Fundraising Blues
I’m pretty discouraged today. Last night a friend told me he was beginning a fundraising job today with a mission located in our state. I’m proud for him and I guess the mission is doing a needed work. What discourages me is the competition our missions and institutions engage in to obtain support from churches. The pie is only so big and everyone is trying to get the advantage in getting a bigger and bigger slice.
I think I see the dangers inherent in sending the money to a convention or other central location. I don’t like that option either. I think we need some good old-fashioned repentance. Free enterprise and capitalism have entered the church. Everyone’s starting missions and non-profits, it seems. Are all these really necessary or are they a way for us to create jobs for ourselves or control our own “work” so that we don’t have to submit to each other?
We struggle at the Bible college where I work to find enough support. Now we have to compete with others for it. I’m tired of competing! It’s gotten to where now it’s who’s got the best PowerPoint or sales pitch. I guess McLaren’s right – no matter what our mission, we ultimately exist to keep our staff paid and our donors happy. There’s got to be a better way.
I think I see the dangers inherent in sending the money to a convention or other central location. I don’t like that option either. I think we need some good old-fashioned repentance. Free enterprise and capitalism have entered the church. Everyone’s starting missions and non-profits, it seems. Are all these really necessary or are they a way for us to create jobs for ourselves or control our own “work” so that we don’t have to submit to each other?
We struggle at the Bible college where I work to find enough support. Now we have to compete with others for it. I’m tired of competing! It’s gotten to where now it’s who’s got the best PowerPoint or sales pitch. I guess McLaren’s right – no matter what our mission, we ultimately exist to keep our staff paid and our donors happy. There’s got to be a better way.
posted by allencoker at
2:00 PM
1 Comments:
Hey Allen, Tommy Dublin here. Met you a few years back with Cecil 3. Ran across your blog the other day and it was fun to catch up on you. Interesting post as the hurricane has brought this to my attention in that aspect. Do I give to Red Cross, Salvation Army, directly to John Dobbs, there have been several church related organizations contact us. It gets confusing and it is in your aspect also. Better be brushing up on the power point skills, cause it probably won't change soon.
We had an organization speak at our church a couple of months ago. I was touched and compelled to give him a donation at the end of service. Now every two weeks I get a letter basically wanting more. I understand they have to solicit to get funds, but that struck me the wrong way.
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Tommy, at 4:26 PM
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