Do you treat your donors as servants or friends? Do you only care about your donors for what they have and what they can do for you instead of who they are and what you can do for them? Jesus makes an amazing statement to his disciples, “I have called you friends.” Yes, we are Christ’s servants, but he has elevated our relationship to friend status and desires to be your close friend. You should elevate your donors to friends.
Terminology
How we refer to those who support us reveals how we value them. We run reports and categorize people by their giving frequency, recency, and gift amount. Subconsciously or consciously we often view our donors as dollar signs. Make a significant shift in your vocabulary and start referring to your donors as ministry partners.
Trust
How does a servant become a friend? The answer is by building trust. Joseph was a faithful servant who rose to become ruler of Egypt because he could be trusted. The trust we develop with our ministry partners is built over years of keeping our word. Do what you say you will do. If you promise to follow up with an answer to their question, follow up promptly. If you indicate you will use their gift for a certain project, don’t shift their funds to something else without asking their permission. Broken trust is difficult to repair.
Transparency
“A servant doesn’t know his master’s business.” Masters didn’t consult their servants for advice but they would ask their friends. Jesus treats us as friends by sharing important information with us. He is completely transparent, everything he learned from his father he has shared with us. Sometimes we keep our donors in the dark about our ministry plans. Treating your donors as friends means you genuinely care for them and communicate openly and honestly about your needs. Your transparency will earn you the opportunity to ask for their help.
Henri Nouwen made this insightful statement about a fundraiser’s relationship with donors, “Once we are prayerfully committed to placing our whole trust in God, and have become clear we are concerned only for the Kingdom; once we have learned to love the rich for who they are rather than what they have; and once we believe we have something of great value to give them, then we will have no trouble at all in asking someone for a large sum of money.”
Think About This: If we love the rich for who they are we will view them as friends, even close friends. If we love the rich for what they have, we will see them only as a means to an end–their means to support our end. Let Nouwen’s phrase sink into your heart, “Love the rich for who they are rather than what they have.” What will you do this week to build trust with your ministry partners?
Response: Father, forgive me for viewing our donors as dollar signs, not my personal friends.
Henry Nouwen, The Spirituality of Fundraising
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 three books: Ask for a Fish – Bold Faith-Based Fundraising, Simply Share – Bold, Grace-Based Giving, and Keep on Asking – Bold, Spirit-Led Fundraising. He regularly presents fundraising workshops at ministry conferences and has written fundraising articles for Christian Leadership Alliance’s Outcomes magazine.
