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An image of a long, empty road stretching into the horizon with a sunset in the background. The sky is orange and yellow with scattered clouds. On the left side, vertical white text reads "Galatians 6:9." On the right, bold white text says "Don't STOP Asking," with the word "STOP" highlighted in red.
Fundraising Verse of the Week

Don’t Stop Asking

by Ron Haas
December 18, 2024

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

Fundraising is good work but hard work—travel, planning events, creating marketing materials, scheduling newsletters and appeals, writing proposals, submitting grant applications, managing staff and volunteers, preparing reports and presentations, and on top of all —the constant concern about making your fundraising goals looms over your head like the sword of Damocles. Are you tired yet? This verse can encourage you at the end of a long day, month, or year. Take heart in the promise all your work will pay off if you just keep doing good. Now read this verse from your donors’ perspective.

Weary
Giving is also good work but hard work. Your ministry partners have many giving choices and are burdened with the responsibility of making good stewardship decisions. They are also troubled by the cares of life: health struggles, financial challenges, church problems, and kids or grandkids drifting from the faith. How can you encourage them? Consider Isaiah 50:4, “The Sovereign Lord has given me a well-instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary.” You can lift your donors when they are discouraged. “Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up” (Prov. 12:25).

Proper Time
Giving is almost always a timing issue. Your donor might love your ministry and your project but can’t give right now. Most donors aren’t motivated by your calendar; they have financial pressures and priorities of their own. You are eager to reap a harvest, but your donors are also eager to reap a harvest. Some may be waiting on a literal harvest of crops, a quarterly interest payment, or the sale of a property. Be bold and ask but be patient and wait for the proper timing.

Reap a Harvest
Your ministry has a monthly budget to meet which requires a certain amount of donor calls to achieve your goals. If you don’t have inputs (number of asks), you won’t achieve outcomes (number of gifts). Focus on sowing seed and the harvest will follow. Learn to see giving through your donor’s eyes. What will their gift accomplish for eternity? Pray your donors’ generosity will reap a harvest of righteousness for your ministry and for them (see 2 Cor. 9:10).

Don’t Give Up
Galatians 6:9 is a spiritual pep talk to keep us going when things get tough. Isaiah said it like this:

God strengthens the weary
    and gives vitality to those worn down by age and care.
Young people will get tired;
    strapping young men will stumble and fall.
 But those who trust in the Eternal One will regain their strength.
    They will soar on wings as eagles.
They will run—never winded, never weary.
    They will walk—never tired, never faint. (Isaiah 40:29-31, VOICE)

Perhaps you need this encouragement. Your ministry partners definitely do.

Think About This: When you are tired, everything seems overwhelming. Encourage yourself and your ministry partners with Proverbs 30:1, “I am weary, God, but I can prevail.”

Response: Lord, you are the one who gives me strength to serve you. Help me encourage my ministry partners to continue being generous.

Hands holding a red heart against a pink background with the text "Effective Donor Follow-up" and "2 Corinthians 9:3".
Fundraising Verse of the Week

Effective Donor Follow-Up

by Ron Haas
December 4, 2024

“But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.” (2 Corinthians 9:3)

What do you say to donors who pledge but never give? Perhaps the most difficult concept Paul addresses in 2 Corinthians 8–9 is accountability. Paul had approached the Corinthian church the year before about giving to the believers in Jerusalem who were suffering from persecution and poverty. The church immediately responded with a gift and enthu­siastically promised more. Paul was so pleased with their initial generosity he shared their story everywhere he went. Many other churches were motivated to give because of the Corinthians’ leadership pledge but they never got around to sending their gift. This was unacceptable to Paul. He was counting on their gift, the church in Jerusalem was counting on their gift, and now the churches in Macedonia who gave because of their example were paying attention. Paul writes to prompt the Corinthians to keep their promise.

Action or Inaction
The Corinthians’ good intentions didn’t translate into actions. If your donor doesn’t follow through, should you just forget the pledge? Paul sent a pledge reminder letter to follow up, but then he sent the brothers to check on their gift. John taught, “let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18). Your donor’s inaction toward you speaks of their character. Your actions to hold your donor accountable demonstrate your love toward them.

Pride or Embarrassment
Paul had told everyone about the Corinthians’ generosity. Paul was proud of their initial leadership, (2 Cor. 8:24), but their reputation and his reputation were in jeopardy if they reneged on their pledge. Now was the time to finish what they started (2 Cor. 8:11). How often you follow-up with these donors is up to you, but it’s important to stay on top of these ministry partners in a kind and caring way.

