Suggestions for Effective Christian Fundraising

Posted by Aaron Jeschke on September 24, 2009

I have been involved in a variety of different ministries over the years and have seen significant differences in the amounts of success that Christian Fundraising groups experience. I have seen groups put together some wildly successful Christian Fundraisers and some not so successful ones. I believe that it all boils down to a few simple principals.

The first is that you need to provide value to the donor. Even if the donor has a heart for giving a poor product that provides little value can diminish a donors willingness to give. What is needed here is a product that gives back to the donor. Something they can use that is practical and immediately applicable. A product that doesn’t allow them to walk away feeling as if they have wasted money. Even if the believe in the vision that you are fundraising for often their gift can be “tainted” by a poor product. Ultimately the product is what they keep with them.

Secondly you need to put together a Christian Fundraiser that is fast and easy. Most ministries don’t have the personnel or the time to put together overly complicated Christian Fundraising events. Ministries need a product that allows them to raise money at a high level of profitability, and that is simple enough for everyone to be involved quickly. Simplicity and profitability are the keys.

Lastly, you need everyone involved in your Christian Fundraising campaign to fully invested in the vision behind the fundraiser. You can have the greatest Christian Fundraising product in the world and still find yourself coming up on the short end because you have not adequately communicated the vision. Ultimately Christian Fundraising is about the heart behind money you are raising, not raising the money for the sake of itself. As a leader of a Christian Fundraising campaign you need to be 10 times more excited about the vision than you want others to be. I have seen this principal work in ministry over and over again.

The Samaritan Card is a fantastic Christian Fundraising product because it provides significant value to the donor (up to 50% off at over 100,000 merchants nationwide). It is extremely simple, (no orders, forms, or return visits) and profitable (up to 70% profit per card). Though a product like the Samaritan Card is designed specifically to meet your Christian Fundraising needs it still needs a vision behind it. Church Fundraising is a combination of quality product and quality vision. Having one without the other makes it tough to raise money. Having both makes Christian Fundraising easy!