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How to fit fundraising into your Catholic faith

My fundraising started to kick into high gear when I better understood how it connects with my faith. The word “faith” gets thrown around a lot and unfortunately, it loses its meaning.  I took a close look to understand what faith means and what it does not mean.

The common phrase about faith when you fundraise is, “You just have to have faith, and it’ll all work out.” In everyday terms, we often hear, “I’m living on faith.”

What do these phrases mean? When someone says them, I also hear, “Just sit back and do not worry. What is supposed to happen, will happen.”

My conclusion is that people associate faith with not having to do much. This is entirely false. Just read what the Catechism says about the subject. With regards to fundraising, having faith means, if God wills it, people will donate. So you don’t have to spend lots of time fundraising because faith will take care of everything. Faith will magically make happen what you want. This approach has you believing more in magic than in faith.

How faith works in fundraising

I do not want to dive too deep into a theological lecture about faith, but I do have a few comments which I think will help you find a more Catholic approach with fundraising. Let’s first start with a Catholic definition of what faith actually is because it doesn’t mean to wait for things 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 yet cannot see. In the context of fundraising, you can say that faith is believing that donors and donations exist even though you cannot see them. It’s not that they will magically appear. They are just not in front of you at 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.

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So when someone says you just need faith that you’ll receive donations, don’t think that donors will come with open checkbooks to your door. Faith means what you are looking for is out there. That’s it. It doesn’t mean donors and gifts will come to you. To have donations come to you, that’s where the work kicks in.

Have faith in God, not money

To have faith work in fundraising, you have to be crystal clear on what precisely you believe but cannot see. I am not talking just about money and donors. Money is bi-product of what you want. I am talking about having a clear understanding of what God is calling you to do.

If he wants you to take care of the homeless, 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?

Faith means getting clear on what you want. That’s step one.

Be clear on your mission.

Then, when you move forward, you have faith that God will surround you with the people that will support you. Those people start appearing in your life, and you stop them to say, “Hey, I want to talk to you.” With your eyes fixed on your vocation, you start recognizing the people along your path. It’s not that people appear out of nowhere. Nor is it that people appear after you ask. They show up because God wants you to succeed. You just have to keep your eyes open. This is how fundraising works. Fundraising happens when you are already doing what God wants you to do.

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Again, let me be clear. Fundraising is a tool to help. It’s not the tool that makes it happen. You don’t need money to start realizing your vocation, cause, or mission. You have to already be moving forward. As you move forward in faith, fundraising can help you to keep going.

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Again, a small distinction that has a tremendous impact. Fundraising is used to expand your reach, but it is never the catalyst or what keeps you afloat.

Grab a copy of my book, Alms: Your Definitive Guide to Catholic Fundraising, for even more ideas on how to move you forward.

How hope comes into play

Faith is also tied to hope. To go back to Saint Paul, he says that faith is the realization of what is hoped. Well, what do you hope for? Let’s open one of my favorite books, the catechism. I love being Catholic because everything is so clearly explained in the catechism. (If you don’t have one, I recommend purchasing one today.)

The Catechism states:

“Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.”

Hope for me is that burning fire that keeps me going to pursue what I yet cannot see. Hope doesn’t come from me. It’s from God. When you are looking for those donors that you have not found yet, hope helps you keep looking. Fundraising deals with constant rejection. Sometimes you will get weeks, even months, of people saying no to your requests. Hope, however, keeps you going. It’s important to recognize that hope kicks in when we are striving for the right purpose.

If you desire to find people who believe in your work, who see what’s possible, and passionate about your cause, then hope helps you make the journey.

“With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones.” – Ephesians 6:18

Hope helps build your confidence that you will reach your goal. You can pair the word hope with perseverance. Each step of the way, hope is guiding you with how to inspire people. Hope doesn’t mean going from one lukewarm campaign after another, thinking the next one does better. I see this a lot. It’s a skewed version of hope. If you’re dragging your feet from one campaign to another, it means you evaluate your approach. I say this because the Holy Spirit is giving you the wisdom, knowledge, and guidance on how to improve.

