Two Things Boards Should Never Joke About, Part 2

Note: Click here to read Part 1 of “Two Things Boards Should Never Joke About,” (Part 1: Prayer) by Olan Hendrix. Here’s Part 2:

Fundraising

“Another subject that should never be approached jokingly is fundraising.  The raising of money is very serious business—very serious ministry—and we must treat it so.

“I once accompanied a client on a donor call. This Christian leader had a worthwhile cause and many friends, but wasn’t raising any money.  I wanted to find out why.

“After exchanging pleasantries with the donor, he began making jokes about the fact that he was there to ask for money.  I had discovered his problem!  Perhaps he was covering up his nervousness about asking for money, 

but flippancy is never 

a good substitute for sincerity.

“God’s own design for advancing the Kingdom includes the proper asking of funds.  We never apologize for the Gospel or the Ten Commandments—nor should we apologize when we ask believers to be generous with their financial resources.

“Fundraising is ministry, even though the world generally sees it as begging.  We often adopt that thinking, to our detriment.  I want a part of my legacy to be that I helped God’s servants to see fundraising, not as something to joke about or apologize for, but as a noble and vital part of ministry.”

For more resources, trends and benchmarks on fundraising, join the ECFA Webinar on June 25, 2013, “Results from the 1st Annual Nonprofit Fundraising Survey.” Or view it later with your board or team at the ECFA Webinars-on-Demand webpage.

QUESTION: Not every board member is a skilled fundraiser—and that’s OK. Yet every board member can hold high the serious ministry of raising Kingdom resources. Is it time to talk about this at your next board meeting?

Reprinted with permission from CMA Management Monthly, No. 31, May 1999, published by Christian Management Association (now Christian Leadership Alliance). © Copyright 1999.