Experiencing God

by Ron Haas

July 20, 2026

“Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank” (Exodus 24:9-10).

Imagine receiving a personal invitation to experience God. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders were called specifically to the mountain to eat and drink in God’s presence. This was no ordinary dinner. It was the most exclusive event you could imagine. This encounter offers four applications as you plan your major donor events.

Special Invitation

“Nobles” means “corner pegs,” the structural supports holding everything together. Your ministry has corner pegs. You may have twenty of them. You may have five. These are the donors who anchor your mission. They deserve a personal invitation to an insider event. The ask begins long before the ask. The ask begins with the invitation itself.

Special Place

The setting God chose was breathtaking. Under His feet was what appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, clear as the heavens themselves. Your major donors can go to the finest restaurants and the most exclusive resorts. You probably can’t outspend their personal standards. What you can offer is something money cannot buy: a front-row seat to what God is doing through your ministry. Find an appropriate venue, even if modest. What happens inside the room matters far more than the room itself.

Special Speaker

The elders saw a glimpse of God. Your event does not need to produce a complete picture of your ministry. It needs to move hearts. Outside speakers can draw a crowd, but showcasing changed lives is much more effective. One Christian high school asked three graduating seniors to deliver the main address together, each taking ten minutes. They were well-scripted and well-rehearsed, and no guest speaker could have matched what they communicated. Your ministry’s stories, told well, are your greatest platform.

Special Outcome

The elders did not see God face to face, but they saw enough of His glory to strengthen their confidence in His leadership through Moses. What outcomes are you planning for your next major donor event? Identification? Cultivation? A campaign solicitation? Each of these requires a different design. A cultivation event that accidentally feels like a solicitation can set a relationship back months. Know your purpose before you plan a single detail.

Do not overlook this: God wanted them to eat and drink in His presence. Fellowship was part of the agenda. Some of your most important conversations will happen around the table, not from the podium. Build time for it.

Think About This: The elders went back as eyewitnesses. Imagine their conversations around the campfire: “I cannot fully describe it. But I was there. And it was real.” Your most faithful donors, when moved and inspired, become your most credible advocates. Design your event to create witnesses, not just attendees.

Response: Lord, help us create gatherings where our donors see You moving in the lives of those we serve. Make our events less about us and more about You. Amen.

An illustrated scene of an adult and child fishing together on a rocky shoreline at sunset with gentle waves and a warm glowing sky, with the text Fishing for Donors and the scripture reference John 21:5-6 in white lettering.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Fishing for Donors

by Ron Haas

July 20, 2026

He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some” (John 21:5-6).

Every fisherman knows the long night with nothing to show for it. The disciples lived that night twice, once in Luke 5 when Jesus first called them, and again in John 21 after the resurrection. Both times they fished through the night to exhaustion, caught nothing, and then watched Jesus turn an empty net into an overwhelming haul. That pattern holds a lesson for every fundraiser who has ever come home empty-handed.

We all go through “no fish” seasons

These men had fished these waters their whole lives. Lack of experience was not their problem. Some of your most frustrating seasons come when everything looks right on paper. Good team. Strong database. Compelling ministry story. All the right pieces in place. The calls are made, the visits are scheduled, your story is ready. And still…nothing.

We must be honest about our situation

Jesus asked the one question they didn’t want to answer. We don’t like to see reality. We would rather sugarcoat our results by focusing on our activity. Simon didn’t dodge it. He said what most of us only think: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.” You might say something similar: “I didn’t reach my fundraising target, but I’ve met my goals of how many calls, how many personal visits, how many asks.” Activity is worth tracking, but you must be productive.

We must listen to advice

What did this stranger know about fishing? You might have the same attitude. After all, you are in the trenches every day. You know your donors, your ministry, and your strategies. But sometimes we lose our perspective because we are so close to the situation. Listen to a colleague with an idea, a board member with a suggestion, a donor with a lead, or a trusted outside voice. Fresh eyes often see what familiarity hides.

We must act boldly

“No fish” seasons are not the time to quit. It’s the time for a new strategy and renewed resolve. Jesus told them to throw their nets on the right side of the boat. Peter’s response in Luke captures the same spirit of reluctant obedience: “But because you say so, I will let down the nets” (Luke 5:5). Our most important counsel comes from the Spirit who promised through Isaiah: “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it'” (Isaiah 30:21). Are you asking the Lord to reveal who you should call, visit, and ask?

