Fund Raising, an Art form of its Own

Fund rising is an art form of its own. The mere words make many of us cringe with utter disdain. The thought of asking people and organizations for money takes a special personality. Not everyone has the gift of asking for donations to a specific cause. Nevertheless in the non-profit world, especially the church it is a necessity for survival. Therefore fund raising is important.

Finding those individuals with “deep pockets” is occasionally a challenge, depending on the geographical area one lives. However, there are people in every community who are blessed with financial resources, we just have to identify them. In the more urban areas it is much easier to identify sources that are well endowed with financial assets.

If we choose to grow we have to become willing to not only identify the people who can assist us, but become willing to ask them for money. The trick is just how much money to ask them to donate. On the one hand if we ask to little and they are willing to give much more we run the risk of offending them or simply come up short ourselves. Secondly if we ask the person for too much assistance then we run the risk of embarrassing them as well as us. This is why it is important to do our homework when asking for financial contributions. We need to get to know the person and understand their gifts, passions and where they like to make contributions. We also need to learn how much they give on an average basis.

This process of course is often time consuming and drawn out over a long period of time. We must not be impatient and ask for aid too quickly or we may find ourselves disappointed. It is vital to build trust and a sincere relationship with the person we are seeking a financial contribution. This sounds manipulative but it is really not. We are teaching people how to be a good steward of the resources God has blessed them, as well as cultivating new friendships.

I find fund raising exciting. Raising the money is simply “icing on the cake.” Developing a deeper relationship and listening to people’s stories is what is important. The more we understand the person’s background and life story, the easier it becomes to ask them for the appropriate contribution amount.

Fund raising on any level is often an uncomfortable subject. Nevertheless it is important in sustaining the financial life of the parish or any other non-profit organization. When we turn the process over to God and become willing to step out in faith wonderful things take place. We may not always achieve our financial goals, but out of our attempt we develop new relationships, as well as introduce our organization into the community. Once our name is out there, who knows what untapped resources God may make available.