A Spirituality of Fundraising (#1 Intro)

Senior Consultant - Design Group Intl. * Co-Founder - The (POP) Fundraising Lab * My Digital Contact Card (Office EST) * My LinkTree  * 14 April 2023 Free Virtual Workshop Registration

Faithful Friends,

Finding freedom from fear in the fundraising process in recent years has been formational for me as a missionary that lived on the support of others for well over 20 years: freedom to trust God, to trust others, and to trust the call that he has given to my vocation and life. As Henri Nouwen suggests, I have felt free to receive and free to graciously respond to the “no” from a supporter much better than when I was a younger fundraiser. I am thankful for the transition from solely trusting business practices toward trusting the God who is present, generous, and who is guiding me each day as a fundraiser. Asking, giving, and receiving have formed me deeply as I walk the road of faithful friendship alongside people who support our ministry and our very lives.

My hope, in this series, is to work toward recasting fundraising from a mostly secularized approach to one that views fundraising as a spiritual practice that is connected to our hearts.

There are so many beautiful faith practices to learn from around the world. I'm curious how the internal/spiritual work motivates and shapes the practice of fundraising within the context of community.

Kinda weird, huh? And kinda cool!

In my faith tradition, missionaries around the world are often trained in how to proclaim the gospel (think Jesus story) and program activities in terms of discipleship and spiritual formation. Yet, many of them have been trained to use a different paradigm that is secularized for fundraising.

There is potential for a language shift and corresponding paradigm shift in fundraising training that could guide the missionary that lives on the support of others (a fundraiser!) to venture into a more familiar and theological concept: community instead of commerce and spiritual formation instead of commodification.

The two core questions that I am addressing in this series are: In what ways does raising support as a Christian missionary connect to the practice of faith? And, how can fundraising be reconceived in terms of Christian spirituality? This series aims to extend a practical spirituality of fundraising while exploring theologies of asking, giving, and receiving.

Missionary work is fueled by four God-given things, it seems: mission, love, community, and the hope of spiritual formation. These things have helped pave the two-way street of faithful friendship in so many places in our lives. My deep desire is that, as you interact with these articles, watch the videos on You Tube, or my venture into our social media sphere, something comes alive in you that is a new type of fuel, and you have a renewed energy and sense of calling that keeps you spiritually motivated to invite people into the wonderful story of God’s work in the world through your mission.

May your journey be full of faith in God, courage as you invite others into your mission, and expressed in faithful friendships with your supporters!

I'm looking forward to listening and learning from each of you as we create a community of care around our collective spirit to create a bright future for all!

Lead with Love,

Kevin A. Eastway