June 1, 2000 | Read Time: 1 minute
The Pastor’s Guide to Fund-Raising Success: Step-By-Step Details That Will Improve Your Church’s Donor Program
by the Rev. Dr. Dorsey E. Levell and Wayne E. Groner
Many church leaders find soliciting donations to be an uncomfortable, even stressful, task, write the authors.
“The challenge for pastors is to find meaningful ways to teach that money and personal values go hand in hand,” write Mr. Levell and Mr. Groner, ordained ministers who are also fund raisers.
They examine annual-giving, capital, and endowment campaigns, noting when it is appropriate for churches to conduct them. They detail the whole fund-raising process, from identifying prospective donors (who, luckily, are often “a captive audience,” they say) to writing thank-you notes. They discuss how to back up fund-raising appeals with what the Bible has to say about the wise use of money.
The authors also cover how to ask for large gifts. They conclude by examining ethics and accountability in fund raising.
Appendixes include a glossary of fund-raising terms, a list of Web resources for fund raising, and sample contracts for consultants.
Above all, the authors urge the clergy not to tiptoe around the subject of money. They write that one young pastor found success by issuing this order to his flock: “I dare you to out-give God.”
Publisher: Bonus Books, 160 East Illinois Street, Suite 300, Chicago, Ill. 60611; (312) 467-0424 or (800) 225-3775; fax (312) 467-9271; http://www.bonus-books.com; 209 pages; $39.95; I.S.B.N. 1-56625-123-0.
