December 14, 2000 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry
by Thomas H. Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger
Christian organizations have a moral responsibility to conduct their fund raising in a way that not only meets the groups’ financial needs, but also helps donors grow spiritually, say the authors of this book.
Thomas H. Jeavons, general secretary of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, and Rebekah Burch Basinger, a fund-raising consultant who works with religious colleges and seminaries, studied seven Christian organizations that they felt were successful both in raising money and in aiding their donors’ spiritual development.
All of the organizations, the authors found, placed a strong emphasis on involving donors in their missions and attending to donors’ religious needs. Compassion International, a child-sponsorship charity based in Colorado Springs, for example, has a chaplain on its staff to work with donors who request prayer support.
Among the other characteristics the organizations shared: They drew on their theological background to shape their approaches to fund raising, and they cooperated with other religious charities instead of viewing them as the competition.
Rather than jealously guarding their turf, the authors explain, fund raisers at the organizations they studied directed donors to other charities when they weren’t able to offer giving opportunities that matched the donors’ charitable goals.
Mr. Jeavons and Ms. Basinger believe that fostering donors’ faith need not detract from religious charities’ efforts to raise money–and in some cases may even strengthen them.
“If Christian fundraisers can create opportunities for giving that are at the same time expressions and celebrations of faith, donors are likely to grow spiritually even as they increase their emotional commitment to the cause.”
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 350 Sansome Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94104; (415) 433-1740 or (800) 956-7739; fax (415) 433-0499 or (800) 605-2665; http://www.josseybass.com; 211 pages; $22.95; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-4829-2.
