Message 14: You’re grabbing the best life experience!

• Biblical fundraising offers ultimate value to the donor: the best life experience.
• Ordinary fundraising delivers value only to the charity.

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be high-minded or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things for enjoyment: to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

The ideal donor experience delivers real life, right now

• In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, sharing God’s rich supply has a purpose. That purpose is real life. That real life starts right now. Can sharing actually deliver real life, right now? That seems like a tall order. It’s fine to promise some heavenly benefit – but right now is different. It’s tangible. It’s immediate.
• It’s also true. Paul’s fundraising really delivers. The donors actually experience real life, right now. How so?
• They express care and concern for others.
• They respond to the mutual social norm of sharing.
• They respond to God’s rich provision in a way that pleases Him.
• They are freed to enjoy doing good today because God will be supplying more tomorrow.
• They make a real difference for good.
• They bring great beauty into the world.
• They have an identity as a good sharer.
• They connect with an emotionally bonded, reciprocal fellowship community family.
• They store up future benefits for themselves.
• They use their wealth for enjoyment.

Now consider the opposite. What about those who experience none of these things in their lives? What kind of life is it? It’s a life where:

• They don’t care about others.
• They never respond to other people’s sharing.
• They never respond to God’s blessings.
• They are too afraid to ever use what they have.
• They make no impact.
• They bring no beauty into the world.
• They neither view themselves nor are viewed by others as being good helpers or sharers.
• They never connect with a shared community.
• They never store up future benefits for themselves.
• They experience no enjoyment from their wealth – only loss during life or at death.
• And for these people, it gets even worse. Instead of enjoyment, they will actively suffer. (1 Timothy 6:9). They will pierce themselves with many griefs just to hoard up more. (1 Timothy 6:10). Everything they hoard up, they will lose. They will lose it to misfortune during life, or they will lose it at death. Their loss is guaranteed.
• Or they will use their wealth to serve destructive appetites. They will binge. That might seem attractive, but the resulting life experience is not. It’s not real life. It’s anti-life. It creates a sad, hollow life. It’s living while feeling dead inside. As Paul explained a few lines earlier of the bingeing rich widow,
• “But she who lives in self-indulgence is dead even while she lives.” (1 Timothy 5:6).⁵⁶⁷
• So too, in Jesus’s parable, the repentant son who had
• “squandered his estate in wild living … was dead and has come to life again … was dead and has begun to live” (Luke 15:13b, 24b, 32b).
• Solomon reports the results of his bingeing by writing,
• “So, I hated life.” (Ecclesiastes 2:17).
• One path delivers lasting enjoyment, impact, and reciprocal love. The others lead to suffering, emptiness, and loss. That’s a massive difference. It’s the difference between merely existing and experiencing life that is really life.
• This isn’t just a “someday” result. It’s not just a heavenly result. It’s a right now result. It’s real life, right now.

This result isn’t just theoretical. It’s tangible. It’s observable. One author interviewed more than 50 “mega” donors. These people had made massive gifts of wealth. He observes,

“Mega givers are filled with joy. You can pick them out in a crowd. I haven’t been able to figure out why, but it’s true – there’s a sparkle and recognizable joy to their living - a joie de vivre.”⁵⁶⁸

• These are real-life outcomes. These are real-life experiences. They’re not just hypothetical. They’re not just eschatological. This is real life, right now.