“But as for the seed that fell on rich soil, they are the ones who, when they have heard the word, embrace it with a generous and good heart, and bear fruit through perseverance.” – Luke 8:15

Putting your faith in fundraising

My goal is not to show you how we can place faith in money. I want to move fundraising a bit closer to the truths of our faith. The challenge with fundraising is that it lives in its own bubble, separate from the virtues. This is the problem. You have to look at fundraising with the right perspective if you want to get better at it.

For more on this topic, check out my article on how to rethink fundraising altogether with respect to your Catholic faith.

When we talk about faith in the context of fundraising, it doesn’t help to say, “have faith that donations will come.” That’s not going to get you moving forward. If anything it’s going to drain your desire to move forward with your mission. Money is not a necessity of life. We should not be sitting around waiting for it to appear. What is necessary is for you to find what your faith is actually telling you to do. This means finding your vocation, otherwise known as the answer to, “What does God want me to do?”

When you fundraise, you can be too focused on the idea that money is what will move you forward. When this happens, you become blind to what God wants you to do and who he places in your life. Sometimes he places donors where we least expect it. Sometimes he gives us guidance when we aren’t looking. We are so fixated with receiving money that we aren’t aware of what’s happening around us. We don’t see the people God is placing in our lives.

Always remember that every donation you receive comes from the hands of someone. Therefore, keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Get to know people. Build your community. Most

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Therefore, flip your thinking on faith when it comes to fundraising. Start with getting clear with where God wants you to go. Then start walking in that direction. Don’t wait for the money to come. Just move forward. You don’t need money to start. Move forward and have faith that God will provide. As you move forward, watch who God places in your life.

Exercise

My goal is that you look at faith through a different lens when you fundraise. This adjustment moves you closer to understand what God wants you to do and how fundraising can help. Here is my recommendation for how to do just that.

Pray – Take time to have clarity of your mission. Where does God want you to do? Read part three of the catechism, “Life in Christ,” and review all the footnotes. The footnotes are a great resource of wisdom to move forward with your mission. Journal your thoughts on how you see your life in Christ.

Pray – Answer the question: “What is it that I truly hope for?” Then, ask yourself how you will persevere in your mission and fundraising. Detail what your prayer life needs to be to support you. Find mentors who will give you confidence. Build a community of people around you. It’s important to have your hope be on your mission, not on finding donations.

Pray – Write your plan of action. What acts of charity will you complete for the people you meet? You don’t have to wait for someone to give you money to be charitable to them. Be the first in showing generosity. Charity helps you realize your faith and hope.

Ask – Take action with every person you meet. Whether it’s asking them to donate, volunteer, keep in touch, pray, or attend an event, take action to build the relationship. Keep a list of the people you meet. Grow this list and keep in touch with everyone. Remember, the most important relationship you will have is the one with Jesus. Keep him close to you.

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Question: What could you do to have fundraising better fit within your Catholic faith?

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How to perfect your ‘Thank You’ in fundraising

The “thank you” is the undisputed champion of all fundraising conversations. This is because your gratitude is the hallmark of acknowledging how God blesses you through the people you meet. Therefore thanking people must be foundational in your day to day work as a fundraiser. I would even rank your ‘thank you’ as more important than your gift request.

Let’s take a closer look at how to thank people because more than likely you are only thanking people after they donate. This is the standard approach to showing gratitude. Yes, this is good, and I want you to do this every time, but I want you to do more.

If you want better results in your fundraising, you have to learn to use these two words more often.

Thank the person, not the donation

I recommend that you get more personal when expressing gratitude because thanking someone goes beyond the donation. There is so much at play in a donation than the moment the person gives you money.

I often stop for a minute to comprehend how this person reached the decision to give. How did they come into my life? How did they get inspired? What conversations did we have? What led them to think that I was worth a financial gift? How did they reach the decision to be generous with their money?

When you pause and reflect on every step that had to occur, you recognize that many actions had to happen before the act of giving you financial support. This helps you thank the person more sincerely, and it helps you recognize the other steps that you should be thanking a person.

You have to thank a person each step they take with your mission. So don’t wait until you receive a donation to say ‘thank you.’ Thank the person for connecting with you, attending an event, calling you, asking a question, volunteering, and the countless other actions they do. Don’t wait until someone gives to thank them.

Take a step back – donations happen much earlier than you think

Let’s dive further in this idea of thanking people much earlier than when they give. A sequence of actions and decisions took place for a person to make that decision. I encourage you to find out what those steps are because once you know them, you can identify prospects much easier.

