A Spirituality of Fundraising (#3 The Gift of Mutual Plenty)

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Faithful Friends,

I remember sitting in the parking lot of the a coffee shop in Fair Oaks, CA, in the fall of 2004, waiting to meet a local businessman to ask for his financial support. I recall being a bit nervous, which was not my usual experience. I was 26 years old, anxious, but attempting to pray, and the Lord impressed something in my mind: “Kevin - you have so much more to offer this person than they have to offer you.” I remember thinking that this was a ridiculous notion. The person could fund my whole budget with one swoop of his fancy pen!

About halfway through the conversation, this gentleman told me a story about a niece who had moved and was struggling to find community in Southern California. My wife and I knew good friends in her community, and I told him that I would be happy to put his niece in touch with our friends. 

I will never forget the next moment. He leaned across the table, looked me straight in the eye and asked: “You would do that for me?” I said: “Sure. One of the great parts about my work is that we know people all over the place.” Though this supporter did not write an enormous check that day, I felt satisfied that the Lord had given me something to share with a “rich” person. Have you ever felt that as a fundraiser?

The fear we feel, as missionaries who fundraise, finds itself at home in my own body, but this experience with this business person transformed me over the years as a fundraiser. I get caught up in the lies in my head: I am not good enough, my mission work has not been successful enough, people run for the hills when they see me calling. 

None of this is true. The Lord reminds me that I have plenty to offer to the relationship with people who support my missionary work. 

One of my favorite passages, as a missionary living on support, emerges in 2 Corinthians 8:14. Paul introduces the concept of mutual plenty with the goal of equality in the relationship between the missionary and the supporter as he attempts to collect the committed support from the church in Corinth. Sharing plenty, whatever it may be, is a mark of discipleship and genuine love between the supporter and the supported.

Read that again. 

The spiritual maturity of the Macedonians, coupled with the financial plenty of the Corinthians, put them on equal footing and connected them to each other as they worked to build God’s kingdom. 

As a fundraiser, the thought “I only need what they have” is a lie that I have often believed. I've needed to remind myself that fundraising is not a one-sided relational process that only attempts to get money from a potential supporter. A two-way relationship, anchored in love, in which each person gives out of their own plenty to the other as we work together in our mission is a possibility in fundraising. 

When I go into a meeting with a supporter, I pray that the Lord will show me what they need and ask him to reveal what my plenty is (that God has given me) to supply their need. I offer people friendship, a listening ear, presence, community, and potentially life-changing experiences with Jesus as I enter into friendship with supporters. I choose to share my life with people and keep love (with no strings attached) for my supporters as a primary footing as a fundraiser.

What is the ‘plenty’ that you have been given that you could share with others? You have so much to offer the donor relationship too!

Pray, make a plan, pick up that phone, and give yourself away. It may make your life and mission even more full and beautiful!

Lead with Love,

Kevin A. Eastway