Paul describes, offers, and delivers the ideal donor experience

• Paul describes the ideal donor experience. It’s the best deal ever. As fundraisers, it’s exciting to offer that deal. It’s motivational to describe those results.
• But what about actually delivering that donor experience? Well, that’s not our department, right? That’s all up to God, right? Actually, no. The fundraising model from scripture doesn’t just describe these experiences. It helps to deliver them.
• 1 Timothy 6:17-19 instructs. These are Paul’s fundraising instructions. It directs rich Christians to pursue this ideal donor experience. It says, “You should do these wonderful things.”
• 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 offers. This is Paul’s fundraising appeal letter. It offers this ideal donor experience. It says, “Here’s a chance for you to do these wonderful things!”
• Philippians 1 & 4 delivers and confirms. This is Paul’s gift acknowledgment letter.⁵⁶⁹ It helps to deliver and confirm this ideal donor experience. It says, “You did these wonderful things!”
• Paul provides models for each step of the fundraising process:
• He instructs. (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
• He offers. (2 Corinthians 8 & 9).
• He delivers and confirms. (Philippians 1:3-8; 4:10-19).
• We can also instruct like this. We can also offer like this. We can also deliver like this. We can follow this three-part model in our own fundraising.

Paul’s gift acknowledgment delivers and confirms the ideal donor experience

• In fundraising, the first response to a gift is usually the gift acknowledgment letter. This is the “thank you” note. It’s a chance to express gratitude. It’s often a chance to demonstrate the impact of the gift. What should such a letter look like? Fortunately, we have a good example.
• In Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he acknowledges their donation. This is not a simple “thanks.” It’s a confirmation of ideal giving. It confirms the donor instructions in 1 Timothy 6:17-19. It confirms the donor offer in 2 Corinthians 8 & 9. It delivers on each donor experience. It confirms that the donors were able to do all of the following:
• Express care and concern for others
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul instructs. Their giving should reflect that they are not above concern. They are not hypsēlo- [high/above] phronein [mind/concern].
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8:8, Paul offers. He offers this as a test of their concern. He writes,
• “I am not ordering you to do this. I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown.” (2 Corinthians 8:8 CEV).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:10, Paul confirms. They did it! Their gift proved their concern – phronein. It showed they were not above concern – hypsēlophronein. He writes of their gift,
• “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern [phronein] for me;” (Philippians 4:10a).
• Respond to the mutual social norm of sharing
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:17-18, Paul instructs by comparison. Their giving should follow the fellowship-community norm of sharing whatever things God has supplied. He writes,
• “God who richly supplies us [hēmin] with all things for enjoyment: to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:17b-18a).
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8:1-8, Paul offers by comparison. He tells of inspirational giving by others in the fellowship community. He then proposes in verse 8,
• “I am simply testing how real your love is by comparing it with the concern that others have shown.” (CEV).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:15, Paul confirms by comparison. They did it! Their giving excelled others in the fellowship community. He writes,

“after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you alone;” (Philippians 4:15b).

• Respond to God’s rich provision in a way that pleases Him
• Fundraising instruction letter:

In 1 Timothy 6:17-18, Paul instructs. Their giving should fulfill God’s purpose. His purpose is enjoyment through good works. He explains,

“God, who richly supplies us with all things for [the purpose of] enjoyment: to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share,” (1 Timothy 6:17b-18).

• Fundraising appeal letter:

In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul offers. Giving to this project in the right way will please God. Giving that pleases God is giving that generates joy in the donor.

“for God loves a cheerful [joyful] giver”⁵⁷⁰ (2 Corinthians 9:7b).

• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:18, Paul confirms. They did it! Their gift was pleasing to God. He writes of their gift,
• “what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.” (Philippians 4:18b-19a).
• Are freed to enjoy doing good today because God will be supplying more tomorrow
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:17-18, Paul instructs. Their giving should reflect their trust that God is in the ongoing process of richly providing us for enjoyable good works.
• “set their hope … on God, who richly supplies us with all things for enjoyment: to do good, to be rich in good works,” (1 Timothy 6:17b-18a).
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul offers. They can give confidently. If they give, God will richly supply them for good works. He writes,
• “whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give … And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work … you will be enriched in everything for all liberality,” (2 Corinthians 9:6b-7a, 8, 11a)⁵⁷¹
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:18-19, Paul confirms. They did it! God accepted their gift. God will richly supply them. He writes of their gift,
• “what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches” (Philippians 4:18b-19a).
• Make a real difference for good
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul instructs. Their giving should do work – ergon. Ergon is work that accomplishes something.⁵⁷² Donors are,
• “to do good [agatho-ergein] to be rich in good works [ergois kalois].”
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 9:8, Paul offers. God is able to richly supply so that,
• “you may have an abundance for every good work [ergon agathon]”
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:14 & 18, Paul confirms. They did it! Their gift has done work that makes an impact. The donors “have done well” [kalōs epoiēsate].” Epoiēsate means to do work, create, construct, or accomplish.⁵⁷³
• Their gift made a difference. Paul goes into detail. Their gift changed his situation from “difficulty” to “abundance.” He writes,
• “Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my difficulty … But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent” (Philippians 4:14, 18a).
• Bring great beauty into the world
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul instructs. Their giving should do kalos good works. This “good” is beautiful, inspirational, and good to men’s eyes. He writes that they are,
• “to be rich in good [kalois] works.”
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8:20-21, Paul offers. He offers to deliver kalos in administering their gift.⁵⁷⁴ He writes,
• “For we are taking pains to do what is right [kala] not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.” (2 Corinthians 8:21 NIV).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:14, Paul confirms. They did it! The donors have accomplished kalos. He writes,
• “you have done well [kalōs] to share with me.” (Philippians 4:14).
• Have an identity as a good sharer
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul instructs. Their giving should reflect their identity [einai] as good [eu-] sharers [metadotous]. This is not just what they are doing. It’s who they are being. He writes that they are
• “to be generous” [eumetadotous einai]
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8:12, Paul offers. He explains that their gifts will be good [eu-] gifts. He writes,
• “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable [eu-prosdektos] (2 Corinthians 8:12 NIV).
• “your previously promised generous gift [eu-logian], that the same would be ready as a generous gift [eu-logian], and not as one grudgingly given due to greediness.” (2 Corinthians 9:5).
• He promises that the recipients will proclaim “good gift!” to God. “Thanksgiving” literally declares eu- [good] charis [gift].
• “through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving [eu-charistian] to God … not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks [eu-charistiōn] to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11b, 12b NIV).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:18, Paul confirms. They did it! The donors have accomplished eu-giving. He writes,
• “I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant [eu-ōdias] offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing [eu-areston] to God.” (Philippians 4:18).
• Paul also gives thanks [eu-charistō] to God, i.e., proclaiming “good gift!” But he adds a twist. He doesn’t give thanks just for the contributions. He gives thanks for the donors themselves as sharers. He gives thanks for the donors “in view of” their entire history of sharing. He writes,
• “I thank [eu-charistō] my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation [also translated as ‘contribution’⁵⁷⁵ or ‘gracious contributions’⁵⁷⁶] in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5).
• Connect with an emotionally bonded, reciprocal fellowship community family
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul instructs. Their giving should not be just giving away to the outsider. They are to be koinōnikous. They are to be closely-connected sharers with the reciprocal fellowship-community family.
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, Paul offers. The donors’ giving will be koinōnias. (2 Corinthians 9:13). They will follow the inspirational example of the Macedonians whose giving was koinōnian. (2 Corinthians 8:4).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 1:5, 4:14, and 4:15, Paul confirms. They did it! He calls their giving koinōnia. (Philippians 1:5). He calls their sharing syn-koinōnēsantes. (Philippians 4:14). He calls their gifts ekoinōnēsen. (Philippians 4:15).
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul instructs. Their giving should reflect their identity [einai] as reciprocal fellowship community sharers [koinōnikous]. This requires a reciprocating fellowship community [koinōnia]. Donors can’t be koinōnikous without a koinōnia.
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 9:13-14, Paul offers. He promises this reciprocating fellowship community. Recipients will respond with
• (1) Thanksgiving to God for the donors
• (2) Prayers for the donors, and
• (3) Emotionally connecting with the donors
• He writes,
• “Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will [1] glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution [koinōnias] to them and to all, while they also, [2] by prayer on your behalf, [3] yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.” (2 Corinthians 9:13-14).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 1:3-5, Paul confirms. It happened! He personally delivers on these promises of
• (1) Thanksgiving to God for the donors
• (2) Prayers for the donors, and
• (3) Emotionally connecting with the donors
• He writes,
• “[1] I thank my God every time I remember you. [2] In all my prayers for all of you, [3] I always pray with joy because of your partnership [koinōnia]” (Philippians 1:3-5a NIV).
• Other versions replace “your partnership” with “your contribution.”⁵⁷⁷ The Amplified Bible adds more detail, reading,
• “always offering every prayer of mine with joy (and with specific requests) for all of you, (thanking God) for your participation and partnership (both your comforting fellowship and gracious contributions)” (Philippians 1:4-5a AMP).

