I have a confession. There is a part of my job that I wish someone else would do. No matter how many times I do it, no matter the responses, no matter the need. I just wish I didn't have to do it.
Big surprise – it's fundraising. (The title kind of gave it away, didn't it?)
What's more, I'm not the only one. What I hear over and over from board members and others in the community, even from those who are gifted fundraisers, is that at best they tolerate it, at worst they dread it.
Personally, whenever I pick up the phone to make an ask or set up an appointment, whenever I send out appeal letters, the same anxious questions dog me: Will I offend? Will I annoy? Will this person run away the next time they see me?
And then those questions are followed by another one, one that I realize by my reluctance I am asking God: “Lord, couldn't you please just send someone else to do this?”
If you're familiar with the calling of Moses in Exodus chapter 4, you'll know what God thought when Moses asked him the same question. Let's just say that God did not, in fact, call someone else to lead his people out of Egypt.
We fundraise – we ask - because we are called by God. We are called to stand in the gap for vulnerable people. No matter how much I wish otherwise, he is not calling someone else, he is calling me. And here's what, at Springfield Christian Youth Ministries, we are standing in the gap for.
We ask on behalf of kids. Kids in our city who cannot ask for themselves. Kids who are highly vulnerable. Kids we meet daily, who – unless someone intervenes – will not graduate from high school, will not have a healthy marriage, will end up in the court system. Kids who may have a mom or dad or grandparent who desperately wants them to succeed, but lacks the tools or resources.
We ask on behalf of kids who don't know what a “trained, skilled professional” means, or what “benefits” or “payroll taxes” are, but who understand when there is someone dedicated who shows up to their program week in and week out, who knows how to handle difficult situations that come up, who takes time to talk to their teachers and parents. They fully understand that there are people who come every week without pay because they care, people who are supported, coordinated, and connected by our staff.
We ask on behalf of kids who have never heard of “liability insurance,” but who know when they're in a safe place. Kids who may not understand “mileage expense,” but understand the thrill of going somewhere they've never been before, with a group of people who love and enjoy them. We ask for 250 kids who could not make heads or tails of our operating budget, but who would feel the great void if we could no longer operate.
We ask on behalf of kids who, through the nurturing relationships they build through SCYM's programs, are finding their own voice. Who are learning what it means to be responsible, to value others, to know their Creator and to walk wisely with him. Who are connecting with local churches and finding a family there. Who are learning how to give back to their community.
So when I am tempted to give up on fundraising – something that happens almost daily – I remember why we ask. I remember the God who has, for this season in my life, called me to ask. I pray that I will not offend, annoy, or turn people away; but I remember that there are kids who need someone to ask for them.
And that is why we fundraise. That is why I pick up the phone, write the letter, make the appointment; and why our board does the same. If God is also calling you to be a fundraiser – take courage. Remember why you are asking. If you find yourself on the other end of our asking – just humor us. And if you can, maybe consider a gift – because it's not about the money, but about the people we, and everyone who partners with us, are standing in the gap for.
Faith Bosland, Executive Director
