It's nearly Christmas. So here are some thoughts on what Jesus's parables tell us about major donor fundraising...

It’s nearly Christmas. And NPC have brought out a fascinating new report on faith-based charities. Read it! (https://www.thinknpc.org/publications/what-a-difference-faith-makes). 

In the last six months, I have had the privilege to work with a number of faith-based organisations doing fantastic work in this country and overseas. I know it’s true that there is little evidence of organisations actively proselytising through their work. Rather, the Christian organisations who I have worked with are as “incredibly inclusive” as NPC’s research suggests with a determined, passionate focus on helping some of the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach people alive. 

During Advent, what better time is there to reflect on what the New Testament can tell us about major donor fundraising. Even if you aren’t a practicing Christian.

I’ve decided to stick to some tried and tested parables instead. The ones we know and love the best, even if Christmas is little more than a long to-do list and an excuse for a hang-over for you.

 As fundraisers, we all know the value of story-telling. So why not look to an expert who gives a masterclass in pretty much every chapter of the Gospels?

My personal favourite and one I use a lot when training in the parable of the widow’s mite (Mark: 12: 41-44).

The one in which the high-fallooting Pharisees swank about in the Temple distributing largesse, then take the mickey out of the poor beggar woman who slips in two small coins into the collection. Her gift represents all her worldly goods, unlike the fraction of the wealth of those scorning her contribution.

The fundraising message is clear, recognise the value of each major donation to the person giving it and honour it accordingly. Obvs.

But there is more going on in the story.

For one thing, it encourages us to consider our own attitude to money, then try and see it from the point of view of others. Nearly half the parables are about money in some form or other. Jesus talked a lot about it because he knew it mattered.

Our most significant donors operate at a scale different to us mere fundraisers. We should add some noughts on if we are to come close to their financial reality. For some rich supporters, a ￡10K gift really is equivalent to my ￡20 for a mate’s sponsored swim/slim/doing something sweaty for charity.

You need to thank them accordingly for their gift. Be polite but don’t go overboard when a squillionnaire does the polite thing and gives a cheque post engagement dinner. It doesn’t necessarily mean any more than they like the host, know the form and are paying for dinner.

If you want to engage them properly, there is a lot more to do beyond a glass of fizz and a chicken dinner with a distant Royal. Follow up is key.

I also have a sneaky sympathy for the Pharisees at the Temple, roundly pilloried for showing-off. They are only being good citizens, doing what is expected of them as leaders of the community. They also provide LOADS of dosh for good causes in exchange for a little kudos.

You may not approve of the fact they like to be seen to give and appear rich and successful in front of their peers. But, does it really matter? Their money is still LOVELY.

We still do this sort of fundraising today. There are plenty of charity fundraising events that rely on auctions to boost their fundraising on-the-night. You only have to look at ARK as one generous example of what can be achieved by rich people giving publicly. Is it SO bad?

Number 2 parable comes from my daughter, Evelyn. I think she got confused with the story of the three little pigs. It’s the housebuilder’s example (Matt: 7: 24-27) told by a professional tradesman. In other words, what happens to your house if you are a cheapskate and build it on sand? It blows down in a storm. What does Jesus advise? Get a proper builder and invest in secure footings.

 And the fundraising take? Oh, come on, keep up; relationship fundraising and the benefits of the solicitation process.

You need to invest time to get to know a prospect, find out about what makes them tick and where their interests lie before you ask them for a donation – aka research, qualification and cultivation. Otherwise, you're nothing more than a smash-and grab cowboy with no long term supporters for your charity. 

As with any serious building project, relationship fundraising takes time. We know that on average it takes between 9-18 months to warm up a new contact to the point when they are ready to be asked. That gives plenty of time for things to go wrong and people to get away. Don’t despair.

Just remember what Jesus said to his disciples after they had been fishing all day and caught zilch. (Luke: 5: 1-10) Instead of offering them a nice glass of something cold and a sit-down, he tells them to go right back out again and try a different spot. This time they net stacks of fish. It’s a metaphor for their new lives as fishers of men. But it is also a lesson in fundraising perseverance.

You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your princely donors.

Fundraisers don’t all want to do enough kissing. Many years ago, I remember a ￡1m donor to the NSPCC’s Full Stop Campaign, admonishing us about how long we took to ask her for a gift. “I began to wonder if you wanted my money” she mused, as rather too many wealthy heads nodded in agreement, for my liking.

When I was a kid, one of my favourite Biblical stories was the one about the sower and the seed. (Matt: 13: 3-9). The farmer throws it about, some lands on the path and the birds eat it, some gets choked by weeds, more lands on rocky ground so it withers and dies, while only a small amount lands on good soil, grows and provides food for everybody.

In this story, the farmer is the major donor fundraiser. Sometimes you get nowhere but you need to understand why. I think there are 9 types of no and, despite what my 20-year old feminist daughter says, only 1 of them really means “No, buzz off”.

The rest of the responses are all about us not having asked in the right way, for the right amount at the right time. Which gives you another chance if you play your cards right.

Back to the fundraising parable: If your excellent proposition gets eaten by birds, maybe you should have included the spouse/partner if they make all philanthropic decisions. On stony ground? Not the right time to ask a divorced spouse, just after the financial settlement. Thistles? Too many other commitments - wait until their children have left university. And, the good ground is when you get it right and hit the sweet spot. It is worth all the effort when you get it right.

So there you have it, enjoy. Happy Christmas fundraising.

Kate is Director of Beneficial Fundraising, a specialist fundraising consultancy helping charities of all shapes and sizes make the most of high value relationships. www.beneficialfundraising.co.uk