Paul promises the Corinthian donors that the recipients will “yearn for” them. Paul personally delivers this for the Philippian donors. He writes,

“how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:8b).

And he calls them his

“beloved brothers and sisters, whom I long to see” (Philippians 4:1).

• Store up future benefits for themselves
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:19, Paul instructs. Their giving will result in enormous personal benefit. It results in,
• “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future.” (1 Timothy 6:19).
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, Paul offers. Choosing to follow his charitable advice is profitable. In fact, that’s why he is telling them about the giving opportunity in the first place. He summarizes,
• “And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you”⁵⁷⁸ (2 Corinthians 8:10).
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 4:17, Paul confirms. He confirms that the donors’ profit is already overflowing. He explains,
• “not that I seek after the gift, but I seek after the fruit that is overflowing to your account;” (Philippians 4:17)⁵⁷⁹
• Others use:
• “the profit that is increasing to your account.”⁵⁸⁰
• “the blessing which is accumulating for you”.⁵⁸¹
• 10. Use their wealth for enjoyment
• Fundraising instruction letter:
• In 1 Timothy 6:17-18, Paul instructs. Their giving should be for the purpose of enjoyment. Enjoyment is a motivation for and a result of sharing. Enjoyment is God’s purpose in richly providing.
• “God, who richly supplies us with all things for enjoyment: to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:17b-18).
• Fundraising appeal letter:
• In 2 Corinthians 8:2-4, Paul offers. He offers proof in the Macedonians’ joyful giving experience. Joy was both the source of and the result of their sharing. He describes the origin of their giving as,
• “their abundance of joy [charas]” which “overflowed in the wealth of their liberality” (2 Corinthians 8:2).
• He describes their giving experience as,
• “They even asked and begged us to let them have the joy [charin] of giving their money for God’s people” (2 Corinthians 8:4 CEV)⁵⁸²
• Gift acknowledgment letter:
• In Philippians 1 & 4, Paul confirms. He confirms each of the previous results. Each of these is enjoyable for the donor. He goes further. He confirms that their giving has brought him joy. He confirms that they share in that joy with him.
• He writes,
• “I always pray with joy [charas] because of your partnership”⁵⁸³ or “your contribution.”⁵⁸⁴ (Philippians 1:4b-5a).
• And also,
• “it is a great joy [echarēn] to me that after so long a time you once more had the chance of showing that you care for me.” (Philippians 4:10 GNT).
• Because of this partnership [koinōnia] with the donors, Paul’s joy is a shared joy.⁵⁸⁵ He writes,
• “you are all partakers [syn-koinōnous] of my joy [charitos].” (Philippians 1:7b)⁵⁸⁶
• And also,
• “I rejoice and share my joy [syn-chairō] with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy [syn-chairete] with me.” (Philippians 2:17b-18).

