I sat at the restaurant for hours, when finally the manager came to me and said, “We haven’t had many people from your church come, they do know your fundraising here, right?” I was sure of it, in fact, it was my students’ idea to hold a fundraiser for our mission trip.
I sat there for 4 hours by myself…the result $200, which I’m sure most of it was my own. So, you can imagine how I feel when the topic fundraising comes up. It’s not on the top of my youth ministry favorites and that’s because fundraising:
Fundraising might be a “team building” activity, but the ultimate goal is to earn enough money to pay for some other community experience. That isn’t to say the conference, work camp or ski trip isn’t of value, it’s just that there are cheaper ways of doing that with greater impact. Like small groups.
Take the time to focus on cultivating adult leaders and building authentic relationships. Invest more in small groups and you’ll still find your ministry grow and lives changed. You can still do event planning, just as long it doesn’t distract you from what you need to do and that is growing disciples.
Your church shouldn’t be raising funds, it should be raising givers. Fundraising is attempting to fix a big problem with a quick solution. While it might provide enough funds to send teens to a conference it won’t build a culture where money doesn’t become an issue.
The pushback is that you need money to run a ministry and that’s true. It’s very difficult to run a quality ministry on a shoestring budget and that’s why every youth ministry should start:
Are you giving? I know the first time I answered those questions my answer was:
I work for the church, so why should I be giving to it?
I had a trust issue. I didn’t trust God with my money. I felt that I needed the money more than the church and that God couldn’t bless me like $1000 would. But, that was a lie and as soon as I started not only did my attitude change, but I found myself more blessed.
If we’re going to build healthy ministries, we need a healthy attitude towards money and that starts at the top. If you’ve never learned about stewardship I recommend checking out Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University HERE.
If you want the church to continue to grow you not only have to show the next generation how to share their faith but trust God with their finances. When you teach your teens about tithing you:
Tithing will teach them commitment and trust, two characteristics that will benefit them as adults. Set them up for success by providing envelopes for them to give at Mass or set up an offertory as a part of your regular program.
Teaching teens about tithing is a great long-term plan, but your ministry needs funding NOW! For a quicker result than teaching your teens about tithing is to talk to the rest of the congregation about your ministry’s value.
If you need more money talk to your pastor and business manager about why the financial investment is worth it. Meet with parishioners and parish council to share the vision. Be clear on your needs and explain to them why you need X amount of dollars to succeed.
It might feel like fundraising but you are also casting a vision. You might get a couple of more bucks but you’ll also get men and women a little more invested in what you do.
Fundraising is sometimes necessary, but avoid it if possible because your energy needs to be focused on raising disciples. In the short term that might mean cutting back on opportunities. But, if you create a culture of givers you’ll see God bless your work.
What ways have you avoided fundraising yet built a dynamic ministry?