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October 17, 2007
Pastor's Guide to Fundraising Success
I found a great article on Church Solutions Magazine today. It was written by two people who have spent their lives helping churches and other non-profit organizations raise the money needed to not only meet their annual budget but also accomplish the ministry God has placed on their heart.
If there is one thing I come across over and over again, it's that implementing a formal fundraising plan is absolutely essential to any fundraising endeavor. And like it or not, fundraising is part of the pastors repsonsibility. In a lot of ways, the role of the pastor is similar to the role of a college president who number one job is to raise money for the institution. In the case of the church, the pastor is the theological leader as well. But that doesn't remove the responsibility of fundraising.
The paradox is that very little time--if any--is spent preparing pastors for this endeavor during their seminar training. So many pastors feel absolutely helpless. And a natural human response to fear is to ignore it.
Bottom line, no plan will yeild less than desirable results. Sure, you might be able to sustain an organization with no strategy in place. But you'll never realize any measurable differences without a plan.
Here is what the writers of the article say:
Not all churches implement a full plan of asking every member to give every year. Some church leaders take shortcuts, thinking: "Our annual fund campaign this year was very successful and it was a lot of hard work. Now that our members know what is expected of them, they will continue to give every year without being asked. After all, we are engaged in the Lord's work and our members know that it takes money to get the job done." The result is that annual giving begins to decline. After three or four or five years, church leaders decide they had better do another annual campaign.Such interruptions not only weaken ministries and individual response opportunities, they add to the challenges of helping persons understand the importance of ongoing and increased giving to the church, in good times and in bad times.
Read the rest of the article here. Purchase the book here.
Do what you have to do to write out a church donor plan that matches your ministry goals. Then work the plan. You'll be amazed at the results.
Posted by bstroup at October 17, 2007 1:20 AM
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