Completing the circle: Understanding good gratitude

• In 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Paul describes the ideal donor experience. In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, he offers the ideal donor experience. In Philippians 1 & 4, he confirms and delivers the ideal donor experience. This ideal donor experience delivers both donor impact and beneficial relationship.
• First, it confirms donor impact. It answers the question,
• “I made a gift. What changed?”
• What kind of giving confirms this donor impact? Giving that delivers the 1 Timothy 6:17-19 experience does.
• Giving where the donors make a real difference for good [agathoergein] confirms their impact.
• Giving where the donors bring great beauty into the world [rich in ergois kalois] confirms their impact.
• Delivering the ideal donor experience also confirms donor benefit. But this is a special kind of benefit. It’s not a benefit from a financial transaction. It doesn’t come from a market exchange. It’s a more lasting, reliable benefit. It can’t be lost. It continues even when we have nothing to offer.
• This comes from mutual, reciprocal, social-emotional relationships. It comes from beneficial relationships with God and the fellowship community. Confirming this benefit means confirming these relationships. What kind of giving does this? Giving that delivers the 1 Timothy 6:17-19 experience does.
• Giving that responds to God’s ongoing rich provision for good works confirms a reciprocal relationship.
• Giving that responds to the mutual social norm of sharing confirms a reciprocal relationship.
• Giving that expresses care and concern in an emotionally bonded, reciprocal fellowship-community family confirms a reciprocal relationship.
• Giving that God accepts, resulting in donors storing up benefits for themselves, confirms a reciprocal relationship.
• In his fundraising instructions, Paul directs donors to pursue this ideal giving. This is giving with extreme donor impact and extreme donor benefit. In his fundraising appeal, Paul offers donors the chance to participate in this ideal giving. In his gift acknowledgment, Paul confirms that the donors have indeed engaged in this kind of giving.
• This kind of response to the donor’s gift has a name. It’s called gratitude. It’s good gratitude.
• Good gratitude confirms impact. Without an impact, there’s no reason to be grateful.
• Good gratitude goes further. It’s not just gratitude for the gift. It’s gratitude for the giver. It’s a relationship signal. It confirms an open-ended willingness to benefit the donor. It delivers donor benefit through relationship.
• Scripture models this good gratitude. It confirms the donor’s impact. It confirms the donor’s beneficial relationships. It delivers the ideal donor experience.

Barriers to gratitude: Obligation giving

• Good gratitude confirms donor impact. Good gratitude also confirms the donor benefit of a reciprocal relationship. Good gratitude messages are powerful. They work. They work in theory, research, and practice. So why don’t we see them more often? Why are they often missing in charities, churches, and Christian ministries?
• One barrier comes from not knowing how to do it well. Leadership may misunderstand what good gratitude is. This leads to responses that don’t confirm the donor’s impact. Or, they don’t confirm the right relationship. They don’t confirm an emotionally bonded, reciprocal, social relationship.
• Misunderstanding this relationship causes problems. If charities see fundraising as begging, gratitude will be ineffective or absent. A beggar’s ask lowers their social status. A beggar’s gratitude does the same. Both of these are unpleasant to do. And they reflect the wrong relationship. Begging matches a vertical “giving down” relationship. Jesus instructed such “giving down” [eleēmosynē] to be done only in secret.⁵⁸⁷
• Good gratitude instead supports a horizontal, mutual, “sharing across” relationship [koinōnikous]. Here, gratitude doesn’t lower status. Instead, it helps bind together the shared fellowship community. It supports an emotionally bonded, reciprocal, social relationship of equality.
• However, often the biggest barrier is not misunderstanding gratitude. It’s rejecting gratitude. The leadership is not just ineffective in their gratitude. They aren’t even trying. They aren’t interested in doing it at all.
• Why not? Because they see the donors’ giving as obligatory. If donors are obligated to give, then gratitude isn’t necessary. The gift is simply expected. Why might charities feel this way? Why might they feel that their donors are obligated to give?
• Charities may feel this way because the need is so great. The need is great, and donors have wealth. Therefore, donors are supposed to give. The need is so great that donors are obligated to give.
• Charities may feel this way because they are so great. They do such amazing work. They have earned the donation. One nonprofit management book describes fundraising as,

