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Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors, Stewardship

3 Ways To Treat Donors as Partners

by The Timothy Group
July 29, 2020

President John F. Kennedy inspired a generation with his Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” Kennedy shifted the focus from receiving to giving and, in doing so, motivated hundreds of thousands of volunteers to give their lives in public service to make the world a better place.

Nonprofits should apply this famous quote to their donor relationships, “Ask not what your donors can do for you – ask what you can do for your donors.” Too often we fixate on meeting our needs and asking donors to help us achieve our goals. In so doing, we become too one-sided in our approach to donors.

Let’s be honest though – there is a practical side to fundraising.

We must meet our budget or risk going out of business. But this organizational self-focus overlooks the mutual benefit donors can share by partnering with your ministry – helping them thrive!

Donors thrive when you include them in your mission to change lives for eternity. Paul referred to his relationship to the Philippian church as a “partnership in the gospel” (Phil. 1:5). They were partners because they gave generously time and time again to share in his troubles (Phil. 4:14-16). They saw themselves as coworkers. Here are three ways to treat your donors like full partners.

(1) Communicate Good News and Bad News

It’s easy to share the good news about growing enrollment, an unexpected gift, or a positive answer from the zoning commission, but our donor communications tend to be guarded, and almost cautious, when we have to share bad news.

Recently a ministry sent a cryptic letter explaining why the executive director was fired. One donor reacted, “The letter said something without saying anything.” Open and transparent communication will strengthen your bond with your donors. We coached this ministry to over communicate with their ministry partners by calling key stakeholders to answer any questions they might have about the situation.

Paul was authentic about the many ministry challenges he faced. “We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself” (2 Corinthians 1:8). He was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, left for dead, and shipwrecked. “I have labored and toiled and often gone without sleep, I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides all this, I face the daily pressure of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:27,28). As Paul’s readers experienced his story, their hearts joined his.

Key Takeaway: There is nothing to hide. Be honest, open, and forthright with your ministry partners.

(2) Speak from your Donor’s Perspective

Too often we ask our donors to support us as we do the work . When Paul sat chained in prison, in a real sense those Philippian believers were right there with him. When he floated to shore during his shipwreck (Acts 27), they were also bobbing up and down in the waves with him. When he preached the gospel and men, women and children came to faith, the Philippians shared in his harvest because they had invested in planting the seed.

Help them see their value by placing them on the front lines of ministry. Recently at a donor event the executive director of a relief and development agency made his appeal extremely personal. “Next week you will be serving food to refugees in Syria providing a warm meal and hope. You will be in Thailand rescuing young women trapped in sex-trafficking. You will be in Iraq sharing Bibles with people who have never seen a Bible. And you will be in India meeting the most urgent needs of a child in poverty.” These phrases transported donors from being spectators to becoming participants. It helped them thrive.

Key Takeaway: People learn best not by watching from the sideline but by playing in the game! Help your donors engage an “in-game” experience.

(3) Emphasize Eternal Dividends

Who really benefits from a donor’s gift? You do, because you can raise the funds to stay in business. The people you serve benefit, because you can continue ministering to them. Your donors also benefit because they will receive eternal rewards. Paul responded to the Philippians’ generosity, “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account (Phil 4:17).

Donor partnership is not just a one-way street. It should be a genuine partnership mutually beneficial to both your ministry and your donors. As a Christian ministry, you give your donors the unique opportunity of laying up treasures in heaven.

In all your donor communication you must tell great stories of changed lives. It’s not about your buildings, but what happens inside your buildings. It’s not about your staff; it’s how they impact your service recipients. It’s really not about your ministry at all; it’s about helping your donors fulfill their God-given responsibility to be good stewards. Give them compelling reasons to partner with you to impact eternity. Help them thrive!

Key Takeaway: Your ministry partners are not investing in a program or a product; they are investing in changed lives. Treat them as full partners in the gospel.

Download our free e-guide and HELP OTHERS DISCOVER THE GRACE OF GIVING.

Authors: Pat McLaughin and Ron Haas. Check out their published books.

Learn more about Pat here.

Ron has served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

Donor Relations, Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week, Major Donors

4 Types Of Donor Heart Responses

by Ron Haas
July 28, 2020

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown” (Matthew 13:3-8).

View Video Version

The parable of the four types of soil reveal different heart responses of 4 types of donors. Jesus’ message of forgiveness was the same for everyone, but not everyone could receive it. Your ministry faces these same reactions from potential donors.

Path

This donor doesn’t resonate at all with your mission. Your message bounces off their heart and never takes root.

Rocky

This donor makes an emotional response to your appeal but has no genuine connection to your mission and their support quickly fades.

Thorns

This person receives your message and responds but has too many other concerns that prevent them from becoming a faithful supporter. Jesus comments on this soil, “but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).

