How to Raise a Billion

Funding the enterprise Jesus launched 2,000 years ago has become big business. Raising money for ministries is no longer something done behind the scenes while a ministry focuses on its calling. Fund raising is woven right into the fabric of our response to the Great Commission.

In 1985 (the latest year for which statistics are available), $79,840,000,000 was given to more than 330,000 gift-supported organizations in this country (statistics from the American Association of Fund-Raising Counsel). Of that $79 billion, $37 billion was collected for religious causes.

The philanthropy industry, which handles these funds, now ranks as one of the top ten industries in this country. Obviously, giving a portion of our pay-checks has become a cultural distinctive in North America.

Not surprisingly, evangelicals are significantly represented in this mix. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, a watch-dog organization of evangelical charities, annually receives an account of giving from its 341 member organizations. In 1985, more than $1,578,627,000 came into ECFA’S organizations. Of that amount, $1,163,000,000 was actually distributed for program services. The balance of $415 million was used for management, general expenses, and fund raising.

The billion-and-a-half dollars raised by ECFA organizations does not include income from the major television ministries in this country (Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart, the PTL Club, and Oral Roberts). Because these organizations do not report their income, no one knows exactly what they raise. It is estimated, however, that at least another half-billion dollars is raised among them each year.

High-tech offering plates

How do Christian organizations get money for ministry? They ask for it. And they ask for it often (weekly or monthly appeals are not uncommon). For each Christian organization, there almost always is a cadre of professionals in a fund-raising department whose sole function is to be sure monies are raised for that organization. And these professionals have an ever-expanding array of techniques to go fishing for donors.

An organization’s mailing list—a cache of names representing a demonstrated interest in the organization—is the primary focus of fund-raising efforts. Computers are de rigueur, providing organizations with the ability to dissect their mailing lists into a dizzying array of segments. Computer-generated letters are personalized with specially tailored references to the individual donor’s giving history.

Great care goes into packaging appeals in a way that will insure the greatest return. Underlining (in blue ink) increases response. Timing appeals to arrive at a certain time of the month helps, too, as does copy on the outside of the envelope, postage stamps rather than printed permits, and certain colors and weights of paper.

The emphasis on the right packaging shows up in the electronic media, too. Television appeals are carefully positioned in the context of the show. The color of tie, shirt, and suit of the evangelist as well as the setting become important. So does the decision when the camera should slowly move in to create a sense of intimacy between the viewer and the evangelist. How often an “800” number appears on the screen, and its size, are crucial decisions in packaging television appeals.

A gift that keeps on giving

Fund raisers today already have their eyes on the future. That is why deferred giving programs have increasingly become a part of fund-raising activity. These programs seek to help many donors provide for their own or their children’s future by helping to disperse assets through a trust that benefits both the donor and the asking organization. Also, by encouraging donors to sign over life assets at the time of death, organizations garner cash for future ministry operations.

Obviously, the advance of technology has played a large hand in current fund-raising practice. ECFA president Art Borden says technology makes fund raising more efficient, but “the down side is the inundation of appeals.”

One recent example of fund-raising technology is the computerized signature machine. This device allows ministry executives to “hand sign” appeal letters, giving the impression of intimacy.

But such technological advances raise ethical questions for those who ask for funds. The challenge in providing future funds for ministry will be in how well the organization asking for them can merge technology with ethics.

By J. David Schmidt, a consultant to Christian organizations in the areas of marketing, development, and promotion.

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