Applying the Rules of Saint Benedict to 21st Century Evangelization
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
How much do you organize your day to day based on a saint’s life?
I’m not talking about when you pray at Mass, Adoration, or in your room… I’m talking about what to do in all those other moments in life… the day to day stuff… like asking people for donations.
Do you follow your gut?
Do you let things happen as they may?
Do you phone a friend?
None of these choices are necessarily wrong, but they could be the difference between getting that next big donation (and moving your mission forward) and missing it —> which then leads to frustration and feeling like you can’t help more people.
3 Pieces of Advice I've Learned from Fundraising for Religious Communities
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
So if you’ve been following along for the last few years, you know that I take my Catholic faith seriously in all parts of life…
… especially when it comes to fundraising.
I believe you have to look at the teachings of the Church, doctrine, and saints for ideas on how to fundraise.
This week I was in Detroit… and the blistering cold weather (along with a few books) got me thinking about the monastic traditions.
I asked myself, “How would a monk fundraise?”
Yes, religious communities do fundraise! … and after helping several these past few months, here is what I’ve learned.
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
It’s 2019 and you might be thinking about setting some fundraising targets for the New Year. Well, you might want to hold off on that until you watch this. As Catholics, you know that we see the world differently. Take for example Saint John the Baptist in today’s reading.
I think the same applies to how Catholics should fundraise. Remember, we can’t simply copy what everyone else does. Today, I want to share with you some great ideas that can help you have a holier and faith-based approach to fundraising.
I can’t take all the credit for these ideas. A priest inspired me during his homily… and he hit it on the nail.
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
My fundraising started to kick into high gear when I better understood how it connects with my Catholic faith. When we talk about faith in the context of fundraising, we often hear lines such as, “You just have to have faith. It’ll all work out.” “Do not worry about fundraising. What is supposed to happen, will happen.”
What do these phrases mean? Better yet, are they helpful?
Personally, I think such phrases demonstrate an incorrect approach to how we — as Catholics — should connect faith and fundraising.
I do not want to dive into a theological discussion about faith, but I do have a few ideas that I want to share because I believe they will help you find a more Catholic way to look at your fundraising.
Below are three points to consider when linking your Catholic faith to fundraising.
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1 – Faith is a theological virtue not a dream that ‘someone will donate.’
Let’s start with a Catholic definition of faith. Faith doesn’t mean to wait for things – especially donations – to magically appear out of nowhere.
Saint Paul defines faith in Hebrews 11:1 as “the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”
Faith is the belief in things we cannot yet see. In the context of fundraising, you can say that faith is believing that donors and donations exist even though you cannot see them yet. It’s not that they will magically appear. They are just not in front of you right this very moment.
Therefore, faith doesn’t mean that donors will show up one day. Faith means that they are out there. This is a small but important distinction.
2 – Have faith in God, not money
This means having a clear understanding of what God is calling you to do rather than the donations He wants you to raise and receive.
Most of the Catholics that I assist with fundraising really don’t need to fundraise. Typically, they are at the beginning of some kind of mission. Meaning, the number one step for them to do is start taking action towards realizing their mission.
If God wants you to take care of the homeless, then ask, does that mean God wants you to build a shelter? To take care of the sick, does that mean God wants you to build a hospital? To be a missionary, does that mean God wants you to build a network of people around the world?
Fundraising is a tool to help but it’s not the tool that makes things happen. You don’t need money to start realizing your vocation, cause, or mission. You just have to start moving forward. You and I know that God sustains us so, with the Holy Spirit, He provides everything we need to get up and get going.
Jesus looked at them and said, “For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26
So the next time you feel that you’re called to do something, go and do it. As you move forward in faith, fundraising can help keep it going, but it’s not, as Saint Thomas Aquinas would say, the ‘first mover.’ Fundraising can expand your reach, but should never be the catalyst or what keeps you afloat.
Question: How can you better connect your Catholic faith to fundraising?
Please leave your thoughts and comments below. I will respond to each and every one of your questions, suggestions, comments. ~ Brice
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
Make sure to get your free copy of ‘The 10 Commandment of Catholic Fundraising’. It’s a book that highlights the ten tasks you should do to keep you focused on your mission and hit your fundraising target, every time.
Fundraising has changed dramatically in the past decade, and 2019 will be another year of new ways to ask for donations. The focus used to be on direct mail appeals. You’d collect a mailing list of people and mail them your appeal. That method is slowly being replaced by online appeals for two reasons.
The first is online appeals are dramatically less expensive. Mailing a letter would cost you around a buck and change, while an email usually costs less than a nickel.
The second reason is ‘return on investment’ or ROI Non-profits – especially ones with smaller fundraising budgets – find this new approach to be more successful. You can send 2,000 emails for the same price as it would cost to send a single letter. More requests equal more donations, and fewer costs mean more money back into the mission.
