Dec 11, 2008
A question that will lower expectations and increase gratitude when raising money
Like this post?
Given how many causes need funding, is mine likely to be among even the most generous donor’s top choices to support?
Doubtful.
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© 2012 Abuyo. All rights reserved.
A very good question to ask!
Yet, we have to factor God into the equation, I work for a mission that costs between £22-£23000 per week. Yet The Lord is very generous through His people & it’s never been short. Infact we are expanding.
http://www.revivalmovement.org/
As someone who is raising support to serve in Prague, I will honestly say that your post isn’t super encouraging. True and right, but not encouraging.
If you’re angling for birthday presents, then who knows? Many happy returns, anyway…
NB it had just gone midnight on 12 / 12 Glasgow time when I posted, so I’m not early in my time zone…
Melissa,
I can see how it’s not super encouraging at first. But don’t you think that it sets the right attitude for asking.
Namely, that I shouldn’t expect any particular person to give to me, because who knows what other causes they’re already giving to.
If I have the attitude that says it’s unlikely that I’ll be in anyone’s top choices (which is true whether it’s our attitude or not), then when someone gives (and they will, God willing) we will feel the appropriate wonder and thankfulness.
So what starts with discouragement (“It’s unlikely anyone will support me.”), ends in encouragement (“Even though it was unlikely, people still gave.”).
I hope.
Abraham, I think you’re right.
Many people take the attitude of Senior Chief in the Guardian when deciding who to support.
Just give to each need that presents itself, and keep giving until you can’t give anymore.
I agree Abraham. I’ll be raising support in about a year and a half, and I think that is a good perspective to take into support meetings. Especially in light of the tightening economic situation, we need to feel profound gratitude for anyone’s generosity, rather than entitlement.
I think it is good to ask if we are trying to raise this money to earnestly meet the needs of others or is it being used to meet our own needs and desires. It seems to me that a lot of fundraising can become self-centered, focused on maintaining our own comfort, with the leftovers going to fund extra ministry. Wow… that sounds pretty negative when I re-read it. Being a missionary myself, maybe I’m feeling a little convicted.
Having been in sales, I have been tempted to think in those terms before. There are those who equate support raising to marketing, and call it a numbers game – if you contact so many people and make so many calls, you will get such-and-such a percentage return – blah blah blah.
We are missionaries and our financial supporters are 4 churches and 69 individuals. When we were raising support, we just told people about our vision and our mission. Yes, we contacted people. Yes, we made presentations. And yes, we had expectations. For example, we had good friends (and churches) that we thought for sure would support us, but they don’t.
But we have other people that, knowing their situation, I don’t know where the money comes from and they are among the most faithful givers. We have other supporters (and one church) that just came out of nowhere, from our perspective.
All that to say that it definitely is from God. It doesn’t matter what we think is more likely than something else. He allocates His resources where He wants to allocate them. Our job is to trust and obey. It is very humbling and a great blessing (and creates a great sense of responsibility) to think that He wants to allocate some of those resources to me.
I’m just taking this post as an excuse to say Happy Birthday and that Orison totally looks like you when you were little.
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1535_happy_birthday_abraham/
I’ve been “on support” for three decades, and am passionate about it…If I inherited a million bucks I’d have fun giving most of it away, as I would not want to lose the”prayer cover” of supporters…would they pray were they not financially supporting? It’s hard to show interest if you don’t have anything invested.
I concur with your assessment; and I think one reason I’m still “in it” is because I’m amazed, blessed, and thankful with each gift people sacrifice to see the work continue. I send out an email etc to encourage people who are in the support process; anyone who wants to receive it or has questions about support feel free to connect with me at jack.hager@gmail.com.
Though it may sound trite, it remains true, “If it is God’s will; it is God’s bill.”
I knew NOONE when I went “on support,” I was only a year out of prison (where Jesus invaded my life), had no family, no money, but God, who is bigger than our perceptions and bigger than the economy, did it…and does it.
Sorry to go on, I’m both a preacher and a teacher concernign support…so it’s easy for me to go off!
It’s okay not to be top choice.
Not many of us are a Martin Luther to have our own Frederick of Saxony…
And that is okay.
I think you have done well, Abraham, to remind us of the incredible blessing it is for anybody to give us anything, even a dollar from grandma.
Proverbs 30:8-9
Honestly, it seems that everyone and their uncle has a charity or a project that needs support, but, I think it’s the goodness of our nation, that people still DO support so many things. In our family, we support in a small way, several charities, and missionaries at Christmas time, and it’s up to the kids to choose. It’s not much, but we’re supporting with our $$ where we can. I think God uses even a small amount of $$ in a big way if He is behind it!
Happy Birthday!!!!!!
For a good biblical perspective on fundraising: http://www.henrinouwen.org/home/booklet/.
And it’s free!