0
0

“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.

Cart Overview