Think About This: When the Lord got involved, “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink” (Luke 5:6-7). God can take your simple acts of faith and pour out blessing you cannot contain.

Response: Lord, give me direction in my “no fish” moments. Help me work faithfully and trust you for net-breaking results.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Too Many Fundraisers

by Ron Haas

July 6, 2026

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, My own strength has saved me'” (Judges 7:2).

A key question in any capital campaign is, “Do we have the right people to lead this effort?” Jesus taught a parable about planning: “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand?” (Luke 14:31) Good counsel. Know your team. Plan carefully.

But God told Gideon the opposite: you have too many men. The tension between those two ideas is where Christian fundraising actually lives. God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 to make clear that Israel’s victory would come from His power, not human strength.

Finding 300 Men
God first released those who were afraid, leaving 10,000 volunteers. Then He tested and chose those who scooped water to their mouths. Those men stayed alert with their eyes up and hands ready while others knelt down and lost sight of what was happening around them. In a campaign, that distinction matters just as much. The most effective volunteers know why the work matters, read the room, listen carefully to donors, and stay spiritually and relationally aware. The right people who are engaged, discerning, and mission-aware can carry extraordinary impact even when your team is small.

Staff Size or God
Like Gideon’s army, our campaign teams can become a source of false confidence or unnecessary fear. We count staff, consultants, and volunteers, then feel confident or discouraged based on what we see. But are we trusting our team size or trusting God? He tends to show up most powerfully when our resources look insufficient. When the key volunteer steps back and a better one steps forward. When someone who never seemed engaged becomes the most effective advocate in the room because the Holy Spirit moved them. Don’t let a small team become an excuse. Let it become an invitation.

Same Vision, Smaller Army
God didn’t reduce the goal. He reduced Gideon’s army. Brother Andrew founded Open Doors and spent decades smuggling Bibles into communist countries during the Cold War. He knew something about stepping forward with inadequate resources. He once said, “If your vision doesn’t scare you, then both your vision and your God are too small.”

Gideon’s 300 men didn’t know what would happen when they broke those clay jars and raised those torches. They only knew they had been called to step forward in obedience. Your job in fundraising is the same: be faithful, prepared, and obedient. Make the calls. Write the proposals. Cultivate relationships. But hold all of it loosely, because God reserves the right to thin the army when He wants the glory.

Think About This: The goal of your campaign isn’t just to hit a number. It’s to tell a God story. Make sure you’re leaving room for Him to do something you can’t explain.

Response: Lord, forgive us for when we’ve trusted more in our plans than in Your provision. Give us the courage to trust that You will do what only You can do. Amen.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Cast Your Fundraising Bread

by Ron Haas

June 29, 2026

“Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.” (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2)

Solomon was a shrewd businessman who understood calculated risk. 1 Kings 10:22 tells us he kept a fleet of trading ships at sea. Every three years those ships returned loaded with gold, silver, ivory, and exotic animals. He knew what it meant to send something valuable out into the unknown and wait for the return. As a fundraiser, so do you. Listen to his four lessons.

Take a Fundraising Risk
Wayne Gretzky said it well: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” In major donor work, our most common mistake is deciding for our donor before we ever pick up the phone. We talk ourselves out of the ask by thinking, “They probably wouldn’t give to us.” Maybe. But that is their call to make, not ours. Who is on your list right now that you have been avoiding? Take the risk. Call a prospective donor today.

Be Patient
Fundraisers tend to be impatient, and the ministry leaders we serve are often feeling the same pressure. We want results now. Solomon waited three years for his ships to come home. Major donor cultivation doesn’t have to take three years, but sometimes it does. Cultivating donors looks a lot like sharing the Gospel. Some people respond right away. Others need years of conversation, relationship, and prayer before they are ready to act. Do not confuse silence with disinterest. Stay in the relationship.

Diversify Your Portfolio
Solomon would make a wise development officer. His advice: “divide your portion among seven, or even eight.” Ministries that lean too heavily on one major donor are sitting on fragile foundation. One Christian school learned this the hard way. A faithful donor had given $600,000 annually for ten years. When he eventually moved on to other charitable interests, the school was unprepared. They had grown comfortable instead of growing their donor base. Spread your relational investments widely.

