Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf-Fundraising?
by Tim Mares - CMDA Support Raising Coach
(Part 1 of 3)
As a child, I never feared the big, bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. He looked tough, but I figured I could take him, especially with him dressed like my grandmother. But my biggest fear was, you guessed it, quicksand. Ideally, I’d have a friend with a big stick who could pull me to safety. The key would be balancing, not panicking, and working hard to get to safety. That and a lot of praying and yelling for help seemed to be a given. There must be some applicable principles to fundraising from my childhood fears, especially since I struggle more with fear now! What biblical principles come to your mind?
I’ve heard that Americans’ biggest fear is public speaking. The second is death. So people would rather be in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy?! But for those of us who raise our financial support, that might even surpass death or public speaking. I guess that would be death by public speaking by asking for money. Do you struggle as I do with this fear?
We’re Christians speaking to Christians about our God and His kingdom. What a privilege! So what’s the big deal? Why do many of us suddenly feel the compelling need to clean the toilet, do our nails, or go see our dentist to avoid calling people for money? By the way, bring one of your CMDA newsletters with you in case your dentist is a believer.;) We pursue partners, and money only plays a part. I believe Satan wants us to get hung up on the money by making money the end goal. We know it’s about trusting the Lord as we build godly kingdom relationships for His glory.
As a child, I played a game of tag with a fixed amount of times one could yell “force field” to avoid being “it.” Being “it” meant you were losing. As children of our Lord, God has given us unlimited protection to never be “it.” By faith, we can run freely, knowing nothing can separate us from His love, not even our fears or someone not donating. Consider the enthusiasm and focus of the child running through the field looking for plastic, Easter eggs filled with candy and coins. When we pursue and “open” these Gospel-driven, conversations, we find the Lord by faith, a deepening of our sanctification, His promises to be true, blessed relationships, and stories to tell.
Do you know the most common command by far in the Bible? Do not fear, or do not be afraid. Isa.41:10a Why is it mentioned so often? We forget we have a heavenly Father. We are prone to be anxious and not trust Him. So God promises He’ll provide us with Himself, a Triune King who brings His kingdom to consummation through us. God commonly attaches the promise “For I am with you” Isa 41:10b onto His command to reassure us of His faithful presence and inevitable victory.
So why are we afraid to ask Christians for money, especially since we know WHY PEOPLE GIVE? (see article) Is it partly because Americans work hard to earn their own money? Our parents increasingly taught us to be self-reliant and not ask others to pay for us. I remember hearing as a child the phrase in American culture, “We may be poor, but we are proud. This family doesn’t take any charity.” And now we are asking people to give up their hard-earned money to us. So we have a trifecta of the world, our flesh, and spiritual enemies to overcome. But we are working on His behalf, and “a laborer is worthy of his wages.” 1 Tim. 5:18 God preserves your days on earth to use you and those you pursue to build His kingdom for His glory.
So run freely without fear and remember the words of Moses in Ex. 14:13a,14a, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will work for you today. YHWH will fight for you.”
To be continued with Part 2: Overcoming 8 Fears in Fundraising and Part 3: Making the Word “NO” Your BFF!
Photo by Jeroen Bosch on Unsplash
