“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Paul paints a picture of a runner pressing toward the finish line, “straining toward what is ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Think of the marathon runner in the final mile, lungs burning, legs weak but still moving forward on nothing but will and the sight of the finish line.

That describes fundraising. The calls that go unreturned for weeks. The major donor who leaned in and then went completely silent. The board member who wants results but doesn’t help. There comes a moment in every fundraiser’s year when exhaustion wins and you cry out like Frodo, “I can’t do this, Sam.”

Sam responded with this:

“I know. It’s all wrong. By rights we shouldn’t even be here. But we are. It’s like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to how it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going, because they were holding on to something… That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.”

You Are in a Great Story
Sam refused to let darkness have the final word. That is exactly the attitude you need. Every unreturned call, every campaign that stalls, every board that is losing hope, these are not signs that God has abandoned your ministry. They are the middle of the story, and the middle is always the hardest part. You are not failing. You are in the part that requires patient endurance.

The Challenges Are Real
College presidents wrestle with declining enrollment and strained budgets. Rescue mission directors watch the need grow while their giving base shrinks. Christian school leaders pour energy into a major donor that always feels one conversation away from a breakthrough. The details differ. The exhaustion is the same. You are not imagining it.

Keep Going
Selah’s “Press On” was released just one month before September 11, 2001. In the following weeks, radio stations played it on heavy rotation while the nation tried to find its footing.

“When the choices are hard, when we’re battered and scarred | When we’ve spent our resources | When we’ve given our all | In Jesus’ name, we press on.”

That is still the word. Press on.

Think About This: Are you carrying a burden right now that feels too heavy to finish? Tell the Lord exactly where you are. He already knows.

Response: Lord, help me see your plan in a dark moment. Give me strength and courage to keep pressing on toward my fundraising goal, trusting you for the results. Amen.

“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?” (Luke 15:4)

Have you heard of Jose Monkey? He is a YouTube creator who specializes in geolocation. Viewers film a 360-degree video at a mystery location and submit it with the challenge, “Jose Monkey, Find Me!” Jose scours the footage for clues: a fuzzy street sign, a distant mountain range, a bend in a river. He cross-references what he sees on Google Maps, Street View, and satellite imagery until he pinpoints the spot. Some searches take minutes. A few take hours. But when he lands on it, he announces with quiet satisfaction, “Guys, that was it.”

Jose says finding someone takes three things: clever deductions, technical skill, and pure determination. That is also a pretty good job description for a gift officer pursuing lapsed donors.

Clever Deductions
The shepherd had no GPS. He followed tracks. He spotted a tuft of wool snagged on a thornbush. He read the landscape and pieced together a trail. When a donor goes quiet, retrace their steps. When did they last give? Did they attend an event? Was there a meeting that never got a follow-up? This is exactly why thorough CRM records matter. Log every gift, every email, every conversation. You are leaving a trail for the next person who needs to find what you almost lost.

Technical Skill
The internet rewards the patient researcher. LinkedIn reveals career history. Facebook surfaces family milestones. Local newspaper archives capture business news and community involvement. Obituaries are some of the greatest research tools because they map family trees and open doors to relatives you never knew were connected to your mission. Wealth screening tools go further still, surfacing property holdings, business interests, foundation affiliations, and giving history. Do your homework before you make the call.

Pure Determination
We read about the shepherd finding his sheep and skip straight to the celebration. Think about what came between. The terrain was rough. It may have been dark. There were real reasons to stay by the fire. He went anyway. Re-engaging a lapsed donor can take a week or a year. Do not give up too soon.

The Human Connection
Jose Monkey doesn’t ask for help, but you should. Sometimes the door is locked and you need a friend with a key. Jeff had the right phone number, but his donor William used call-screening software that blocked unrecognized voices. So, Jeff called their mutual friend Joe and asked him to give William a heads-up. Joe made the call. The door opened. The warmest path back to a relationship is often through someone they already trust.

Think About This: The shepherd found his sheep and threw a party. That is the energy you bring to re-winning a donor. Someone who once believed in your mission enough to give is worth every clue followed, every search run, every awkward ask of a mutual friend. Go find them.

Response: Lord, guide me to the donors who have drifted away. Open the right doors and bring the right friends alongside. Give me the patience to search well and the joy of finding what was lost. Amen.

“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours” (Matthew 17:27).

Expert fishing guides spend years learning the water. They know where the fish hang out in every season, which bait produces strikes, and when the conditions are just right. Hire one and they will put you on the fish every time.

The disciples had a tax problem and Jesus offered a simple solution: one line, one fish, one coin. In this miracle, Jesus is the guide. He knew exactly where to fish, what to expect, and what it would provide. It was exactly the right amount at exactly the right time, delivered in a way no one could have planned.
Legendary fundraising consultant Jerry Panas spent decades studying what separates successful major gift asks from unsuccessful ones. His Six Rights of Fundraising states: “Successful fundraising is the right person asking the right prospective donor for the right amount for the right project at the right time in the right way.”

The Right Person. The asker must have a genuine personal connection with the donor or bring someone along who does. Before you ask, build the bridge.

The Right Prospective Donor. Your goal is finding the person who has the capacity and the calling to make a difference. Capacity without passion and passion without capacity both fall short of transformational giving.

The Right Amount. Ask too low and you leave resources on the table. Ask too high without preparation and you damage the relationship. Do your homework and be willing to name a number with confidence.

The Right Project. Some donors love capital projects. Others want to fund programs that change lives directly. Listen well to match their heart to the right opportunity.

The Right Time. Timing in fundraising is not about your calendar. It is about the donor’s life and readiness. Stay in relationship, stay patient, and stay attentive.

The Right Way. The best fundraisers are the best listeners. Listening equips you to craft an ask that feels personal rather than scripted. That kind of ask is hard to say no to.

The Seventh Right: The Right Prayer. Panas set the table beautifully but overlooked the most important element: prayer.

You can execute all six rights flawlessly and still walk away without a gift. Your skill and strategy can put you in the right room at the right moment, but only the Holy Spirit can move a heart to be generous. Before every major ask, pray specifically. Ask the Spirit to identify the right donor, give you wisdom about the right amount, and prepare the donor’s heart before you ever sit down with them. Then release the outcome. Your job is faithfulness. The results belong to God.

Think About This: We share the story. We make the ask. But we cannot manufacture the response. That has always been the work of the Spirit.

Response: Lord, lead me to the donor you have already prepared, give me wisdom for the right ask, and remind me that what I cannot manufacture, you can simply speak into being. Amen.