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Two men seated in a church pew, one placing a supportive hand on the other’s shoulder as he bows his head, with the text “Stewardship is Ministry, Not Marketing” and “Philippians 4:17–19” displayed across the image.
Fundraising Verse of the Week

Stewardship is Ministry, Not Marketing

by Ron Haas
March 23, 2026

“Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account. I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:17-18)

When you write a thank-you letter to a donor, what’s going through your mind? Are you checking a box, or are you engaging in genuine ministry? The Apostle Paul provides the clearest biblical model for donor communication in his letter to the Philippian church. Paul isn’t just saying thanks. He’s ministering to these givers in these four ways.

He acknowledges their gift personally and warmly.
Paul names Epaphroditus, the person who brought their gift. He uses specific words like “amply supplied” and “more than enough.” These aren’t generic phrases from a template—they’re genuine and heartfelt. This isn’t merely a stylistic preference, it’s a theological necessity. Your ministry partners aren’t merely funding your organization. They’re investing in God’s Kingdom through your ministry. Your communication must reflect that reality.

He frames their gift in spiritual terms.
Paul describes it as “a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” He doesn’t talk about their gift as fuel for his ministry machinery. He describes it as worship—something that rises to God like incense from an altar. Your ministry partners need more than receipts and reports. They need a pastor’s heart that helps them see their giving as part of their discipleship journey. This means slowing down, being personal rather than efficient, and thinking theologically about what giving means.

He focuses on their spiritual benefit.
Paul writes, “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” He’s more concerned about what’s happening in their hearts than what’s happening in his bank account. Their generosity is building treasure in heaven and shaping them into the image of Christ. In light of eternity, your donors have more to gain from their gift than you do.

He links their obedience with God’s blessing.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (v. 19). Paul connects their giving to God’s provision, teaching them that you can’t out-give God. When you treat donor communication as ministry rather than marketing, everything changes. You’re not managing a database; you’re shepherding souls. You’re not crafting appeals; you’re inviting others into the joy of Kingdom partnership.

Think About This: Did your last donor thank-you letter sound more like Paul or more like artificial intelligence? Did it minister to the giver, or did it simply acknowledge a transaction? Paul got this right two thousand years ago. Will you follow his example?

Response: Lord, help me reflect You in every donor communication. Help me genuinely thank our ministry partners for their sacrificial gifts.

Nighttime nativity silhouette with a bright star shining over a manger and three wise men on camels, set against a star-filled sky, with text reading The Indescribable Gift.
Fundraising Verse of the Week

The Indescribable Gift

by Ron Haas
December 15, 2025

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

We take great care when selecting the perfect gift for that special person, but nothing compares with our Heavenly Father’s gift of his only Son to be “an atoning sacrifice for our sin” (1 John 4:10). Praise God for his generous, sacrificial gift of salvation! Without God’s generosity to us, we would be eternally lost and without hope. Paul responded to God’s gift with this doxology of praise. How should you respond to the generosity of your donors? Gifts from your ministry partners accomplish four results.

Practical
Henry Ford said, “Nothing happens until someone sells something.” In ministry, nothing happens until someone gives something. Generosity starts a chain reaction of blessing. “This service that you perform is… supplying the needs of the Lord’s people” (2 Cor. 9:12). Gifts solve real problems and enable you to serve others. With a balanced budget you can educate more students, feed more hungry people, and reach more people with the Gospel. More money means more ministry.

Personal
Your ministry benefits when donors give, their generosity also demonstrates the genuineness of their faith. “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves” (2 Cor. 9:13). Giving is an expression of “the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ” (vs. 13). James warns us that faith without works is dead. “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:14-16). Giving transforms mere talk into action.

Praise
Generous giving prompts “many expressions of thanks to God” (vs. 12). Great news about a generous gift spreads like wildfire. “Others will praise God for… your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else” (2 Cor. 9:13). Share with your donors how their gift is making an eternal difference and how your whole team is thanking God because of their generosity. Tell an impact story that would not have happened without their gift. Thank them for sharing with you and the other ministries they support.

Prayer
We are encouraged to pray for missionaries who are sharing the gospel throughout the world. Many donors don’t realize that those who benefit from their generosity are also praying for them. “And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you” (vs. 14). The greatest way to thank your donors is to pray for them. Ask for their prayer requests, spend time praying for them, and follow up to hear how God has answered.