When I can’t understand how someone came to the decision to give, I contact them and ask, “You have humbled me by your generosity. Thank you so much. If I may, what inspired you?”

You might think this is intruding someone’s privacy, but it’s not. The idea that a donor’s privacy cannot be breached is a myth. Yes, people don’t want you to be cold called. They don’t want to be bothered with endless requests. Also, if all you do is contact them when you want money, they will likely get upset.

However, there’s a significant difference between my approach and what most Catholic organizations do: constantly ask for money.

When I learn why people donate, they tell me their story and how they came to the decision. I see how the different moments led to the donation, and I can become even more grateful.

The benefits of getting good at ‘thank you’

When you become a pro at saying thank you, you are inspired to do ten times more with their donations. This is why the generic thank you note only handicaps your ability to move your Catholic cause exponentially forward.

People’s generosity fuels our passion to do more for Christ, and we can even more by getting better at showing gratitude. If someone finds your cause worthy of their hard earned money, recognize that there is more at play than a financial transaction.

Dig deeper when it comes to thanking them. I recommend you make every effort to tell them how humbled you are by their attention and generosity. When you consistently do this, every day of the year, your fundraising will increase exponentially.

Thanking people more often will have a tremendous impact on your fundraising.

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The four ‘thank you’ messages you must master

Let’s look at the four moments when you should thank people.

The first is thanking someone after they make a donation. As discussed, this is the most fundamental thank you. Find your authentic way of saying, ” I thank you for your generosity.” Don’t copy someone else’s version. Put it in your own words.  You have to come from a place of authenticity.

If you are looking for inspiration, look no further than the writings of Saint Paul. He is a master when it comes to thanking people for their generosity.

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The second way you can thank people is after meeting them. Whether it is the first encounter or a “catch-up” after an event, make sure you say thank you. It’s also good to mention one or two comments they said that stuck with you.

The third way you can thank someone is after they do something for you. This is apart from a donation. What comes to my mind are volunteers. Volunteers are a bedrock of support for your work, and they should be thanked after they help you.

The fourth way is when you become a pro. This thank you happens at the specific moments which you know are fundamental moments in your relationship with a person, especially if they are not yet a donor. You can do this with a handwritten card, a phone call, and personal email. People don’t expect these messages, but when they receive them, they are extremely grateful.

Always remember: Catholics want to give, but they want to give to Catholic organizations who they know will do more than just take their money.

Putting your ‘Thank You’ into practice

Exercise on how to get better at saying thank you.

Pray – Reflect on the current way you thank people. Do you think you can do more? Is it sufficient? Read Saint Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians to see how he personal thanks people.

Pray – Reflect on the different actions people do for you which you could thank them? Apart from donations, what else do they do?

Pray – What are four different ways you can thank people?

Ask – Map out a plan for thanking people more often throughout the year

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Question: How can make your next thank you more authentic?

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What a fundraiser should do every week

I want to walk you through a typical week for me so you can learn the Catholic habits of how to fundraise effectively. Yes, there are actions you can do that will make your fundraising more Catholic and more effective. Plus, by showing you what I do each week, you will learn two valuable lessons.

The first is that I do not chase money. I don’t run around, day after day, looking for who has large sums of cash to give. Nor am I constantly asking people for gifts. This also applies to the websites I design, the letters I write, and the emails I send.

I don’t bombard people with the omnipresent donate button, along with its partner in crime: the exclamation mark. “Please give!” I don’t fundraise like this because it is a secular and ineffective approach. It scares people away, and it is absolutely exhausting.

If you don’t believe me, I recommend you check your response rates and ask your readership what they think.

The second important lesson is that I am not only asking two times a year like most Catholic charities. I ask throughout the year. This may sound contradictory to my first lesson, but it’s not. Even though I’m not focused on asking for money every day, I’m constantly identifying when to ask someone or a group and what is the best approach.

I segment my campaigns to specific groups of people rather than use general campaigns which ask everyone all at once. I have a campaign specific to major donors because rather than wait months to ask them in a bi-annual campaign, I ask them at the best possible time.

Another group I like to segment is lapsed donors. Again, you don’t want to wait months to lump them into your yearly campaign.