Do Not Compromise
Years later, King Jehoshaphat followed in Solomon’s footsteps and built a fleet of trading ships to transport gold from Ophir. They never sailed. The prophet Eliezer warned him that his partnership with the wicked King Ahaziah would cost him, and it did. The ships were destroyed at Ezion-geber before they left the harbor (1 Kings 22:48-49). There is a lesson here for every fundraiser. A foundation grant or a major gift that pulls your ministry off course is not a blessing. It is a trap. Guard your mission.

Think About This: Jeff researched the database and discovered Joe, a 5-year lapsed $750,000 donor who said to a previous major gift officer, “your ministry is not in our charitable future.” Undeterred, Jeff emailed Joe, introduced himself, and asked for a meeting. A couple of days later, Joe emailed back saying he would love to meet when he returned from Florida. Now Jeff is praying and planning his next cultivation step. The bread is on the water. The rest belongs to God.

Response: Father, give me the courage to make the call and trust You with the outcome.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Fundraise Above Your Goals

by Ron Haas

June 23, 2026

“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills” (Amos 9:13).

Amos prophesied how miraculous and amazing God’s blessing will be for the nation of Israel. Fundraisers dream of this kind of abundance. Here are four principles that can shape your approach.

Pray for Quick Blessing
When God releases his blessing, the fruit comes quickly. The New Living Translation puts it this way: “The time will come when the grain and grapes will grow faster than they can be harvested.” In modern farming the image would be the planter running into the combine before the dust from the last harvest settles. The fundraising image is you start a new project or campaign on the heels of the last one because your ministry partners are so eager to give.

Pray for Gifts from Unexpected Places
Normally, grapevines don’t grow well on mountains or high hills, but in the days of Israel’s restoration even the mountains shall drip with sweet wine and all the hills will flow with it. God has a way of sending provision from places you would never think to look. Bill, who leads a rescue mission, recently experienced exactly that. Jenny had moved to the area just a few months earlier and sent a $10,000 gift out of the blue. Bill visited her planning to ask for $50,000 campaign gift. Their conversation went in several different directions, and he never got around to asking. As he was leaving, she handed him a crumpled check. Later, when he finally opened it, it was for $50,000. He sat in his car for a long moment, not quite believing what he was holding.

Pray for Abundant Gifts
When God leads your fundraising efforts, he responds with abundance and quality. Amos prophesied the harvest would drip with wine. Remember Jesus’ miracle at the wedding in Cana: “You have saved the best till now” (John 2:10). God didn’t just provide wine, he provided the finest wine of the evening. When you approach your campaign asking the Lord for help and guidance, he has a way of surprising you with gifts that are better than anything you thought to ask for.

Pray for Strength to Work
When God releases his blessing, your fundraising efforts are blessed, but it still requires work. The plowman, the reaper, the treader of grapes, and the one who sows seed still have their work to do. God doesn’t just do it all for them, but under his blessing the work is done with energy and joy. Spurgeon reminded the church that even in lean seasons, our job is faithfulness, not outcomes. We keep sowing, keep telling the story, and trust God for the harvest.

Think About This: God is the one who brings the harvest, but he invites you into the work. Whether the season feels abundant or lean, keep praying, keep asking, and keep showing up. The effort is yours. The results are his.

Response: Lord, we pray for an abundant fundraising harvest. Give us the strength to keep telling our story and asking your people to join us.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Digging New Donor Wells

by Ron Haas

June 15, 2026

“Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them” (Genesis 26:18).

Have you ever felt like you were starting from scratch? Isaac did. His flocks were thirsty and the wells Abraham had spent a lifetime digging were filled with dirt and rubble. But Isaac didn’t sit down in the dust and complain; he picked up a shovel. His well-digging teaches us four principles for discovering new ministry partners.

Start with Old Friends
Isaac didn’t begin with a blank map. He went back to familiar ground, the wells Abraham had named, and he called them by those same names. There is wisdom in that. Sometimes it’s easier to re-win an old friend than to find a new donor. Lapsed donors often go quiet, not because they lost their faith in the mission, but because something went sideways: a conversation that didn’t land right, a letter that never arrived, a feeling of being forgotten. Don’t assume the well is dry. Reach out. It’s a new season, and you have a new story to tell.