Good

This donor receives your message and responds generously. Some produce thirty, some sixty and some one hundred.

How should this inform us regarding our major donor strategy? We can spend lots of time cultivating relationships with those along the path, on rocky soil, or infested with thorns – yet none of these soils produce fruit. Instead, focus your efforts on those donors whose heart connects with yours.

One Christian university analyzed their million-dollar gifts and discovered that in almost every situation, the donor’s first gift was small, but their gifts grew as their relationship grew.

Challenge

Spend your time in the right soil cultivating gifts that are thirty, so they grow into sixty, one hundred – or even a million.

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Author: Ron Haas, The Timothy Group. Ron has served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

Video Animator: Madison Bluhm, The Timothy Group

Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

Your Fundraising Desert

by Ron Haas
July 25, 2020

“Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
    looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
    staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
    He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
    that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
    the starved and hungry got plenty to eat” (Psalm 107:4-9, The Message).

When Eugene Peterson penned The Message paraphrase, he had no idea how his phrases in Psalm 107 would speak to fundraisers. Does this describe you? Are you in a fundraising desert “half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion?” Unfortunately, this describes many in the fundraising world. Asking for money is difficult and can be exhausting. Even the best fundraisers face dry spells and wonder why what they are doing is not producing results.

But there is hope!

Your financial condition might look desperate now, but you serve the living God – the “God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome” (Deut. 10:17). When you are in distress, you can call on him because he will answer you (see Psalm 86:7). Cry out to him, “because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people” (Isaiah 43:21).

God’s answers to your fundraising challenges are perfect.

If you need more donors, he can guide you to the strategies that will yield results. If you need more volunteers, he can lead faithful people to you. If you need a significant major gift, he can touch someone’s heart to say “Yes!” to your gift proposal. God can change your perspective and pull you out of your desperate condition. He can quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger. He can “put your feet on a wonderful road and take you straight to a good place to live” (vs. 9). But remember, many times he answers just in the nick of time!

Have a Spirit-led fundraising week,

Ron

Ron Haas has served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

Capital Campaigns, Fundraising, Strategic Planning

Empty Optimism or Pie In The Sky Fundraising?

by The Timothy Group
July 15, 2020

Do you practice empty optimism or pie in the sky fundraising? Donor conversations, feasibility studies, and casting vision all work together to show how you CAN DO something bigger than you thought. Check out Ron’s video “How Pre-Campaign Studies Help You Set Fundraising Goals” in our Timothy Trains Video Series.

Learn more about Ron and his published books.

The Timothy Group Video Learning Series & Live Forums
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Donor Relations, Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

The 4 Little Foxes Of Donor Relationships

by Ron Haas
July 5, 2020

“Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom” Song of Songs 2:15.

It’s the little things that drive wedges between you and your donors. The Bridegroom warned his Bride to catch the little foxes that would spoil their vine. In a marriage, the little differences that drew you and your spouse together can become huge annoyances if you neglect to apply love in liberal doses.

Your donor relationships are susceptible to these four little foxes:

Poor Communication.

Lack of communication is at the heart of every failed donor relationship. The problem really is lack of listening. Stephen Covey said, “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” Listen to your donor more than you speak. You will learn something important about their heart.

Unmet Expectations.

Donors believe that you will use their gift for what you say you will. Unfortunately, when budgets get tight ministry leaders are often tempted to find ways to apply designated gifts to undesignated budget items. These gymnastics may cover short-term needs but will often create long-term donor problems.

Lack of Empathy.

We focus on our program and our financial needs so much that sometimes we forget to show love and compassion. A donor shared the sad story that his employee had just embezzled $150,000. Wisely, the donor representative, who was prepared to ask for $150,000 gift, kept his proposal in his folder for another day and focused on encouraging the donor in his loss.

Taking Donors for Granted.

If every conversation you have with your donors is to ask for money, you will quickly burn your relationships. Don’t treat your donors like ATM machines; just push a few buttons and out pops money. Donors know when you only appreciate them for what they have and what they can give, instead of who they are.

The best way to keep these little foxes in check is with two little words: time and love. Spend time with your donors and genuinely love them. “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).

Have a Spirit-led fundraising week!

Ron Haas, Vice President of The Timothy Group, has also served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

Pivot, Pull Back Or Start Over?

by Ron Haas
June 27, 2020

“Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’ 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” Acts 16:6-10.

Pivot?

Discerning God’s will can be confusing at times. We map out our strategic plans, but sometimes things don’t progress as we hope. Paul’s experience at Troas is a perfect example of handling uncertainty in ministry. He attempted to preach the gospel in Asia, but the Holy Spirit prevented him. So, he pivoted toward Bithynia, “but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.” Can you imagine the conversations among his traveling companions? Perhaps they questioned God’s leading; perhaps they questioned Paul’s leadership. That evening the Holy Spirit gave Paul the vision of a man of Macedonia which brought clarity and encouraged them with God’s plan.

