“Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the Lord came to him: ‘Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.’ So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, ‘Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?’ As she was going to get it, he called, ‘And bring me, please, a piece of bread’ (1 Kings 17:7-11).” 
 
Should we ask for gifts during a crisis? The conventional wisdom among fundraising professionals is to not ask but instead focus on strengthening your donor relationships. Certainly, people give to people they know and love so cultivating relationships is time well spent. But how do we reconcile this account of Elijah asking a widow for her last meal in the middle of a famine? 
 
Asking provides an opportunity for spiritual growth, but the widow pushed back, “I only have a handful of flour and a little oil in a jug” (1 Kings 17:12). Amazingly, Elijah asked a second time and shared this promise, “Don’t be afraid… ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land’” (vs. 13-14). Could God use your boldness to shake people from their fears and prompt them to give generously trusting that God will meet their needs? 
 
Perhaps the nature of the ask makes a difference. Is your need urgent? Elijah’s ask was for his immediate needs to sustain him physically. Paul asked the Corinthian church to help the believers in Jerusalem because they were destitute. We see this today. People are eager to help when a natural disaster occurs and will often put other important projects on hold. 
 
If your ministry has a direct impact helping people during this Coronavirus pandemic, you have a green light to ask. One ministry that works primarily oversees has expanded their program focus to provide emergency food and hygiene kits to struggling families in the U.S. Part of their appeal also asks for help to erase their budget shortfall as a result of the crisis. If you don’t have a direct ministry impact, don’t be tone deaf to this emergency or your donor’s anxieties. Instead, show concern for them, update them on your situation, present your needs and if the Spirit leads, ask them to prayerfully consider giving a sacrificial gift any time over the next few months before your fiscal year end. 
 
Generosity is based on faith, not finances or fear. 
 
Friend, may you have a Spirit-led fundraising week! 
Ron

“When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” (Exodus 20:18-21) 
 
What a dramatic scene at the base of Mt. Sinai – thunder, lightning, the trumpet, and smoke all struck fear in the hearts of God’s people. They needed reassurance from Moses, and he spoke words of hope and instruction from God. “Do not be afraid, God is testing you.” 
 
Two types of fear are evident in this passage – the fear of man and the fear of God. Dark times cause people to look at outward circumstances and tremble with fear, but the fear of God causes you to look inward and keeps you from sinning.  As fundraisers, we meet people who are reluctant to give because of these fearful times. Your best response is to share God’s word, “Do not be afraid, God is testing us.” Demonstrate your calm leadership and faith. 
 
The most breathtaking moment in this passage is, “The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” Our world is facing darkness. You might be facing darkness organizationally, professionally, or even personally. Don’t stand at a distance in the fear of man. Be courageous and walk toward the darkness where God is. 
 
“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous” (Psalm 112:4). 
 
May you have a Spirit-led week! 
 Ron

“Onesiphorus often refreshed me. when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.” (2 Timothy 1:16-18) 
 
The greatest challenge for many non-profits is finding more donors. Onesiphorus could be the patron saint of donor research. He was Paul’s colleague in Ephesus who searched hard for him until he found him in Rome. You may need to revive old friendships like Onesiphorus with Paul, or you may be searching for new potential ministry partners.  

Onesiphorus’ 4-step process works for both: 

Search Hard. We are blessed to live in the information age, but there is no one magic database to answer the question, “Where’s Waldo?” Task a team or recruit some volunteers to research Facebook, LinkedIn, and your old student directories to update your donor information. Perhaps you should consider subscribing to an address search service. 

Find. Onesiphorus was persistent. He didn’t have our modern research tools. Instead, he had old-fashioned sandal-leather and began knocking on doors and talking with anyone who would listen. A board member once said to me, “Everyone in our organization needs to be constantly in conversations with people to find out where God is hiding money!” Networking is your best donor research strategy. 

Help. What is your motivation for finding new donors? Is it so they can help you, or is it so you can help them? Our overarching donor engagement perspective should be to help donors grow in the grace of giving (2 Cor. 8:7). Paul said, “Not that I desire your gifts, what I desire is that more be credited to your account” (Phil. 4:17). 

Refresh. Onesiphorus refreshed Paul again and again. Do you encourage and re-energize your donors? Are they invigorated by your mission, vision and results? Do your donors love to see you coming because of the joy you bring them? “Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). 

Search hard, find, help and refresh your donors. 
 
May you have a Spirit-led fundraising week! 
Ron 

“I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?” 4 Four times they sent me the same message, and each time I gave them the same answer.” (Nehemiah 6:3-4) 
 
God assigned Nehemiah with the task of building the wall around Jerusalem. He was a capable leader who rallied the people to make tremendous strides despite severe opposition. His enemies responded with anger, insults, and threats of violence to impede his progress, but nothing worked. The children of Israel stayed on time and task. Then his foes thought of a devious plan – invite him to a meeting. 
 
Nehemiah realized that unnecessary meetings would distract him, burn time, and prevent him from accomplishing his goal. So, he declined the meeting request, “I cannot come to your meeting. I am involved in critical job. Why should I leave it and go to your meeting?” You’ve got to admire Nehemiah’s boldness and single-mindedness. They kept asking and asking hoping that he would finally acquiesce, but Nehemiah turned them down every time. 
 
Meetings are a necessary evil of every organization. You will be tempted to accept every meeting request because you want to be a team player. You might even have a special expertise that would add value to a meeting that is outside your department. Don’t do it. Stay vigilant. You must graciously decline time and time again. 
 
Instead of your colleagues asking you to help them accomplish their department goals; you should ask them to help you raise money. At the end of the fiscal year, you will be evaluated on how much money you raised, not on how many meetings you attended. Stay focused on your task and stay in your lane. 
 
Learn to say, “NO!” 

May you have a Spirit-led fundraising week, Ron

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” 1 Samuel 7:12 
 
Scripture records many times when God’s people were encouraged to remember the Lord’s special blessing in their lives. Sometimes they erected stones to mark exceptional events of God’s love and faithfulness. Samuel memorialized Israel’s victory over the Philistines and called the stone, “Ebenezer” or “Thus far has the Lord helped us.” Every time someone would walk by the “Stone of Help” they would pause, reflect, and rejoice because the Lord’s great victory. 
 
As fundraisers we can be so focused on our current and future needs that we neglect to celebrate how God has blessed us in the past. We are laser-focused on reaching our annual operating fund by June 30^th, then on July 1^st we start all over on the next fiscal year. We push right through and forget to thank God for his help. We also forget to celebrate and thank our donors for how God used them to help us. 
 
Do you pause and celebrate your fundraising victories? Do you have a wall of remembrance for your last successful capital campaign? For the big victories, host a celebration banquet and give your donors an opportunity to rejoice with you. When you praise the Lord and thank your donors for helping you “thus far,” you are also communicating that you will need their help for the next battle. 
 
“Lord, I have heard of your fame; 
    I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. 
Repeat them in our day, 
    in our time make them known” Habakkuk 3:2. 
 
God bless your week Friend, 
 Ron