Expect a Little Competition
When Isaac’s servants struck fresh water, the local herders immediately claimed it and quarreled (Genesis 26:19-20). Isaac didn’t argue or retaliate. He simply moved on and dug somewhere else. That’s a good instinct for fundraisers too. You may reconnect with a lapsed donor only to find their charitable priorities have shifted toward another cause. Don’t take it personally and don’t chase them. Wish them well, trust God’s provision, and keep moving. The right partners are still out there waiting to be found.

Keep Digging
Isaac struck water a second time, and the herders contested that well too. He could have quit. He didn’t. Prospecting for donors in your database requires perseverance. You’ll chase leads that go cold. You’ll make calls that aren’t returned. You’ll write letters that seem to disappear. Keep networking. Keep searching. The persistent well-digger eventually finds water.

Room to Flourish
They say the third time’s a charm. Isaac moved to a new location, dug again, and this time there was no conflict. He named that well Rehoboth, meaning “room,” and declared, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land” (Genesis 26:22). Donor discovery is hard work, but it is God who ultimately opens the right doors. Stay faithful to the process. The breakthrough may come from a board member, a volunteer, a coach, or a teacher.

Think About This: Wells show up in the most important moments of Scripture. Isaac found provision at a well. Rebekah was discovered at a well. And one afternoon in Samaria, Jesus sat down at a well and started a conversation that changed a woman’s life forever. He offered her living water, and she ran to tell an entire village. Remember the acronym E.C.H.O. — Every Conversation Has Opportunity. You never know who is standing at the next well. Even if that person never becomes a donor, they may know someone who will.

Response: Lord, give me persistence to keep digging new wells. Lead me to our next ministry partner you have already chosen. Amen.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Restoring SYBUNTs

by Ron Haas

June 8, 2026

“Restore all that was hers, together with all the produce of the fields from the day that she left the land until now” (2 Kings 8:6).

Every nonprofit database is filled with SYBUNT donors (Some Year But Unfortunately Not This Year). These are people who once gave generously and then stopped. Is there any hope of winning these former partners? Or do we simply move on? The Shunammite woman’s remarkable journey back home gives us four lessons worth considering.

Remember Why They Were Engaged
The Shunammite’s encounter with Elisha was lifechanging (see 2 Kings 4:8-37). She was a woman of means who showed great kindness to the prophet by regularly inviting him for meals and even building him a private room on her roof. In gratitude, Elisha promised her a son even though she was childless and her husband was old. The boy was born a year later. When the child suddenly died years later, her unshakable faith led her to rush straight to Elisha. Through prayer and a miraculous act, Elisha restored the boy to life. Your key donors were once deeply engaged with your ministry because your work touched their family in a real and personal way. Never forget that the connection mattered.

Understand Their Reasons for Leaving
Elisha warned the Shunammite that a famine was coming and advised her to leave for her family’s safety. She was gone for seven years. Donors leave for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps they had a bad experience with a staff member. If you lead a K-12 school, their interest naturally moved on when their children graduated. Sometimes life circumstances simply prevent them from giving. A health crisis. A business downturn. A season of personal hardship. Understanding the reason matters before you reach out.

Trust God for a Divine Appointment
When the woman returned, she discovered her land had been taken over by others who assumed she was never coming back. She went directly to the king to appeal for what was rightfully hers. Meanwhile, inside the palace, Elisha’s servant Gehazi was telling the king about the miracles God had done through Elisha, including the story of the widow’s son being raised to life. And right at that instant, she walked through the door. That was no coincidence. There are no coincidences in God’s plan. He orchestrates divine appointments, and He can bring a lapsed donor right back into your world.

Ask the Lord for Full Restoration
The woman’s land was restored completely. The king assigned an official to her case and said, “Give back everything that belonged to her, including all the income from her land from the day she left until now.” Two applications stand out in this detail. First, assign your key lapsed donors to a portfolio and follow up intentionally. Second, notice that her restoration was both financial and relational. God can uncover lapsed donors and lead them back to partner with you again.

Think About This: You need to cultivate and maintain close relationships with your top donors because relationships left untended quietly drift away.

