But listen to this fundraising education from Paul in Chapter 9 from his 2nd letter to the Corinthians:

So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

As it is written:
“They have scattered abroad their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

In another place, I talk about this being a letter to encouraged a lapsed pledge. Today, look at the agricultural metaphor Paul uses: sowing and reaping.

Sowing and reaping takes work

A farmer can’t just create a field and then say, “We’re trusting God to bring in the harvest.” While I’m sure he prays for God’s provision, the farmer still needs to

• prepare the field for seed,
• sow the seed,
• tend to the seed (weed, fertilize, etc)
• then harvest it at the right time (which maybe different depending on what is being grown)

Farming takes work. So does funding your ministry.

You need to research your cause and your prospects, engage them and get to know them, and you have to ask them for money. Even after that, you have to tend to the relationship by expressing your love and gratitude, showing donors you see them as whole people, not mere ATMs.

I’d encourage you that if God called you to the ministry you’re doing, or to the minisitry you are on the board of, then He’s called and equipped you to fund it too.

We’re His hands and feet

Don’t worry, many others have done it before you. I wrote and article on stories of fundraising in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures. It’s also now a 6-day reading plan at YouVersion.com.

People need the work that you’re doing. And that work deserves to be funded. But funding takes work too. Working for funding is a crucial part of your ministry. And like so much of ministry, God is pleased to do it through us.

Yes it takes prayer, belief, and trust in God’s provision. But it takes focused hard work too.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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Other Possibly Related posts:

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2. Membership Dues vs. Annual Fund
3. How to propose a fund raising project to organisations, fundraisers or individuals?

I’ve just created a page of the quotations used in my fundraising training book. These have helped so many of the thousands of people that have read the book that I’ll also be sharing some of them on Twitter with the hashtag #awfquotes.

There are 55 quotes about

• fundraising,
• the steps to successful fundraising (researching, engaging, asking, loving),
• putting yourself in the shoes of others,
• making mistakes, and
• giving.

Check out all 55 quotes at: http://fundraisingcoach.com/quotes/

What quotes motivate or inspire your fundraising work? Let us know in the comments section below

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

Other Possibly Related posts:

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Within the last couple weeks, there was an article about another nonprofit closing.

Reading the article, I saw an incredibly common fundraising myth perpetuated. The myth sounds goes something like this: if we only had more businesses and foundation grants, then our funding challenges would be over.

Check this quote out:

“You really need more corporate-type sponsors and more grants, and those are very difficult things to get when you know you’re running on a bare minimum to begin with,” Pellerin said.

Despite GivingUSA’s reporting year after year, apparently one of the best kept “secrets” of fundraising is that over 75% of the billions of dollars given each year is given by individuals. Individuals. People like you and me. Well…maybe with deeper pockets, but individuals nonetheless.

Doesn’t it almost seem this organization sees itself as a victim of stingy businesses? This type of entitlement is not the attitude you want to be publicizing in a small community like this nonprofit’s. I’ve been blogging against entitlement for years. It has no place in a successful fundraising program.

As you’re working on your year-end fundraising, take a look at GivingUSA‘s chart of last year’s giving and resist the urge to fish exclusively in the companies and foundations pond.

Corporations and foundations are sources of donations, but the biggest “donor pond” is individuals.

In addition to the standard end-of-the-year direct mail fundraising letters, check your database to see who hasn’t made your organization a gift in a while. Make a list of these individuals. Then try to find a couple projects that might be a good match.

Then make appointments and ask them for money!

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

Know you should be fundraising but just need a little kick? Sign up for the weekly Fundraising Kick!

Other Possibly Related posts:

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2. Fundraising for your next walkathon
3. Fundraising Secret #29: Ask businesses

I have the honor of being included in Sandra Sim’s Mythbusters series.

You can see the blog post at: http://stepbystepfundraising.com/fundraising-myth-its-great-to-be-cheap/

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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No related posts.

I almost succumbed to the “If I Mail It, They Will Give” fundraising faux pas!

We sent about 100 letters to donors telling them about an incredible matching opportunity we have. A donor is matching every new endowed fund with $2500.

So far, we have secured 11 of the 48 available matches. That is an incredible direct mail response rate. But we want to secure more!

The letter specifically promised that the recipient would get a phone call. And some have.

But this a.m., rather than just hitting the phone, I was entertaining writing a great letter to follow up the first letter. I’d drafted the letter in my head and was starting to work on the mailing list.

And then it hit me, I was falling for a big fundraising mistake.

I owe it to everyone to at least try to contact them by phone. That will be far more effective than simply sending another letter.

Phew. That was a near miss!

I’ll make the calls today. Tomorrow I may send a letter.

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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Other Possibly Related posts:

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2. Fundraising Follies: Beware the Cheez-It Syndrome!
3. Fundraising Secret #43: Fundraising takes guts

Check out the great post The word that can destroy your marketing over at the Donor Power Blog.

I’ll give you a hint: the word is one letter long.

What do you think it is?

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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Here’s an article I wrote last year around tax time.

Perhaps you’ll find it helpful.

Are You Paying Tax On Your Charitable Gifts?

(c) The Fundraising Coach, LLC

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I couldn’t figure out what the hesitation was about. This was a huge boon to our effort. As I discussed the gift with each person, they each asked, “Are we going to have to raise the entire $400,000 before we see any of the matching money?”

It turns out the matching gifts they’d all been familiar with were all-or-nothing propositions. You raise all the money or none of the match will be given. Wow! I’ve been a part of many matching gifts but none this strict. I had no idea how unclear the terms of this gift were to them.

Given their past experience, it’s natural that they would be reserved about the news of a $400,000 matching gift. It’s been very challenging raising the $660,000 we’ve raised this year. They were afraid that if we didn’t raise the entire additional $400,000 we wouldn’t see any of the challenge money.

I explained to them that this was a dollar-for-dollar match up to $400,000–every dollar we raise from here on out will be matched by the grant. That got them excited!

Matching challenges can be powerful ways for donors to leverage the impact of their philanthropy. Their gift helps breath life into the fundraising effort and they see the nonprofit stretch a bit to receive the full benefit of their generosity. That stretching helps the nonprofit grow its capacity either through increased giving from current donors or through new prospects coming on board to help the nonprofit meet the match.

Some matching grants are outright gifts that the nonprofit can use to inspire others. Others are 1:1 matches, others are 2:1 or even 3:1–that means every new $1 raised is matched with $3 from the matching grant. Just work with the donor to make sure her wishes are fully accomplished in a way that is most helpful to the nonprofit.

I have every reason to believe that we’ll raise the full $400,000 and blow way past our $1.1 million goal. But if you’re part of crafting a matching gift, remember to make sure that everyone involved is clear on the terms.

II. RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT: Executive Director Opening
Another job opening came across my desk since the last edition of Extreme Fundraising. This opportunity sounds great too!