Fearless Major Gifts

Charles Lafond

Description

Take the fear out of "the art of the ask."

Every major gift is planned, and every planned gift is major. This book is written with the premise that if you know how to identify, evaluate, cultivate and finally ask for the gift, it does not matter if it is a major gift or a will. Clergy and others need help learning how to 'make the ask' before thedr major gifts have been allocated to other non-profits and schools so willing and prepared to ask for them. LaFond recounts, "I remember sitting with a beloved, dying parishioner who turned to me in her last three hours and quietly said 'I wish I had remembered the church in my will.' I asked why she had not and she said, sweetly, 'They never asked, and everyone else did, and so thoroughly.'” Clergy and lay leaders are terrified of asking for major and planned gifts while parishes need them and donors need to give them. Clergy are not taught in seminary how to do this essential work of ministry. LaFond, in his various roles, is filling that educational gap.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Philosophie et théologie
• Giving
• Stewardship

Informations

• Publié par: Church Publishing Incorporated
• Date de parution: 01 novembre 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780898690293
• Langue: English

Extrait

FEARLESS
MAJOR GIFTS
FEARLESS
MAJOR GIFTS
Inspiring Meaning-Making
Charles LaFond
Copyright © 2017 by Charles D. LaFond
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, the scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Church Publishing 19 East 34th Street New York, NY 10016 www.churchpublishing.org
Cover design by Marc Whitaker Typeset by John Turnbull
Some names of donors throughout this book are for purposes of illustration and are not those of actual people.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
LaFond, Charles D.
Fearless major gifts : inspiring meaning-making / Charles LaFond.
pages cm
New York : Church Publishing, 2017. Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 9780898690293 (ebook) | ISBN 9780898690286 (pbk.)
Church fund raising. | Deferred giving—Religious aspects—Christianity.
BV772.5 (ebook) | BV772.5 .L343 2017 (print) 254'.8—dc23
2017028908 (print) | 2017038596 (ebook)
This book is dedicated to the millions of people in the course of history who have summoned up the courage to ask for a major gift from another person.
From the first cave lent to a stranger running from a sabertooth tiger
to the jars given to hold the Dead Sea Scrolls;
from the use of a stable behind an inn for a pregnant traveler
to the cave donated for the grave of a crucified savior;
from the request of a boy with five loaves of bread and two fish
to the request of a fortune from a rich young ruler;
from the jewels and authority given by an emperor and his mother
to the land given for the first hospitals and monasteries;
from the food given to a saint who fed the poor,
to the cathedrals and furnishings given by wealthy merchants;
from royal grants to hospitals to ten dollars donated from a child’s allowance,
from a dowager’s bequest to a pensioner’s
in time of war and times of peace,
in the Great Depression and the Great Awakening,
from the wall given in Capernaum by the Zebedee family,
to the Hebrew Temple walls erected by the Anitpater family;
in every conceivable time of blessing, creation, joy, and crisis
good people have asked for major gifts and other good people have discerned an answer.
CONTENTS
Foreword by Kathy Coors
Preface
Acknowledgments
A Giving Story: Maude and Meaning-Making
Chapter 1: The Meaning of Major Gifts
What Is a Major Gift?
Created in the Image of a Generous God
The Meaning-Making Mandorla
We Have Enough, We Need to Give
Talking about Money and Membership Growth in Church
The Mission of Major Gifts
Tips: How to Get People Comfortable with Asking for Major Gifts in Your Church
Resource: Membership Growth as a Financial Resource— Ask the Congregation to Stand Up
Resource: How to Help Your Congregation Get Over Fear and Anxiety
Resource: How to Set Major Gifts within an Effective Annual Pledge Program
Resource: What to Look for in a Leader for Major or Planned Giving
Resource: A Worksheet on Feelings about Asking for Money
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
A Giving Story: Bill and Helen—People Leading the Way
Chapter 2: People and Relationships
Different People
Different Generations
An Aging Congregation
How We Make Choices
The Great Generation
The Silent Generation
Baby Boomers
Generation X
Millennials, or Generation Y
On Women as Major Donors
Tips
Resource: A Bible Study on the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17–22) for Stewardship Leaders
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
A Giving Story: Jason—Curating a Mission
Chapter 3: Mission Integrity
The Garden Metaphor
How to Train Your Leadership
An Intentional Introduction
Anxieties and Persistence
The Importance of the Pledge Campaign for Major Gifts
Choosing Leadership in Major Gifts
Noticing Passions and Curating Conversations
The Role of Vulnerability
The Sacramentality of Conversation
Mission Integrity
En-Theos
Be Whole (Not Perfect)
Being Good Ancestors
Integrity and Effectiveness
A Major-Gifts Case for Support
Spiritual Underpinnings of Leadership