Response: Lord, thank you for your divine appointments that help us re-engage with our key donors. Restore what has been lost, for your glory and the advancement of your ministry.

A dramatic wide-angle view of a packed basketball arena with bright overhead lights and two visible hoops, with the text Love the Fundraising Game and the scripture reference 1 Peter 5:2 in white lettering.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Love the Fundraising Game

by Ron Haas

June 1, 2026

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them, not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve” (1 Peter 5:2)

Maybe the reason Michael Jordan was the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) is that basketball wasn’t just a game to him. He loved it so much he had a “love of the game” clause written into his contract. It meant he could jump into a pickup game anytime he wanted, and even if he got hurt, his contract was still guaranteed. That’s what it looks like when you love what you do. Peter describes that same kind of passion in his instructions to elders. Here are four lessons to keep your fundraising fervor alive.

Care for Your Donors
We talk about knowing our donors, but it goes beyond that. It means caring for them as people. Scott called Bill to find out why he hadn’t responded to his emails or voicemails. When they finally connected, Bill shared that he had been caring for his wife Marilyn, who had fallen and undergone back surgery. Thankfully, she was on the mend. Scott offered encouragement and prayed with them right there on the phone. That call had nothing to do with a gift. It had everything to do with shepherding. And their relationship is stronger today because of it.

Not Because You Must
Fundraising can feel like a grind. You’ve got a full to-do list with donors calls and visits every week. Your activity matters and will transform your results. But here’s the key. When we start viewing each conversation as a chance to help someone experience the joy of generosity, our whole perspective shifts. It goes from “I have to make this ask” to “I get to invite this person into something meaningful.” That’s the difference between obligation and calling.

Not Pursuing Dishonest Gain
Peter warns against dishonest gain, and that should hit close to home for every fundraiser. This is one reason why fundraising is not commissioned-based. When your paycheck depends on how much money you bring in, it creates a conflict of interest. Instead of doing what’s right for the donor, you might focus only on getting the biggest check possible right now. A shepherd of generosity does the opposite. You’re stewarding the relationship, not just closing the deal.

Eager to Serve
Eagerness to serve means doing your homework. Learn your donor’s giving history, what they care about, and why. Eagerness shows up when you make a thank you call and send a handwritten note. But the truest sign of eagerness is listening more than talking. An eager servant pays attention to what God is doing in that person’s life and looking for where the mission intersects with the donor’s calling.

Think About This: You’re not a solicitor. You’re a shepherd of generosity. When you see it that way, fundraising stops being something you have to do and becomes something you get to do.

Response: Father, thank you for calling me into the ministry of fundraising. Give me a shepherd’s heart for every donor you’ve entrusted to my care. Help me love this work the way you love your people. Amen.

Fundraising Verse of the Week

Fundraising Paralysis

by Ron Haas

May 26, 2026

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (John 5:6 NIV)

Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda where dozens of blind, lame, and paralyzed people were waiting to be healed. He saw one man who had been lying there for 38 years and asked a probing question, “Do you want to get well?” The man shared reasons for his hopeless situation, to which Jesus commanded, “Get up! Take up your mat and walk.” Immediately, the man was healed and began to walk. This miracle teaches four truths about fundraising.

The Question
Why would Jesus ask the man if he really wanted to be well? It seems obvious. Of course he did. But the same question can apply to you and your ministry. Do you really want fundraising success? All ministry leaders and boards want the results of fundraising, but few are willing to take the time to identify, cultivate, and solicit major donors. How many of your top 25 donors have you visited in the last 90 days?

It Requires Humility
The invalid was helpless because he had no one to carry him to the pool. In one sense, your ministry is helpless unless others help you. You must rely on the generosity of others. Being a successful fundraiser starts with humility. Many ministry leaders will do events, write letters, and send emails, but they won’t sit across from a donor and make a direct ask because that requires vulnerability. That’s where humility really lives.

Take the First Step
Jesus simply commanded, “Get up! Take up your mat and walk.” Many organizations lie around waiting for the Lord to open the windows of heaven and pour out his blessing. Thankfully, the Lord does provide, but he also asks us to get up and get going. If you never pick up the phone and call your donors, they will never answer you. Sometimes ministries are stuck in fundraising complacency. Write down the name of one donor you’ve been avoiding and put a call on your calendar for this week.”