Urgent or Optional
Two times Paul mentions he was sending the brothers. He was so urgent because he had already counted their gift. Help your donors realize your ministry’s key initiatives won’t happen if they don’t follow through with their promise. When you visit them, be respectful, empathetic, and sensitive to the fact that life happens, occasionally causing donors to fall behind on their commitments.

Obedience or Disobedience
Don’t focus on the negative. Focus on the positive things which will be accomplished when your ministry partner is able to fulfill their pledge. Remind your donors of the people who will be changed for eternity because of their generosity. “Others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them” (2 Cor. 9:13).

Think About This: Paul emphasized we should give generously and cheerfully, not grudgingly, reluctantly, or under compulsion. This means Titus and the brothers did not twist anyone’s arms, but they did share Paul’s message face to face. Perhaps the brothers’ very presence made the difference.

Response: Father, please give me the words to say as I visit our ministry partners who are behind on their pledge.

Silhouette of two hikers helping each other on a mountain at sunset, with text "FEARLESS FUNDRAISING" and "1 Corinthians 2:3".
Fundraising Verse of the Week

Fearless Fundraising

by Ron Haas
November 27, 2024

“I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.” (1 Corinthians 2:3)

We have an image of a courageous Apostle Paul boldly preaching about the Unknown God to the Greeks in Athens (Acts 17:16-33), or casting out a demon from a young fortune-telling girl triggering a riot which lead to his beating and landed him in prison (Acts 16:16-24), or causing a riot in Ephesus for preaching the Good News (Acts 19:23-41), or standing firm for his faith before King Agrippa (Acts 26). But there’s another side to Paul’s ministry—he came to Corinth in weakness, great fear, and trembling. Some people saw Paul as timid, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing” (2 Cor. 10:10). Those who underestimated Paul as a messenger failed to realize the power of his message. Do you approach your major gift donor meetings with weakness, great fear, and trembling?

Weakness
Paul embraced weakness. In fact, he “delighted in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:10) because he wanted Christ’s power to rest on him. The Corinthians prided themselves in their wisdom (1 Cor. 3:18-20), but Paul chose the opposite approach. He did not use eloquence, human wisdom, or persuasive words. Rather, he wanted his message to demonstrate the Spirit’s power. If you approach your major donor meetings with pride and overconfidence, you might not get the response you desire. Don’t trust your fancy brochure, professional video, scripted presentation, or winsome personality. Humbly share your need and ask your donor to consider partnering with you. Then trust the Spirit to move in their heart.

Fear
Fear is a debilitating emotion. Some are vexed with acrophobia (fear of heights), arachnophobia (fear of spiders), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) or the dreaded coulrophobia (fear of clowns). Some ministry leaders suffer from the fear of asking because they are afraid the donor will say no. They falsely believe if a donor declines to give, the donor is rejecting them. This perspective is rooted in pride. It’s not about you. It’s about your ministry and the people you serve. Boost up your courage and ask.

Trembling
Major donors might intimidate you and cause you to get tongue-tied. Paul’s reliance on the Spirit, kept him from shaking in his boots. His trembling turned to confidence as he proclaimed God’s message through God’s power (1 Cor. 2:4). Ezra’s enemies tried to intimidate him from completing God’s mission but, “Despite their fear of the peoples around them, they built the altar on its foundation and sacrificed burnt offerings on it to the Lord” (Ezra 3:3). Your best response to anxiety is to keep meeting with donors, keep sharing your ministry stories with confidence, and keep asking.

Think About This: Jerry Panas, the godfather of fundraising, advised, “Asking for a gift shouldn’t set your knees trembling. Asking isn’t selling. It isn’t razzle dazzle or persuading people to do something they don’t want to do. People want to invest in great causes. They want to feel they’re helping to change lives. It’s your job to help them understand how their money can make things happen.”

Response: Lord, please give me confidence to approach my ministry partners in humility and love. Help me ask boldly!

Fundraising

Use Fundraising AI (Without Losing the Personal Touch)

by Ron Haas
November 4, 2024

Let’s talk about how to make AI your friend in ministry fundraising. Here’s some practical tips to help you connect with your donors while saving time.

First Things First: AI Is Your Writing Buddy

Think of AI as your enthusiastic assistant who’s read every fundraising book out there but needs your guidance on the heart and soul of your ministry. It’s great at making your writing shine, but you’re still the one leading with God’s vision.

