I am sure you have heard the phrase, “God never wants to do more through your life, than in your life.”  I can’t think of any better phrase to describe the spiritual work of fundraising.

The best resource I have found that has aided me greatly in the work God wants to do in me through fundraising is Henri Nouwen’s work, “A Spirituality of Fundraising.”  I found three key issues surface in me in the experience of spiritual fundraising that Nouwen’s work greatly helped my with.

1. Heart – To me, heart is a matter of motive.  Is my motive pure and rooted in time that has come from being with God, in His Word?  Too many times my heart gets results-oriented, twisting the real “why” of the vision God is giving me.  The hardest work of fundraising is the heart work.
2. Authenticity – The battle of authenticity for me is a prayer battle.  With my heart in the right place, can I be real and transparent?  Does what I hope to be a transformational connection with others turn into an attempt at a transactional exchange?  The one primary indicator in my life of my ability to be authentic in my fundraising efforts is a matter of prayerfulness that keeps my heart growing with the right “why” and allows me to stay authentic in the relationships being built.
3. Belief – Lastly, from my experience “belief” becomes the real litmus of God’s work in my life.  Is my faith in God?  Do I trust him completely?  Am I willing to obey by the sharing of His work in my life with others?  I have never asked God to strengthen my faith more than when I have been in a capital campaign or in a season of personal support raising.

Fundraising is truly a journey of the heart, a battle of authenticity, and has an ultimate litmus of belief.  But by staying full of God’s Word, keeping a prayer-filled life, and asking God to increase our faith, there is great hope for the transformational work God wants to accomplish in our lives … that usually leads to the work He is wanting to do through us.