Think About This: So many great things happen when donors give generously. You have the privilege of asking your donors to partner with you to accomplish eternal work. This week thank your donors for their generous, sacrificial gifts to your ministry.

Response: Father, I am so thankful to you for our donors. Please help me express my gratefulness to my donors in ways that give you all the glory.

Person sitting alone at the end of a dock overlooking a calm lake surrounded by mountains at sunset, with the words “WIIFM Donors” and a Bible reference displayed in the sky above.
Fundraising Verse of the Week

WIIFM Donors

by Ron Haas
May 28, 2025

The king asked Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness” (2 Samuel 16:2).

WIIFM stands for “What’s In It For Me?” Sales professionals know that WIIFM drives most buying decisions, so they create an emotional link that compels a person to purchase their product or service. Should fundraisers pursue WIIFM donors?

David wanted to honor Jonathan by showing grace to one of his relatives. So, he blessed Saul’s grandson, Mephibosheth, with Saul’s estate and invited him to eat at his table (see 2 Sam. 9). He also assigned Ziba to serve as Mephibosheth’s steward. Fast forward to Absalom’s rebellion. David and his household fled Jerusalem for their lives. Ziba went to the wilderness with a gift to refresh David. On the surface, this seemed like an act of selfless generosity, but was it? Ziba demonstrates how difficult it is to identify WIIFM donors.

Personal Benefit
As manager of Mephibosheth’s inheritance, Ziba controlled incredible wealth. “You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master’s grandson may be provided for” (2 Sam. 9:10). Ziba’s betrayal of Mephibosheth reveals his greed. He wasn’t satisfied with just serving, he wanted to own. His story seemed to work because David said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours” (2 Sam. 16:4). Ziba clearly had a conflict of interest. Sometimes your donors also have conflicts of interest. Perhaps their gift awards them with a building contract or a sale of their product or service. Perhaps they hope to leverage their gift to use your donor base for their marketing. Be wary of donors who give hoping to get.

Family Benefit
2 Samuel 9:10 reveals an interesting detail, “Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.” That’s a lot of mouths to feed. Ziba had much to gain from David’s generosity toward Mephibosheth. WIIFM donors are transactional donors. Christian school parents often say, “I’m giving because I want my child to benefit from this new building,” or “I’m not giving because my child is graduating and won’t be able to enjoy it.” That’s a difficult attitude to overcome. No doubt you have a few WIIFM donors. Thank them graciously and ask God to transform their hearts.

Kingdom Benefit
Search for kingdom-focused donors. These men and women are motivated by the eternal impact of your mission—whether they benefit or not. They understand the spiritual rewards of generosity and are not looking for earthly rewards. They give generously to “lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life” (1 Tim. 6:19).

Think About This: Mephibosheth finally shared his side of the story with David (see 2 Samuel 19:24-30) but it was too confusing. David told him and Ziba to split the property. It’s difficult to read a donor’s motivations, so don’t try. Simply be grateful for every gift.

Response: Lord, help me motivate my WIIFM donors by What’s In It For You!

The image shows two hands outstretched, with block letters within them forming the word "give". Text reading "#GivingTuesday" appears to the right of the hands.
Fundraising, Donation Approach

A Simple Guide for a Productive Giving Tuesday – Part 1

by Jon Helder
November 4, 2024

It’s that time of year again. Fundraising events are in full swing, year-end appeals are being drafted, and nonprofit professionals everywhere are working tirelessly to boost their year-end fundraising. In the midst of this chaos, a well-intentioned colleague or board member is usually bound to ask “So, what are your plans for Giving Tuesday?” No matter how you feel about Giving Tuesday, there is no question that its popularity is growing and simply ignoring it is likely to the detriment of your organization. However, engaging in a Giving Tuesday campaign doesn’t have to complicated, expensive, or disproportionately time consuming. In this article, we’ll discuss how to target the ideal audience and choose the best tools to leverage for your campaign. Next time, we’ll lay out a simple communications plan and ways your organization can incentivize donors to give.

