Ever wonder why Catholics don’t give to you? There’s a book that answers this question. Why Catholics Don’t Give… And What Can Be Done About it by Charles Zech is a must read for any Catholic fundraiser. Published by Our Sunday Visitor, the book was commissioned specifically to understand the giving landscape of the Catholic Church in the United States.

A religious nun recommended that I read this book, and I am so happy that she did. The chapters are a gold mine for understanding what works and what doesn’t.

Charles Zech offers an analysis of every situation, including planned giving, capital campaigns, religious order giving, and even generational differences. From the data he collected, he offers practical steps for how to successfully fundraising in a Catholic context.

As a result, you have a fact-based foundation for achieving your fundraising goals.

Things that you thought were important (average parishioner income and parish size) are not, and things you thought were not important (prayer groups and community) are vital to the success of a fundraising campaign.

You will also be amazed at how simple the recommendations are which are also backed up by research. I recommend you purchase a copy today and read it cover to cover.

10 lessons from Why Catholics Don’t Give… And What Can Be Done About it

Here is my list my top-ten lessons from the book.

Focus on community. People don’t give when there is a decline of community and confusion about purpose. Therefore, concentrate on building community and clarifying your purpose. Donations always follow.

Build your community. Whatever approach you take to raising funds, you should be aware that community building must begin. It’s a continuous undertaking that never ends.

Allow for feedback. Give people opportunities to be consulted and have direct input into the decision-making process. They want open discussions, transparency, and accountability in decisions.

Go beyond the money. Stewardship (and fundraising) must go beyond raising funds. You must maintain the highest standards of integrity and honesty in all matters, allowing people to see that you steward everything (not just money) around you.

Minimize the use of volunteers. If you want to develop the time and talent portions of giving, it is important to impress on people that the time and talent that they do contribute should be viewed as ministry, not merely as volunteer activity

Institute pledging. Those who make a financial commitment through pledges contribute more. Pledging works and people who pledge are better givers. Online giving is a great form of pledging.

Meet the needs of your supporters. Catholics have failed to learn the joy of giving because most Catholic institutions fail to assist them in the conversion of their minds and hearts. When you respond to the needs of your supporters and followers, giving goes up.

Offer Estate Planning as an option. Remind donors that contributing through estate planning is good stewardship. Remind your donors occasionally the possibility of doing this.

Fundraising is what we do; stewardship is who we are. Fundraising is one-dimensional, often focused on the checkbook, while stewardship invites us to change our hearts. Fundraising typically occurs annually, while stewardship is an ongoing commitment.

Start a prayer or study group. Of all the parish programs and activities you can offer, the sponsorship of prayer or study groups at church significantly affected contributions.

Discussion question: Do you see any of these lessons active in your fundraising? What could you do to address them? [Please do share your thoughts below.]

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I’ve been fundraising for Catholic organizations for several years now, and I have been blessed to meet so many incredible Catholics who work and volunteer for them.

Most Catholics get involved because they want to make a difference. They want to help a cause that is bigger than them. They love their Catholic faith and are passionate about helping others. I am delighted to meet so many of these people, as they motivate me to keep helping Catholics raise money to do extraordinary things.

However, when they come to me for assistance, I find their challenges with fundraising usually revolve around one key issue: Catholics find it difficult to explain concisely and clearly what they do. This challenge is not unique to appeals either.

It’s important that you can explain your mission even before you ask for donations. Therefore, to improve your fundraising, I recommend you do the following five steps:

1. Know how exactly how to articulate what you do (in one to two sentences).
2. Share what you do with other Catholics (without asking for money)
3. Provide opportunities for Catholics to learn what you do
4. Regularly share stories of how you are succeeding in your work
5. Build relationships with people (especially your donors)

The biggest roadblocks in fundraising aren’t about asking for money because it goes beyond asking people for donations. Yes, you heard me. Fundraising is about connecting with people and inspiring them to give.

If you can connect with them, you can inspire them. And, if they are inspired, they will donate.

Discussion Question: How can you tell your charity’s story better to the people around you? (Please leave a comment below)

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How to get your board involved with fundraising? I regularly conduct fundraising workshops for Catholic charities. One subject people often asked about is regarding who does what when raising money. In particular, Catholics are interested in how to involve their board, colleagues, and, most importantly, their armies of volunteers.

These are important questions because you cannot fundraise alone. If you leave the fundraiser (development director, etc.) in a corner to do everything by herself, your Catholic organization has dramatically fewer opportunities to raise funds. This is true about your current and long-term situations.

You cannot fundraise alone. This is why dioceses and large charities spend thousands, if not millions, on external fundraising firms. They know that they require help to move their objectives forward. You, however, don’t need to spend massive amounts of money to get the same help.