“creating a constituency which supports the organization because it deserves it.”⁵⁸⁸

• The charity administrators have earned those gifts. They’ve earned the gifts with their track record of heroic work. Therefore, donors are supposed to give. The organization is so great that donors are obligated to give.
• Finally, religious charities may feel this way if they see all giving as a compulsory duty.⁵⁸⁹ In this view, giving is not optional. Even wealth sharing is not optional. Giving is an obligatory command. Donors don’t need to be motivated. They just need to be reminded that their giving is mandatory.
• These approaches to giving and gratitude can be attractive to leadership. They elevate the status of the leadership. Leadership has a right to the gift because of their office, their cause, or their inspiring history. Leadership doesn’t need to say, “Thank you.” The money rightly belongs to them. The donor’s gift is simply expected.
• In this view, the charity doesn’t need to deliver a donor experience. They don’t need to deliver an experience of donor impact or agency. They don’t need to offer beneficial donor relationships. The donor is supposed to deliver value to the charity, not vice versa.

This traditional view is often how charity managers see fundraising. One study looked at senior leadership’s views of the importance of various fundraising outcomes. The leaders were interested in all of them. Except one.

Most fundraising managers felt this one outcome wasn’t even “slightly important” to senior leadership. It was also the least helpful in justifying a fundraising budget. That outcome was this:

“Predicted improvements in donors’ feelings of satisfaction with or commitment to the organization.”⁵⁹⁰

The donors’ feelings or experiences were beside the point. The point was “money-getting.” (The other outcomes measured financial results.) The problem wasn’t failing to deliver a positive donor experience. The problem was not even trying. The charities’ leadership simply didn’t care. Donor emotions were not of interest.

• This is not an issue of not knowing how to express gratitude. It’s an issue of not wanting to do it. Leadership doesn’t express gratitude towards donors because they don’t feel gratitude towards donors. They aren’t trying to reciprocate. They aren’t trying to give back. The donors are just ATMs. ATMs are there only to spit out the cash.

Barriers to gratitude in church fundraising

• Charities are often bad at gratitude. Churches can be even worse. In his national study of church fundraising, George Barna explains simply,
• “Most churches are not good at thanking their supporters.”⁵⁹¹
• Why? He finds four reasons:
• “Pastors expect people to give … giving is taken for granted.”
• This lack of gratitude can be an oversight. But often, it’s intentional. It’s intentionally ignoring the gift. In many cases,
• “Those who could express thanks do not know who gives.”
• Others reject the concept of gratitude. This was expressed in statements such as
• “Overt appreciation cheapens the gift”
• or,
• “People should not need to be thanked … giving is the people’s duty.”
• This is an anti-gratitude attitude. It comes from the notion of obligation giving. When all giving is compulsory, gratitude makes no sense.
• This approach to giving and gratitude can be attractive to church leadership. It’s attractive for a simple reason. It means they don’t have to do anything. They can just ignore the gift. They don’t have to express gratitude. They don’t have to respond to a gift at all.