Resource: Job Description—Stewardship Commission
Resource: Job Description—Major-Gift Committee Chairs
Resource: Wow Cards
Resource: A Case-Development Exercise for Confidence and Joy
Resource: The Community Interview
Resource: Summary of Discernment Tools
Resource: A Ministry-Effectiveness Survey
Resource: Member Questionnaire
Resource: The Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversation — A Method for Leveled Engagement
Resource: A Sample Letter Asking for the First Visit
Resource: A Sample Donor-Engagement Continuum
Resource: A Sample Parish Meaning-Making List
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
A Giving Story: Caroline—The Unexpected Donor
Chapter 4: Asking for a Major Gift
Jesus Is the Word Made Flesh
On the Beauty of Presence-Making
On Listening
On Co-creativity, Ideas, and Vision-Casting
Capacity and Interest: Making Your Prospect List
Prospects and Suspects
Living-Room Visits: Test the Vision and Listen Carefully
Ask for a Donor’s Opinion before Asking for a Donor’s Money
It’s Like Hosting a Friend
The Individual-Engagement Process
Why Is the Work of This Chapter Important?
How to Do This Work
The Premature-Request Double Checklist
Are You Ready to Make the Major-Gift Request?
Setting the Appointment
Preparing for the Request of a Major Gift
The Request for the Gift: An Outline
A Final Word Regarding the Major-Gifts Request
Resource: Example— How to Identify Your Major-Gifts Prospect List
Resource: A Sample Presentation Outline
Resource: A Sample Phone Script to Ask for the First Visit
Resource: How to Plan for a Good Living-Room Visit — A Summary
Resource: Sample Schedule for a Major-Gift Visit
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
A Giving Story: Kenton
Chapter 5: Obstacles to Raising Major Gifts
Compassion for Human Fears
Facing Resistance
Resource: An Exercise on Feelings about Money
Resource: Leadership Red Flags
Resource: Facing Resistance to the Major-Gift Program — An Apology for the Return on Investment of Time
Resource: An Example of the Need for a Flexible “Case for Support”
Resource: Facing Resistance from the Pulpit — Pat’s Sermon about the Realities
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
A Giving Story: Chuck and Janet—Planning a Gift
Chapter 6: Planned Giving as a Part of Major-Gifts Programming
Managing Your Planned-Giving Major-Gifts Program
Starting Up a Planned-Giving Program
A Final Word on Planned Giving
The Annual-Giving Pledge Card
Resource: Sample — The Planned-Giving Committee Mission
Resource: Sample — A Strategic-Plan Outline
Resource: Sample — A Communications Plan
Resource: One Planned-Giving Donor—An Example
Resource: A Valuable Testament to Your Mission Being Known in Your Town
Resource: Sample Tracking System for Requests for Will Inclusion
Resource: Sample Planned-Giving Participants’ Welcome Letter (for New Members)
Resource: A Story of Missed Opportunity—Mrs. Symington’s Last Question
Resource: Sample Donor Wall
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
A Giving Story: David Ball—The Chairperson
Chapter 7: Programming and Stewarding
Why Is the Work in This Chapter Important?
About Programming
About the Stewardship of Received Gifts
Toward Regeneration
Resource: A Sample Weekly Major-Gifts Report to the Major-Gifts or Stewardship Committee
Resource: A Sample Letter — What to Do When Stock Is Being Given
Quick-Start Suggestions
Study Questions
Prayers
Conclusion
About the Author
FOREWORD
by Kathy Coors
When Charles asked me to write the foreword to this book . . . I was shocked. Panic took over as I said to myself, “I am not qualified to do this.” Then a softer, gentler message emerged—“This must be a God thing.” God doesn’t call on the qualified, God qualifies the called.
Like Charles, I am a fundraiser and am part of a family whose blessings allow for significant philanthropy. I feel confident connecting with people and understanding what motivates them to give, and I model that motivation as well. Asking for money is not hard once you figure out what brings the donor joy. People get excited, even thrilled, to support a cause that connects with their heart, no matter the size of the gift. Charles figured me out after one honest conversation, and, because of that, my husband and I gave one of our largest donations to the church.
Donors give to the person representing the cause—they give to a person they like and with whom they connect. Charles is more than a likeable guy; he clearly understands how to link the donor’s heart with the church’s mission. The process requires psychological insight. If a potential donor is not self-aware as to what would motivate them to give, Charles helps the donor to discern their philanthropic cause.
This book is inspiring and uplifting. He dissects and explains for those working in church fundraising how to get to “yes,” but he also reminds the church to tread lightly so that the donor is making meaning joyfully, voluntarily, and in real discernment. This book will give the reader common-sense tools to use in any-sized church and seeking any-sized gift; it will help bolster the reader’s confidence that they can ask boldly for large donations within a carefully curated process.
We have an obligation as children of Christ to serve others as the hand and eyes of God on Earth, and we are called upon to give in our