Super Practical AI Prompts You Can Use Today

For Your Next Fundraising Letter

Try this prompt:

Write a warm fundraising letter for our Christian food bank ministry. Include:

  • A story about Sarah, a single mom we helped last month with groceries and prayer
  • Reference Matthew 25:35 naturally in the text
  • Mention that $50 feeds a family for a week
  • End with a clear but gentle ask

Tone: Compassionate and hopeful

Length: About 400 words

For Monthly Donor Thank Yous

Here’s a winning prompt:

Write a thank you email to our monthly donors who give $30/month to support our youth ministry. Include:

How their faithful giving helped us take 50 teens to summer camp

  • A quick story about one teen who got baptized
  • Make it feel personal but not overly emotional
  • Keep it short and sweet (150 words)
  • Write like you’re sending a grateful note to a friend

For Impact Updates

Try this approach:

  • Create a ministry impact update for our email newsletter. Include:
  • 3 bullet points of what we did this month (served 200 meals, held 4 Bible studies, helped 15 families with rent)
  • A short praise report about answered prayer
  • A specific prayer request for next month
  • Bible verse that fits naturally

Style: Casual and joyful

Quick Tips to Keep It Real

Do This ✅

  • Feed AI specific details about your ministry’s personality
  • Give it real stories and numbers to work with
  • Let it help with the writing structure, but you add the heart
  • Use it to create different versions for different donor groups (first-timers vs. long-time supporters)

Skip This ❌

  • Avoid using AI for one-on-one donor conversations
  • Don’t use language just because it sounds “spiritual”
  • Skip the corporate-speak (nobody wants to read about “optimizing donor engagement”)

Making AI Work Better for You

  1. Keep It Personal Instead of: “Write a fundraising letter” Try: “Write a fundraising letter like you’re telling a friend about our ministry’s biggest need right now”
  2. Add Your Flavor Give AI examples of words and phrases you actually use in your ministry. If you say “family” tell AI that!
  3. Real Stories Work Best Feed AI specific stories:

Quick Fixes When AI Gets Too Formal

If AI writes: “We humbly request your generous contribution to facilitate our ongoing ministry initiatives…”

Ask it to rewrite like this: “Write that again like you’re talking to a friend over coffee.”

Remember This!

  • AI is great at organizing your thoughts and making writing flow
  • BUT you know your ministry and your people best
  • When in doubt, make it sound more like a conversation and less formal.
  • Keep stories real and specific
  • Let your ministry’s personality shine through

The bottom line? AI is like having a super-helpful volunteer who’s great with words but needs your guidance on the heart of your ministry. Use it to save time on writing so you can spend more time actually ministering to people!

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.

Major Donors, Donation Approach, Donor Relations

Bottom of the Ninth: How One College Pulled the Ultimate Comeback!

by Pat McLaughlin
November 4, 2024

Baseball fans live for those magical moments – bottom of the 9th, down by a few runs, bases empty, and somehow your team strings together a rally that brings the crowd to their feet! Every pitch matters. Every at-bat could make or break the game. One swing could be the difference between celebration and heartbreak.

We just witnessed one of these clutch performances with one of our Christian College clients. Picture this: I get an email from the president that reads like a manager’s nightmare scenario: “Pat, great gameplan, but here’s the situation – we need $2.4-$2.8 million in 120 days, including scholarship commitments. Season ends June 30th.”

“Hold up, Coach,” I replied. “Are you telling me if we don’t hit this number out of the park, the board might have to shut down the program next semester?”

His response? A simple “YEP!”

At TTG, we’ve got a saying that would make any baseball player proud: “Pray like it’s all up to God… hustle like you’re running out an infield single.” Just like you need both talent AND practice to win games, James teaches us that faith without works is dead. This wasn’t about building a fancy new stadium – this was about keeping the team on the field. And just like fans rally behind a team fighting for playoff survival, donors respond to that kind of urgency.

I laid out our lineup card to the president: “You’re our cleanup hitter here. You need to be in the field with me, making contact with donors!” He didn’t hesitate – “Put me in, coach!” He signed off on every play in our strategy, and we started our ninth-inning rally.