I will outline in precise detail who does what right here.

Here are my five recommended first steps to get people involved with fundraising.

Step 1 – Plant seeds before asking for money

Fundraising is about planting seeds, watering them, and allowing them to grow over time. One of my favorite verses in the New Testament to reference when talking about fundraising is 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.”

With this phrase, Saint Paul provides us the foundational block for taking our first step with fundraising.

Just imagine the enormous task God placed before him. He understood that to be successful, he first had to plant seeds: initial conversations with people about his work. Then, he gathered a group of helpers to develop those conversations into relationships. Third, Paul and his colleagues let God do the rest.

Fast forward 2,000 years, and we know the results of Paul’s approach. Therefore, I recommend you take the same path.

Also, your first conversations with people don’t have to be about donating. That is likely too much of a hurdle for most people. Start small by sharing with them your vision. In the same chapter, Paul writes, “I fed you milk, not solid food because you were unable to take it.” – 1 Corinthians 3:2

Last, make sure you have a team of helpers that help build those initial conversations into meaningful relationships. This means not asking your helpers to raise money. Focus instead on the person: who are they? What inspires them? How do they want to get involved?

You can learn more about planting seeds in this blog: How planting seeds increases donors ten fold

Step 2 – Get the right people, not lots of people, to help you

You don’t need a lot of people helping you either. Just a core group of volunteers help you build relationships each day will do wonders. It’s not a numbers game. There is not a direct connection in how many people help you to how much money you raise.

Often, more people helping you fundraise will have the opposite effect. It becomes more management than you initially wanted it to be. You will likely be more stressed from constantly checking who has done what or not done.

Also, when too many people are involved, people start assuming that if they don’t finish their tasks, someone else will fill in. Therefore, having an army of people (or volunteers) involved in fundraising won’t help you reach your target. Better to have a few committed people working closely together with you.

Step 3 – Avoid recruiting people who live ‘busy’ lives

I recommend that you be selective with who helps you. Rather than sending a blanket request and accept anyone who responds, I find a selective approach to be more beneficial. Why? Some people assume that, because they are a volunteer, they won’t have to do much (or not even follow through).

It’s just the unfortunate circumstance of our modern age. People are busy. I dislike this word. When someone uses this word, I think it means that they are overstretching their responsibilities rather than admitting they don’t have as much time as they thought. They don’t focus their time and energy. As a result, they burn themselves out along with them people around them.

And, when it comes to charitable work, many people see volunteering as something done on the side. It’s an add-on to all their other activities (particularly family and work). Therefore, if they are living busy lives, when that moment comes where they hit a wall and cannot juggle all the responsibilities, volunteering tends to be one of the first activities to be cut. This means you and your Catholic organization.

Therefore, I suggest you keep an eye out for people who are diligent and consistently willing to complete tasks. This is especially true when it comes time to recruit new board members. You don’t have to ask for people’s resumes and interview them. Instead, you learn who will be a good fit just by getting to know them. If they stay committed to finishing tasks, it’s a good sign they will be a great board member.

You can read more about board involvement in this blog post: 3 Qualities Leaders Must Have to Boost Fundraising

Step 4 – Define specific tasks for specific people

I also recommend you designate roles and responsibilities. This means certain people do certain tasks. This also means certain people do not do certain tasks.

I have found that everyone has specific talents, as the parable reminds us. (Matthew 25:14–30) It’s our responsibility as fundraisers to assign tasks to people who have the talents to complete them. Some people are better at asking for donations, while others are better at spreading the word (planting seeds).

Check out this boast on overcoming your fear of asking for donations: How to Embrace Your Fears When Fundraising

Step 5 – Keep a list of key roles and responsibilities

My best fundraising campaigns happen when I keep track of the people, their roles, and their responsibilities.

These roles include:

1. You, the fundraiser, and your team – you are responsible for managing all aspects
2. Your board members – involved in approving how fundraising operates but also partake in the asking
3. Your leadership team – involved in all aspects, includes asking
4. Your colleagues – have specific tasks, doesn’t always include asking
5. Volunteers – have specific tasks in spreading key messages, rarely includes asking
6. Clergy – they must be active in the entire fundraising process (even asking and giving)

In the next chapter, I will explain in further detail what each group does and why.

As you notice from the list, not everyone is asking for money. However, the decision of who does and does not ask goes beyond comfort levels. Having the talent to ask for donations should be a prerequisite for any leadership position in your Catholic organization. Having a talent doesn’t always mean it is easy to use. Sometimes, the activities we are best at are the ones we also find most challenging yet fulfilling.

Question: What other steps have you used to get people involved in your fundraising campaigns? You can leave a comment below.

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