Don’t Turn Back
Later, Jesus saw the newly healed man in the temple and gave him this ominous warning, “Stop sinning or something worse will happen to you” (John 5:14). Spiritually, we all have a tendency to fall back into our old ways. Jesus prompts him to keep walking by faith. In fundraising, the most effective strategy is to schedule face-to-face donor visits, cultivate a relationship with your donor, and ask for a specific gift. It’s too easy to fall back into a let’s-just-send-a-letter mentality.

Think About This: When Jesus asked, “Do you want to get well?” the man could have responded, “No, I’m good.” Are you passive or active in your fundraising efforts? Many ministry leaders are just lying around waiting for someone to help them. The best fundraisers get up and go talk with donors. Be proactive and schedule that donor meeting today.

Response: Lord, forgive me for depending on others more than I depend on you. Thank you for giving me a new lease on my fundraising life. Help me move forward with your power and purpose. Amen.

Uncategorized

Joyful Fundraising

by Ron Haas

May 18, 2026

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2).

Every fundraiser should be humming:
I still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
And I won’t be going under
I’m not held by my own strength
‘Cause I’ve built my life on Jesus
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through every season
So why would He fail now?
He won’t

Do you have joy in your fundraising chaos and peace that makes no sense? Fundraising is a stressful job with sometimes impossible expectations. James encourages us to approach every situation with joy because God is in control.

Testing Produces Perseverance
Remember Murphy’s Law? “If anything can go wrong, it will.” You’ve heard war stories: the banquet where the keynote speaker canceled two hours before start time, the direct mail appeal with a catastrophic typo no one caught until 10,000 pieces went out, or the awkward moment your executive director asked your million-dollar donor a question that was a little too personal. You can give up and walk away, or you can lean in and learn endurance. Each challenge builds your fundraising muscles and deepens your trust in God’s provision.

Perseverance Makes You Mature and Complete
Stick-to-it-iveness brings maturity. You learn that the donor who said “no” three times might say “yes” the fourth. You discover that God’s timing rarely matches your campaign calendar, but His timing is always perfect. Perseverance grows your faith. You stop trusting in your efforts and start depending on the Spirit to prompt your donors to be generous. Billy Graham observed, “It is the regular exercise of patience and long-suffering in the small day-to-day frustrations and irritations which prepares us to endure when the great battles come.”

If You Don’t Know What to Do, Ask for Wisdom
We all have a tendency “to lean on our own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5) but we’re not smart enough to succeed in fundraising by ourselves. That’s why James says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God” (James 1:5). Wondering what fundraising events to plan or eliminate? Ask for wisdom. Preparing a proposal for a major donor meeting. Ask for wisdom. Trying to decide how to use AI? Ask for wisdom. Discerning how to engage a lapsed donor? Ask for wisdom. God promises to give generously without finding fault.

Don’t Be Double-Minded
Fundraisers make dozens of decisions every day. Should we approve this email? Change the event venue? Order different swag for the golf tournament? Push back the campaign launch date? Decision fatigue is exhausting. James warns against wavering between two opinions. Ask the Lord for direction even in minor situations, make your decision, and move forward with confidence. Good decision-making brings clarity to your entire team and momentum to your mission.

Think About This: Put your fundraising situation in perspective. You have the best job in the world because you have the privilege of inviting people to invest in something that will last for eternity.

Response: Lord, forgive me for reacting with worry, doubt, or anger when I struggle to reach my fundraising goals. Please help me respond with joy no matter the circumstances. Amen.

Holy Drill. “Joy in Chaos.” Joy in Chaos (Extended), 2023. Spotify.

Experiencing God

Fishing for Donors

Too Many Fundraisers

Cast Your Fundraising Bread

Fundraise Above Your Goals

Digging New Donor Wells

Restoring SYBUNTs

Love the Fundraising Game

Fundraising Paralysis

Joyful Fundraising

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2450 44th St SE
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2450 44th St SESte 106Grand Rapids, MI 49512

Phone (616) 224-4060Email [email protected]

Quick Link

Social Media

2450 44th St SE
Ste 106
Grand Rapids, MI 49512

Phone (616) 224-4060
Email [email protected]