Pull back or start over?

A growing church hired an architect to design new facilities. The elders presented the plans to the congregation who generally gave positive feedback. As the conversation continued, some wondered if the plans for the sanctuary were too large for the number of available parking spaces. To discern the Lord’s will, the elders proposed two solutions: 1) conduct a traffic study, and 2) move forward the plans only if the elders had complete unity. God answered their prayers, but not like they thought. The study revealed that the site did not have adequate space for parking, and the elders voted unanimously to ask the architect to significantly revise the plans. God brought clarity. Yet, it took courageous leadership to pull back and start over.

Listen and walk in it.

How will you know what path to take? “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).

Friends, have a Spirit-led fundraising week!

Ron Haas, Vice President of The Timothy Group, has also served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

Development, Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

Small Team. Big Results.

by Ron Haas
June 21, 2020

“Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you” (Leviticus 26:8).

Do you bemoan the fact that your development team is understaffed? It’s easy to become jealous of larger organizations that have the resources and personnel to raise millions of dollars. Huge public universities have an army of major gift officers identifying, cultivating, and soliciting donors. In fact, each of the colleges beneath the university umbrella also have a strong team focused on their specific subset of donors e.g. athletics, business, law, nursing, etc. They also have researchers, grant writers, event planners, plus all the latest computers and software to track every gift and every gift officer’s next move.

How can you compete with fundraising juggernauts like this? You can’t. The good news is you don’t have to. God promised the children of Israel that he would fight for them; that makes all the difference. He tipped the balance of power in favor of Moses and Joshua. “Five will chase a hundred.” That’s pretty great odds. But it gets better, “one hundred of you will chase ten thousand!” You may not have the budget or staff of other organizations, but you have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and direct your path.

So how do you handle your disadvantages? Paul instructed, “Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else” (Galatians 6:4). Focus on what you can do with the resources God has given you. Test your own actions. Make sure you are doing everything you can to Research, Romance, Request, Recognize, Recruit and Report to your donors. Don’t worry about what you could do if only you had something you don’t. Grab your sword and start chasing.

Have a Spirit-led fundraising week!

Ron Haas, Vice President of The Timothy Group, has also served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

Fundraising, Strategic Planning, Zoom Panel Forum

Zoom Panel Forum Recording: Yogi -N- Year-end Fundraising Strategies

by The Timothy Group
June 17, 2020

View the live recording of this crucial discussion “Yogi -N- Year-End Strategies” led by top development experts with 120 participants across the US! View the recording or download the documents shared during the call (see below).

view Live Recording

FEATURED GUEST HOST PANELISTS:

Justin Behrens, LSW, CEO/Executive Director, Keystone Mission, Scranton PA
David Hoag, President, Warner University, Lake Wales, FL
Todd Toslma, Head of School Administration, NorthPointe Christian Schools, Grand Rapids, MI
Nate Vander Stelt, Executive Vice President, GACX/A Global Alliance For Church Multiplication

DOCUMENTS SHARED DURING THE CALL:

ProposalCoverSheet_proof Download
FINAL Priorities info pages Spring 2020 CS acquisition Download
CS acquistion Memorandum of Partnership Given Gift Version Download
CS acquisition President ltr – alumni Download
Fundraising, Fundraising Verse of the Week

Secular Vs. Sacred

by Ron Haas
June 14, 2020

“For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

The world raises millions of dollars for temporal causes. Sometimes as Christians, we believe we are at a fundraising disadvantage compared to secular organizations. But our methods are better than the world’s because they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Overcoming the love of money and the deceitfulness of riches are fundraising strongholds. We have the advantage over the world because giving to our compelling stories produces eternal rewards.

Faith

Ultimately, generosity is not a financial decision, it’s a faith decision. Both the asker and the giver must have faith that God will provide for their needs. Secular fundraising professionals can only appeal to their donors based on how a potential gift might alleviate human problems. We can appeal to our donors with the truth that their gifts will make a physical and eternal difference in the lives of those we serve.

Hope

Paul teaches in 1 Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God.” We have the privilege of challenging our donors to place their hope in God by laying up “treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age” (v.19).

Love

Consider this scene from Mark 10:21 about the rich young ruler, “Jesus looked at him and loved him. ‘One thing you lack,’ he said. ‘Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.’” This young man’s riches were preventing him from laying up treasure in heaven. Jesus loved him by challenging him to generosity which can only come from a heart changed by love.

Faith, hope, and love should guide your donor relations strategies, but the greatest of these is love.

Ron Haas, Vice President of The Timothy Group, has also served the Lord as a pastor, the vice president of advancement of a Bible college, a Christian foundation director, a board member and a fundraising consultant. He’s authored two books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising and Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for At the Center magazine and Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.

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