Our Gameplan:

  • Scout our “Top 10/Next 20” heavy hitters, plus a farm system of 50 promising prospects
  • Craft custom pitches for each potential donor with specific ask amounts
  • Get face time with donors – no pitching via mail (That’s like trying to win a game with only bunts – 1-5% success rate vs. 80-85% when you swing for the fences in person)
  • Build an all-star team of board members, faculty, and staff who could help us connect with donors
  • Draft a power-hitting Chief Development Officer who could drive in major gifts

Just like the World Series trophy isn’t won by one player, this became a true team effort. The president even installed countdown clocks around campus for the final 30-day stretch – like having the scoreboard lighting up those final crucial innings.

And guess what? WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM! We didn’t just hit our target of $2.4-2.8 million – we crushed it with $3.2 million! Plus, we added not one but TWO stewardship officers and a development dream team. It was like watching a rookie hit a game-winning homer in Game 7 of the World Series – a miracle I’ve been blessed to witness with clients worldwide since I stepped up to the fundraising plate in 1981.

Want to stage your own comeback? You’ll need a clear gameplan, specific targets, a committed roster from the board to the bullpen, a president who’s ready to step up to the plate, and that World Series-level intensity. If you’re down late in the game here in 2024, let us help you draw up the perfect rally strategy!

About the Author: Pat McLaughlin;

President/Founder – Pat started The Timothy Group in 1990 to serve Christian ministries as they raise money to advance their missions. TTG has assisted more 2,100 Christian organizations around the world with capital, annual, and endowment campaigns. More than 25,000 of Pat’s books, Major Donor Game Plan, The C Factor: The Common Cure for your Capital Campaign Conundrums, and Haggai & Friends have helped fundraisers understand the art and science of major donor engagement. Pat makes more than one hundred major donor visits annually and provides counsel to multiple capital campaigns.

The image shows two people shaking hands against a bright blue background. White text above the handshake reads, "A Donor Handshake," and below it says, "or a Hug?" To the right, the biblical reference "Luke 7: 37-38" is also in white text. The image implies a question about the nature of donor relationships, encouraging a deeper connection than a formal exchange.
Fundraising Verse of the Week

A Donor Handshake or a Hug?

by Ron Haas
October 31, 2024

“A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.” (Luke 7:37-38)

Simon, one of the Pharisees, invited Jesus to his home for dinner. A sinful woman learned Jesus was there and came to worship him. Overwhelmed by his presence, she began to cry as she poured an expensive bottle of perfume on his feet and wiped them with her hair. Simon was appalled at her display of love for Jesus, and that Jesus would allow her to touch him. Jesus knew Simon’s thoughts and taught a parable about two people who owed money they couldn’t repay. One owed a lot, the second owed a little, but the moneylender graciously forgave both debts.

Jesus turned the question toward Simon, “Who loved the moneylender more?” Simon got the point. Those who have been forgiven much, love much; those who have been forgiven little, love little. Simon had not offered to wash his feet, but the woman washed his feet with her tears. Donors who have been greatly impacted by your ministry tend to respond generously. How do you recognize how much your donors love your mission? Let’s apply Gary Chapman’s five love languages to donor relationships.

Words of Affirmation
Kevin, the executive director, was under fire for a biblical stand his ministry took. When the controversy hit the media, Jeff, his key major donor immediately texted to encourage Kevin. Texts turned to phone calls and then to meetings. Jeff ultimately backed up his words with a substantial gift.

Quality Time
We strive to spend quality time with our donors. One indicator your donors value your friendship is when they offer to spend quality time with you.

Acts of Service
The contrast between Simon and this woman was stark. She loved Jesus and wanted to serve him in humility. When donors volunteer to serve in meaningful ways, they love your ministry.

Receiving Gifts
This woman poured out an expensive bottle of perfume on Jesus’ feet. Some would see it as a waste, she saw it as worship. Jesus taught, “Where your treasure is, there is where your heart is also” (Matt. 6:21). When people love your ministry, they give liberally. The opposite is also true.

Physical Touch
Simon didn’t offer a servant to wash Jesus’ feet, but this woman cried on them, wiped his feet with her hair, and kissed them. It’s the glaring difference between a donor handshake and a hug. We desire our major donors to embrace our vision and mission, but some just want to hold us at arm’s length.

Think About This: Everyone’s love language is different. If you give gifts to a donor who’s love language is words of affirmation, you are not connecting to their heart. Know your major donors intimately so you can speak his or her love language.

Response: Father, please help me love my major donors with sincerity. Help me discern when they are ready for a significant ask.

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.

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