How Religious Organizations Can Talk About Money

Religious organizations are often hesitant to talk about nonprofit fundraising. While they rely on donations to fund their missions, they don’t want to be accused of being “greedy” or focusing too much on money. There is a legitimate fear this would be a turnoff for potential supporters.

Like it or not, though, money is a topic that must be addressed in order to survive. There are ways to approach the subject that can actually strengthen your relationship with your donors. In a recent post on npENGAGE, the Blackbaud blog, Joe Garecht guides you through “4 Ways Religious Organizations Can Talk About Fundraising with Supporters.”

His four methods are:

• Introduce your supporters to faithful stewardship
• Highlight the outcomes of your work
• Show the connection between faith, finances, and spiritual outcomes
• Be proud of your fundraising efforts

These ideas aren’t new, and for many secular nonprofits may seem like old hat. But faith-based nonprofits face an unfair bias that comes with being associated with churches.

Fortunately, people who donate to religious organizations are likely regular church attendees. They are accustomed to the idea of faithful stewardship. According to Garecht, you should reinforce the idea that donating to your nonprofit is one of the ways people can answer the call to use some of their resources to help others and make the world better.

Highlighting outcomes is another way of saying “storytelling.” This is a well-worn trope in the nonprofit fundraising world, although seemingly not enough organizations do it. Showing real-world results helps your donors grasp the impact of their gifts.

For more great insight, read the full post over on npENGAGE.