How One Bible Verse Will Change The Way You Fundraise
When I first started raising funds, I was encouraged to find a promise in the Bible that would anchor me through the journey of fundraising and financial partner development.
And I found it:
Romans 8:31-32 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
This promise is an old friend and has helped me navigate more than just financial partnership development. It can be carried into whatever season of life or ministry you find yourself.
So, specifically, what does this passage tell me about all the key players involved in ministry partnership development? Here’s four implications for God, Me, The Mission, and Funding Partners.
What does this say about God?
He is more committed to getting His message out to those who have not heard, and he spared no cost toward that mission. He gave so generously that He gave His son. No one can ever out-give God, and He is infinitely more invested in getting His Laborers into His harvest field than anyone. If He spared NO cost to rescue us and others, will He not fully and abundantly provide the resources to complete the mission that started and culminates with His Glory?
What does this say about you?
When asking people to join my financial partnership team, it is not my job to convince, persuade, or sell them; nor is it necessarily a passive exercise of faith. The question is not in practice nor technique, but where you place your confidence. If you believe God has provided all that is required, then you are simply reaping. You reap in the same way you have been provided for: overwhelmingly graciously. You honor those whom God has brought before you and you invite them to join this team, not demanding nor expecting. “Man plans his ways, but God directs his steps,” Proverbs 16:9. Frustrations in fundraising are sometimes God’s way to remind you that it is He who supplies, not your winsome message or well thought out plan.
What does this say about the mission?
It is not about you and your needs, it is about His work and His Glory. Is the mission worthy? God thought so -- he sacrificed everything so that you and others can say yes to Jesus and follow him. Sacrifice might look different for each person. However, you have the potential to undermine the importance of the Kingdom work by not asking people to give generously. Many a laborer are often resigned to ask without conviction to give only what might be convenient. And what does that say about how we view others? Do we desire for them to experience blessing (as Paul referred to in Philippians) or are we content to leave a meeting with a potential partner and not share or invite in a way that calls for action and shared sacrifice? Learn more about being specific here: Warning! Are You Wrecking Your Fundraising?
What does this say about your ministry partners?
Notice how many times the author uses the word “us” in Romans 8:31-32. It is not about you, me, or them; it is about “us”. The message of the gospel has been entrusted to us all and you are invited to be participants in the mission, not just spectators. What are you inviting people to do, write a monthly check and pray? Or to strive with you and see the power of the gospel break into a hopeless, desperate and harassed world?
It took a drastic and deliberate act of God to rescue you from the slavery of sin. There was a sense of urgency and abandonment in bringing you into the Kingdom. An invitation to partner to take the most valuable gift God gave the world and speak into others’ lives is a privilege for your partners.
As you take time to reflect and rejoice about God’s saving grace in your life, let me also remind us of where our focus should be - on Christ alone - as we are engaged with anyone in taking this message to the world.