Pitfalls to avoid in your day to day fundraising

With that said, each day of my week is designed to build relationships and ask specifics groups of people at the best time possible. As a result, you move your fundraising forward much quicker.

This proactive approach to fundraising is more effective – meaning you raise more funds – than waiting for your annual or semi-annual appeal to happen. It’s important to constantly be active because you will keep your momentum throughout the year. Then when your annual appeal does happen, you’ll be much more prepared to launch a successful campaign.

I also think this approach is much more Catholic because you are focusing on building relationships before asking for donations. The idea that someone will give just because they are Catholic is false. You also take advantage of people when you only see them as ‘another Catholic’.

The Catholic organizations that run general campaigns once or twice a year also put themselves at serious risk. For eight to ten months of the year, they aren’t meeting people, building relationships, spreading messages, identifying prospects, or asking for donations. Instead, when the bi-annual appeal is about to happen, they spend the majority of their time running around doing all of these at once. You are doing too much all at once.

Another downfall of this approach is you come across as intrusive and pushy. Catholics know when they are being sold something fast and quick, and most turn away when it happens.

What a fundraiser should do each week

What you want to do is have a weekly plan that keeps you moving forward. The plan that I will show you is a working template that you can modify depending on where you are with your fundraising. As a whole, this a fantastic framework to make sure you are not missing anything and executing on a consistent basis.

Your week should include the following ten actions. I’ve talked about these ten actions relentlessly on my website, videos, and resources. These are also the ten actions that I promoted in my first book, Alms. I recommend buying a copy of Alms because it goes in granular detail about each of these. You should also download the 10 Commandments to Catholic Fundraising e-book which also outlines these tasks.

When you execute these ten tasks for fifty-two weeks a year, you will move forward with your fundraising at a record pace.

  1. Pray – You have to take an active approach to your prayer life when fundraising because you can so easily get tunnel vision on money, forget about Jesus, your mission, and your community. Make prayer a habit.
  2. Thank people – You have to thank people more often than simply after they donate. Find reasons to send thank you messages and acknowledge that their involvement is continually helping you.
  3. Connect with people – Go out and meet people for the sake of meeting them. This is especially true when someone has organized an event in your field of work. And remember, the focus is not to find donors. The focus is to connect.
  4. Dream List – I’m a big believer that you have to intentionally seek out those people who will help you move forward. These are specialists in your field, people who can connect you with volunteers, major donors, and faithful supporters.
  5. 1-to-1 meetings – You have to book meetings and meet people. This includes major donors, faithful supporters, volunteers, influencers, and anyone else you think would benefit from hearing what your organization does.
  6. Build your community – You have to grow your contact list each week. This one action will dramatically impact on how much you can increase your funding levels year to year.
  7. Clean your database/contact list – Take time to make sure everyone’s name is correct along with their details. Avoid the horrible feeling of sending a person a message with their name misspelled.
  8. Distribute free content – Give, give, give. For every donation you want to receive, my recommendation is to find ways to give seven times more. This doesn’t mean you have to give money, but do give people resources and information that they will appreciate.
  9. Attend other people’s events – I’m sure there are other organizations out there that do things similar to yours. I suggest you connect with them and learn what they are doing. Learn also how you can help them succeed.
  10. Ask – You won’t raise any funds if you do not ask any for money. You have to intentionally ask people for donations each week.

Now that you know the ten fundamental actions, you must schedule a time to do each one every week.

How to organize your week as a fundraiser

Here is a suggested week plan that you can use. Again, you can modify it as you wish and move activities based on your availability.

Regardless if you have two minutes or two hours, I highly recommend you spend time doing each task. Don’t drop one simply because you can’t find the time. It’s important that you get into the habit of doing each task, improving week by week.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Morning Pray (1)

Thank (2)

 Pray (1)

Dream List (4)

 Pray (1)

One-on-One meeting (5)

 Pray (1)

Distribute free content (8)

 Pray (1)
Afternoon Build community (6) Connect with people (3) Attend other events (9) Ask (10) Clean database (7)

As I mentioned, you do not have to be confined to doing one task on a certain day. I suggest you make your schedule and find what works for you. What you will discover by doing this is your approach to fundraising is much more balanced. Meaning, you are not just focused on asking for money. You will be building better relationships along with more of them.