Scripture and the compulsory giving mindset

• Compulsory giving makes life easy for church leadership. They don’t have to fundraise. They don’t have to acknowledge donors. They don’t have to acknowledge donations. And they don’t have to express gratitude.
• If all giving is a mandatory obligation, church leaders don’t have to fundraise. Charitable giving is not a field in which they need to
• “think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24a NLT).
• They don’t have to,
• “Instruct those who are rich … to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:17a, 18).
• They would never need to hassle a delinquent gift pledger, as Paul did, advising them,
• “But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the willingness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability.” (2 Corinthians 8:11).
• If all giving is a mandatory obligation, church leaders don’t need to acknowledge donations. If a lapsed donor makes a gift, there is no need to respond, as Paul did,
• “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me;” (Philippians 4:10).
• If all giving is a mandatory obligation, church leaders don’t need to respond with joy. They don’t need to respond at all. They certainly don’t need to honor or praise the donors. They never need to tell donors that they,
• “have done well to share” (Philippians 4:14b).
• They never need to commend a donor, publicly or otherwise. We wouldn’t catch them writing publicly,
• “I commend to you our sister Phoebe … for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.” (Romans 16:1a-2b).
• If all giving is a mandatory obligation, church leaders don’t need to publicize donors’ gifts to inspire others. They would never need to motivate voluntary giving by sharing a story of other donors who, in
• “their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints” (2 Corinthians 8:2-4).
• In fact, they wouldn’t need to talk about other donors at all. They certainly would never consider publicly naming a list of individual donors. We wouldn’t catch them openly writing about
• “Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager; Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.” (Luke 8:2b-3).
• They would never publicly name an individual donor. They certainly wouldn’t name a donor and describe exactly what he or she gave. That would be highly inappropriate. We would never catch them publicly describing,

“Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), owned a tract of land. So he sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” (Acts 4:36-37).

• The only thing more offensive than this would be to publicly detail the precise market value of the named donor’s gift. They would never share that
• “Mary then took a pound of very expensive perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus” (John 12:3).
• They would never publicize that the gifted asset could have been
• “sold for over three hundred denarii” (Mark 14:5).
• “sold for more than a year’s wages” (Mark 14:5 NIV).
• You see, detailing such a massive gift of wealth could make others feel bad. Such a wealthy donor’s large asset gift might be allowed, but it would never be publicized. They would never respond to a large asset gift by saying,
• “Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the entire world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her” (Mark 14:9).
• They would never do any of these things. They wouldn’t need to. They wouldn’t need to if all giving were compulsory. If it’s compulsory, donors don’t “decide” to give anyway. They are required to give. They just need to be told of their mandatory obligation.
• If all giving were a mandatory obligation, church leaders wouldn’t tell donors
• “Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion” (2 Corinthians 9:7a).
• They would never say this because donors are, in fact, “under compulsion” to give. They are “under compulsion” because their giving is required. It’s mandatory.
• If all giving is mandatory, church and ministry leaders don’t need to do anything. They don’t need to fundraise. They don’t need to acknowledge donors. They don’t need to acknowledge donations. And they don’t need to express gratitude.
• Mandatory giving is the easy button for church and ministry leadership. It’s easy, but there are two problems with it. It doesn’t match scripture. And it doesn’t work.

Theology and gratitude to donors

• A theology of mandatory giving makes gratitude to donors superfluous. It makes gratitude unnecessary. A theology of asceticism goes further. It makes gratitude offensive.
• In asceticism, giving is supposed to be painful. That pain is what makes the donor righteous. Responding to a gift with real gratitude makes giving more enjoyable. That conflicts with asceticism. Gratitude also reflects a willingness to act with reciprocity. Reciprocity makes giving less costly. That conflicts with asceticism, too.
• Gratitude makes giving more enjoyable and less costly. In asceticism, this makes the donor less righteous. Good gratitude pushes giving away from asceticism. Good gratitude makes giving more fun. It does so in these ways:
• It pushes giving towards being “party-time” enjoyable – apolausin. (1 Timothy 6:17).
• It pushes giving towards being “hilariously” joyful – hilaron. (2 Corinthians 9:7).
• It pushes giving towards being more blessed or happy – makarion – than receiving a gift. (Acts 20:35).
• It pushes giving towards a joyful experience that results from being, “filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.” (2 Corinthians 8:2 NLT).
• In a theology of mandatory giving, gratitude to donors makes no sense. In a theology of asceticism, it’s even offensive. We won’t find gratitude to donors in either of these views. Where will we find it? We’ll find it in scripture. We’ll find it in Biblical fundraising.