The Audience

As my Marketing 101 professor always said, “it’s all about the who.” As with any fundraising/marketing communication, you must identify “who” you are targeting. When you understand “who,” you can customize and cater your communications content and mode to reach them. A great article about this topic is Donor Insights You Need to Know for Giving Tuesday. In short, the research shows that your Giving Tuesday donors are not your average year-end giver. The best strategy is to remove your top year-end donors from your Giving Tuesday campaign communications. You don’t want to encourage them to give a smaller amount than they would have given otherwise (aka “tipping”) or, at the very least, you don’t want to needlessly send them another solicitation.  Likewise, your Giving Tuesday crowd likely won’t respond as well to a highly personalized year end mailer if they have never given to you via check. It is more effective to treat each group as their own segment.

Here are some helpful suggestions on whom to include/exclude from your Giving Tuesday segment:

Include

  • Individuals who are active on your organization’s social media and email marketing platforms
  • Their average gift is $100 or less
  • Given to past online campaigns
  • Given via credit card or EFT

Exclude ***

  • History of giving in the last week of the calendar year
  • Individuals who have never given online (only check or cash) and whose average gift is $250+
  • Individuals who have given for the first time in the last month
  • Individuals who have given a gift of $250 or more in the last 2 months

The Tools

Now that you have your audience, the next step is to use your best internal tools to reach that group. In general, your tools or “mode of communication” tends to produce a parallel response. For example, paper mailers will produce paper responses (i.e., checks/cash in the mail). Digital tools, like social media and email marketing, tend to produce likes, shares, and hopefully, an online donation. Since Giving Tuesday is primarily celebrated digitally, your focus should be to raise online donations through digital tools:

Email Marketing (Mailchimp, Hubspot, Constant Contact, etc.)

Outside of direct mail, most organizations use some form of mass email communications to reach their community. Aside from being significantly cheaper, email marketing tools enable nonprofits to see the level of engagement from each contact which in turn allows nonprofits to focus content to the recipient. In fact, individuals who are the most engaged with your organizations email campaigns are likely your best prospects, your most committed donors, and your best audience for Giving Tuesday. Importantly, it has been shown that email marketing far out paces social media with regards to conversion rates (the number of donations that result per ask) and return on investment (dollar raised per dollar spent). In an ideal world, your Donor CRM would integrate with your email marketing software so that you could easily identify and pull out the “excluded” people above. If your CRM doesn’t, I would highly suggest running a list of your top YE donors from your CRM and simply tagging those individuals in your email marketing software. That will allow you to pull those profiles out of the campaign emails.

Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snackbuzz, etc.)

There are so many platforms these days that it can be hard to keep up. Case in point, when you read “Snackbuzz” above, did it spark a bit of terror in you? Don’t worry, I made that one up. ? Regardless, the constant steam of applications like LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter, Snapchat, WhatsApp, etc. can cause many nonprofit professionals to throw their hands in the air in frustration. Although understandable, based on the number of millennials and older that use it (who also have greatest giving capacity) Facebook is currently the best social media site for your organization to invest its resources. If for some reason your mission lends well to visual imagery (schools, international organizations, animal shelters, etc.), Instagram can also be a worthwhile site for increasing engagement and awareness of the organization. While your Giving Tuesday campaign should include social media, social media is more important for promoting the campaign. Email Marketing will have a greater conversion rate.

Direct Mail?

While some organizations use direct mail as part of their Giving Tuesday campaign, I’m not convinced that the investment in time and resources for a specific Giving Tuesday mailing is worthwhile. You would be further ahead to use those resources for your year-end appeal that will reach everyone we “excluded” above. If you need some content for your fall newsletter, it would be fine to feature a “save the date” style announcement. However, it’s not too effective to seek a digital response from a paper-based communication.

Join us for our next article where we’ll share a quick and actionable Giving Tuesday campaign communications plan.

*** While you may not exclude these types of donors from your Giving Tuesday communications, one of these donors could provide a helpful boost to your campaign. More on that next time… 🙂

About the Author: Jonathan Helder, CFRE, ECRF, Consultant

With over a decade of proven fundraising experience and a love for data, Jonathan is blessed to serve nonprofits and help bolster their impact on the community. Jon enjoys helping ministries implement data-based strategies and tools to improve fundraising and organizational effectiveness. Jonathan has written articles as well as presented to local and national organizations including the Association of Fundraising Professionals (West Michigan), Do More Good, Nonprofit Hub and the Lakeshore Nonprofit Alliance.

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