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Fundraising Philosophy
Providing a framework of understanding a fundraising philosophy is important. Along the way you may be challenged by others or even in your thinking as to why you do what you do. We will assume you are close to God's heart as a missionary and are beyond the obvious pitfalls of using deception or manipulation in your efforts. Be careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit in how you go about your support raising. Fund raising is also a skill and takes wisdom. Too many missionaries ask their "poor" friends for advice. Often it is the blind leading the blind. As with any area of life you want understanding and wisdom. Turn to those who are successful! So your fundraising philosophy is important. Here are a few thoughts I see to be very biblically based that are foundational elements to the strategies discussed in this web site. Your philosophy may not be the same as mine, but it doesn't mean that some of the tools and techniques can't be used effectively for your work. Fundraising Philosophy I - Relationship Based: Ideally everyone who supports you, particularly on an on-going basis, knows you and your heart and calling. As with any healthy relationship there is giving from both sides. In our relationships with our supporters, the giving includes financially into our lives. It is important to see your supporters as friends and co-laborers. Be sure to take the time and effort to build and maintain these relationships as you would any relationship. There may be times that your conscience will bother you if you are corresponding just to get money. What I have found when that happens is two things: one it is often just an attack from the enemy, or two, it is that I haven't kept the communication going with my partners faithfully enough so I am ONLY contacting them when I need money - which of course is wrong and out of balance. Your supporters will feel used rather than being a blessed partner with you if you only communicate when you ask for money. Fundraising Philosophy II - Asking vs. Not Asking: In other places in this web site you will find that I address this further. In a nutshell, it is very scriptural to ask for support. It is also very valid not to ask for support if that is how the Lord leads you. The things that trip many missionaries up though are: a. thinking that not asking for support and just "trusting God" is somehow more spiritual and, b. sometimes laziness that causes us not to let our needs be known - laziness is NOT doing your assigned work as a missionary fundraiser and finding and building your support base of relationships. So I am sure you catch my Bible-based philosophy here: ASK and KEEP asking, unless the Lord tells you NOT to! :-) There was a time that I needed to go to a conference, but didn't have the $300 to go. I wasn't feeling led to ask any human for support, but as I prayed I didn't feel any answer from the Lord until He spoke to me: "I've already provided for that." What came to my mind is that many years earlier a man had offered to cover any educational costs that I might have to further my ministry. It had been years, and he was no longer attending the church I was serving. It was a bit humbling, but I went to him and he gave me the money. Raising support and how the Lord provides can be an interesting journey. Fundraising Philosophy III - Its About Them: If your heart and words betray the wrong philosophy: "Please give to MY ministry," you will find that very few people will respond except your mother. It is crucial to operate out of the revelation that you and your supporters are on a journey together with each of you doing your part in the work. We all want and need to feel like we are part of something important. The closer you can get to people and share your passion and your desire for them to join you, the more fruit you will see. It takes work and time. I was in a seminar for fundraising and the instructor gave these figures, which lined up closely with my experiences also. The description is the venue in which a person asks for a "partner," someone who will give on a regular basis to your work. The number is the percentage of time or people that venue created a new partner: *One-on-One discussion - 90% *Small Group - 75% *Large Group - 60% *Phone Call - 30% *Personal Letter - 7% *Personal email - 3% *Newsletter - 1% All the above methods are great to maintain an ongoing relationship, but to actually initiate or grow your support base, it is vital to get face to face with people. You will also have some attrition due to your supporters dropping off. So - ongoing work at growing your base is essential. As you meet with people, remember there are a variety of ways they are motivated. Be attuned to these differences. Don't approach everyone the same. For example: Someone may be very interested in mercy work while others care more about raw evangelism. Concentrate on the part of your work that interests your potential supporter the most. Don't be deceptive - but be wise - Fundraising Philosophy IV - To Work or Not To Work: We are talking about tent making here. We go into this in more detail on the
tent making page.
If your philosophy is that somehow you are more spiritual or better than those not in full time ministry, your attitude will corrode your fund raising efforts. Tent making is a viable and blessed option the Lord may lead you to for more reasons than just money
- click here to read more on that.
Be sure to tell about your victories like David did. He told Saul about the times he killed the bear and lion, NOT the times the sheep got eaten! If you are new, or simply don't have much history, then use "borrowed" credibility. Tell about your organizations' work. You are a part of it, even if you are new, or servicing the organization in any way. The bottom line - philosophically it's not only right, but helpful to market yourself. So what is your fundraising philosophy? Always go back to the Word of God and have Him show you. The confidence you develop inside of you is more important than the techniques or strategies you implement. If YOU don't believe YOU, you can't expect others to. To some it may come across as arrogance, but don't worry about them. God wants to use you mightily to advance His Kingdom and change the world. Your supporters will be blessed if they come along for the journey!
More Philosophical thoughts - The Missionary & Money
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