A fundraiser’s best resource: the Catechism

I continually stress the importance of using the Catechism’s section on prayer as a gauge for how balanced you are with your interactions. A Catholic fundraiser is always reflecting on how balanced and genuine his or her messages are. The catechism explains that there are four different kinds of prayer: petition, thanksgiving, adoration, and intercession.

You can think of prayer as our way of speaking with God, and if we spent our days only asking him for things (petitioning), we wouldn’t have as fulfilling a prayer life if we forgot the other forms of prayer. Therefore, you have to take the time to speak with God in the different ways.

The same goes with fundraising. If all you do is ask people for donations, you’d be unfulfilled because you will find your work repetitive and boring. So will your donors, prospects, and followers. People eventually get tired of you constantly asking them for money. “When is enough for them?” they’ll think.

Therefore, you have to mix it up so that your approach is more Catholic. When you do take this approach, you capture people’s attention more often, build closer relationships with them, and subsequently raise more funds.

Change of perspective

To help you get started, use this pray, pray, pray, ask approach to ground yourself.

Pray – Pause and reflect on your normal weekly fundraising activities. Write down what you do on a typical week.

Pray – Review my list of 10 actions and identify which ones you are doing and which ones you are doing. Reflect on how your approach may be perceived by others. Would they think you are focused most on asking for money, them, or the mission?

Pray – Open your Bible to Baruch chapter 3. This chapter reaffirms the law of Moses (10 commandments) as a unique gift of God to Israel, the observance of which is the way to life and peace. Remember that specific tasks, done consistently, can dramatically help keep you focused on what truly is important.

Ask – Complete your own timetable and organize the ten tasks in a way that is most convenient for you.

Question: How will you schedule your upcoming week so that you have a much more effective approach to fundraising?

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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Catholic Fundraising

One of the questions I most often get asked is, “Where do I find donations?” Not surprisingly, everyone is looking for the shortcut and equally unsurprisingly is this fact: There are no shortcuts. The questions I wish more people would ask me is, “what should I do to receive more donations?”

Fundraising requires action. The more actions you take, the better your chances in getting that break you’re looking for and reaching your goal.

Yes, fundraising does involve asking, but it also requires a mix of disciplined, consistent, and persistent actions which are more of a determining factor in raising funds than any other combination of things.

My book, Alms: Your Definitive Guide to the Ins and Outs of Catholic Fundraising, focused heavily on what those right actions are. Right now, I want you to know that most Catholics fail in fundraising because they are not taking enough action and also taking the wrong kind. To put simply, they don’t take fundraising into consideration throughout the year, and they are asking the wrong people.

Fundraising, especially in the Catholic context, requires so much more than asking for money. It also requires massive action in spreading your message, attracting people’s attention, building relationships, and maintaining relationships.

It requires diligent and consistent work to find potential donors, and that is why you have to work at your fundraising continually. It’s not enough to run a campaign twice a year, pass out leaflet and letters, and sit back and hope people respond.

This distorted version of hope used in fundraising is directing our aspirations on worldly things and removes responsibility on the actor (the person who is hoping). They hope people donate also translates as: “I have asked. Now I don’t have to do anything else but wait and see what happens. I leave everything to God.” That’s not how hope works.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.” 1 Corinthians 3:6

Like Paul and Apollos, we have to do our part.

The “do nothing” style to Catholic fundraising

This “do nothing” approach to fundraising is exactly what it sounds like. You don’t take action to move yourself or your vocation forward. You don’t learn or adjust how you reach your funding target.

Unfortunately, people who don’t do anything to raise money relate this lackluster attitude with putting everything in God’s hands. Until the money comes, Catholics who don’t want to do the work stay as apathetic and inactive because for them the real sign that God wants them to pursue this work is if someone gives them money.

Despite how it may sound, do not assume that doing nothing is placing your life in the hands of divine providence. I know this because the moment that the person receives a donation, they’ll suddenly have more energy and happiness.

Excuse me? I guess God’s graces was not sufficient to keep them happy about their vocation. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Last I checked, that’s not how saints lived. They didn’t sit around waiting for clear signs and money to fall in their laps. Nor did the apostles.

