The Beatles tune, Let It Be, written in the 1960’s by Paul McCartney is catchy and profound! In the 3rd stanza it goes, “And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.” Please allow me to shine a bit of light on your advancement/stewardship planning with this song as a backdrop.
BE BIBLICAL.
Everything I need to know about Fund Raising I learned in the Bible. There are lots of Biblical mandates about giving, sharing and asking in the Holy Writ. There are more verses on stewardship in the New Testament than love and prayer combined. Consider the compelling words of Paul to his understudy in 1 Timothy 6:19-20. Paul encouraged Timothy with 3 truths commanding believers to practice in Ephesus: 1) Command them to do good! 2) To be rich in good deeds! 3) Be generous financially. There is that “Be” word again!
BE COMPREHENSIVE.
Utilize a variety of fundraising methods applied to a variety of your donor file; phone call, email, text, social media messaging, virtual call or event or other methods as they develop. Yes you need all of these. If Jesus walked the earth in the here and now, He would connect with you on LinkedIn, Facebook message and tweet. Apply these many methods in your plan to these 5 donor markets; individuals, churches, businesses, foundations and corporations. There are other funding sources but these are the biggest.
BE PERSISTENT.
Plan your work and then work your plan. Gracious persistence is a tremendous virtue of a development professional. “Never give in–never, never, never, never” said Winston Churchill during some very dark days for England during WW II. The world class athlete goes at it almost every day with a sense of purpose. They know what they do today will pay off in the near and distant future.
BE BOLD.
The FUD Factor – Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt – has impacted many a donor visit. Believe in your message, share it with boldness and invite your donor prospects and suspects to get on board and help you accomplish the mission you are called to accomplish. Yes, ask them to pray, to give generously (1 Timothy 6:20) and to be bold and be a friend raiser for your organization. Those 3 questions boldly, yet graciously, presented will impact your organization in an incredible way. One with eternal value!
BE FAITHFUL.
Understand your call to the ministry of stewardship, your passion to “disciple stewards.” Fundraising is short term; stewardship is a lifelong pursuit in the lives of our donors. Be totally bought in to the mission, vision and core values that drive your ministry. Have those in your heart, on your mind, and flowing from your mouth. Stewardship by its very nature is transformational, not transactional! It’s not just about the check or the wire transfer, it about the heart. Yours and theirs! Love your donors and date them often! You cannot and should not ask every time you see a donor, sometimes it’s just a thank you call or a visit to tell them that you love them and remind them their prayers and dollars are impacting eternity.
AND JUST LET IT BE.
Paul McCartney said it well, “Whisper Words of Wisdom, let it be, let it be!” I agree with Paul.
Article submitted by Pat McLaughlin, Founder/CEO of The Timothy Group. Click here to review and order Pat’s book and other top-selling books published by authors from The Timothy Group.