The “too scared, retreat” style

I’m not talking about a spiritual retreat. Nor am I talking a few days away to find your perspective and reboot from raising money. I am talking about those Catholics who completely walk away from fundraising the second it gets too hard.

They get scared and give up altogether. This is really unfortunate because the people who suffer the most in these circumstances are the those who would have benefited from the projects which would have been funded.

Like the Catholics who do nothing with their fundraising, these retreaters claim to be doing so because it’s not what God wants them to do. That’s right, because the last time I checked, God confirms with us what we are supposed to do in life by the amount of money people give us.

Again, that’s not what is really happening. The Catholics who retreat from fundraising do so because their impression of what failing means is causing them to retreat. They don’t like the feeling, so they walk away. It’s not that God doesn’t want them to continue. The reason they back away is they are scared and disheartened.

They got their feelings hurt and don’t know what to do. That’s why I always recommend having a solid spiritual director when you are fundraising. They’ll be able to see through the waves of emotions which are flooding your thoughts and point out that you do not see the full picture.

Your “average” style to fundraising

Catholics who take the average level of action with their fundraising are the most common. They appear to be taking the necessary steps to reach their fundraising goals, but this level of action is also the same Catholics have been taking for decades. For decades Catholic fundraisers didn’t have to look for donors. They just went to where the Catholics were: Mass.

It is unfortunate that disrupting the Mass with donation requests has become common practice. When’s the last time you went to Mass during Lent and Advent and didn’t hear a homily about money?

You would think, with all the talk about the New Evangelization, we would stop this bombardment and focus on the faith during Lent and Easter, especially with so many lapsed Catholics returning to Mass. It’s the ideal time to inspire people with the Gospel of Truth. But no … someone decided it’s better to ask them for money. I also find it odd that I’m the only one advocating for this change.

Unfortunately, a majority of Catholic causes take this approach. The goal here is average – average impact, average evangelization, average funds, average reach. As long as average works, they are fine with it. They don’t want to cause problems for others or themselves as long as the funding levels remain predictable and steady.

However, the moment those average levels of activities result in fewer and fewer donations, they suddenly recognize that they are at risk. They block up because when you have been taking the average route to getting funds, you are more susceptible to challenges.

When that happens, you either think of retreating or doing nothing. This is catastrophic for all the people who depend on their cause for support. They suffer the most because average Catholic fundraisers don’t know what to do in the face of difficulty.

The Good: take action with your fundraising

I propose a new approach to fundraising. This approach takes seriously fundraising every day of the year because it can benefit your cause in so many ways. When I say every day, I don’t mean going around asking for donations all the time.

What I mean is you must approach each day as though your mission and its future depend on your ability to take action. If you want people to donate to you, then you have to go out every day and tell people you exist. You have to share with them your mission.

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Therefore, you’ve got to find them, let them know who you are and what you do. These are two incredibly important steps even before you ask for donations. Catholics don’t just give because you’re also Catholic and you’ve asked them.

They give because they recognize the benefits you are providing to their community. They see the long-term benefits of your work. They understand your mission and how you are accomplishing it. To achieve all of these requires constant action.

The world needs more Catholics to take better action with their fundraising because we all know that with more money, we can do more. I am not saying that money solves everything and will bring Jesus to more people. Not at all. I am assuming that if you have decided to fundraise, then you are doing so because you are already doing great work, and you recognize that with more money, you could even more.

If you have not yet done so, get on board with the many Catholics that are taking action with their fundraising by joining the CatholicFundraiser.net community. Click here to join now for free and take your fundraising to the next level.

So, if that is the case, why not take your fundraising seriously? Why not see it as a major component to impact the lives of more people, thereby saving even more souls? If God is calling you to do more of what you are doing, then let’s go and do it. My goal in life is to place as much money in the hands of saints because they’ll know how to spend it.

The Pray, Pray, Pray, Ask approach to Catholic fundraising

I invite you to take your fundraising more seriously and take action in moving your mission forward. If you have made that decision to ask people for funds, then you also have to decide to go pro with your work ethic.

You have to demonstrate stewardship to your donors and prospects every day. That means you show up every day to execute your mission. It means you have stories to share each day.

Here is a simple approach to taking action with your fundraising.

Pray – Take 10 minutes to reflect on the five actions you are delaying to take with your fundraising.

Pray – Reflect on what it is you fear most about doing these actions.

Pray – Read Proverbs 27, which speaks about taking care of today’s work. How can this perspective of taking action help you move forward?

Ask – Take immediate action on all 5 actions today.

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Rethinking How You Fundraise – The Catholic Approach

Rethinking how you fundraise will have a greater impact than any fundraising campaign you wish to launch.

When you think about fundraising, your emotions lean one of two ways. You get that positive, happy feeling when you imagine all the possibilities that additional funding can help with doing more of your mission. You could likely daydream about this for hours. Or, you could fall into a negative mood because you soon visualize the endless challenges that come with asking people for money. It’s like a broken record and makes you all eerie inside. You are even scared of how fundraising will distract you from doing the real work.

 

Did you see what just happened? Even before you started to ask people for money, your mind goes in a specific direction all on its own. It just gets up without even thinking (ha! Get it?) and goes its own way. Then it starts plays a string of emotional extremes to you.

“Oh yes, if I could find a major donor, I could do so much more! But where can I find this person?” “What will people think of me when I ask them for a donation?” “They’ll likely hate me and just ask a hundred questions.”

Eventually, you ask yourself a lot of questions, most leading you to a brick wall.

Whether you are aware of the questions you are asking yourself, the narrative that you play in your head about money and fundraising has a significant impact on the amount you will ever raise.

Let me be clear. Even before you ask someone for money, regardless of what you say to people and how you say it, the narrative you play in your head already has an impact on the amount.

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Rethinking your approach to fundraising

Today’s context requires a different mindset to both fundraising and money.  Rethinking your way out of your current approach. Wait. Before you start making assumptions on what ‘re-thinking’ means, I want you to – as much as possible – read these paragraphs with an open mind. I’m not talking about new way of thinking at all.

I’m trying to first untangle all the assumptions you been telling yourself about money. Yes, money isn’t the most important thing in life. I actually think it’s at the bottom of the most essentials.

However, I do think it’s important because it can help. It does help in many situations, but only when you understand its place in context with yourself, the Catholic faith, and what God is calling you to do. I think any Catholics who wants to fundraise or take it to a new level, they must start internally. They have to start with a fresh perspective.

If you aren’t specific with what you want, people think you don’t want anything. So, if doing the same actions over and over again produce minimal results, yet you have to figure out what’s blocking you from making a clear, convincing, and direct request. My guess is you’re too afraid of the success of receiving money than having a failed campaign.

My guess is you’re too afraid of the success of receiving money than having a failed campaign.

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You’re more content on getting subpar results like most charities, that way you can gripe that it’s just the way things are. You tell yourself, “Well I can’t do anything because no one has money, times are tough, people don’t give to charity anymore.” The list goes on.

The fact is that’s not the reality. People do give, especially religious people. Religious people statistically give overwhelmingly more than any other group of people. This is the case because we are designed to give because that’s how God made us.

So you are asking to people who are willing to give. Change your mindset to understand that people are ready to give. You just have to be 100% willing to receive.

Change your mindset to understand that people are ready to give. You just have to be 100% willing to receive.

The Pray, Pray, Pray, Ask approach to have the Catholic mindset

The Catholic mindset towards fundraising is a fundamental part of getting your mission to the next level. New and better results require new and better ways of thinking. You are going to have to take a better look at your thinking.

Thankfully the Catholic Church is a haven for reflection, self-awareness, and renewal. You can turn to countless spiritual classics for help with this. My preferred is the Catechism because it puts everything in plain and direct language.

Though here is a simple approach to removing those negative emotions about money and getting you in the right mindset to fundraise.

Pray: Write the 5 main beliefs you remember you parents, priests, and friends told you about money. Take 10 minutes to reflect how these statements have emotionally conditioned your perspective of money

Pray: Take any negative thoughts that came up for you in the first reflection and break them down. Question and investigate them.

Pray: Read Psalm 119 and reflect over how God wishes you to consider money and fundraising within the work that you are doing. Now rewrite your beliefs on money from this perspective.

Ask: Take your new perspective of money and use it to plan your next campaign. Use your positive outlook to send a clear message to people about what you are doing and how money will help you do even more.

Question: What is one way you are you sabotaging your own fundraising?