If you are new to this blog, you will notice that we typically focus on wisdom and modern research for the classroom or homeschool. As classical Christian educators who have been profoundly influenced by the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, we believe that children are born whole persons and their schooling should reflect this reality. 

Unfortunately, so often today, precisely the opposite occurs. In our post-industrial revolution world, modern education has become a training ground for our children as mere test-takers and future wage-earners. Siren songs of college readiness, job preparation, and high-wage incomes have replaced the classical vision for a formative education in the good, true, and beautiful.

Interestingly, the classroom is not the only area of education that has been negatively impacted by industrialist assumptions. Likewise, children are not the only victims of this mindset. Educational institutions are complex entities with multiple departments and a variety of constituents. The underlying philosophy of an institution will inform and shape the parts through the whole, and in turn, the whole through the parts. It is therefore of upmost importance for school leaders to regularly take inventory of these parts, evaluating the missional alignment of what is said and done across departments and roles.

In this article, I want to hone in specifically on practices relating to fundraising, what is sometimes called the development shop of a school. Whether the funds are used to meet an operational gap or strategic initiative, schools rely on the generosity of donors to advance their missions and achieve their future visions. While the classroom is, and must remain, the central focus of any educational institution, it is the contention of this author that the development shop, too, is in need of an educational renaissance.

Philanthropy on the Rise

What kind of a renaissance is needed?

Interestingly, it is not a rebirth in generosity, at least for now. Despite economic challenges caused by the pandemic and rising inflation, giving is up more than ever before, especially in the United States. In a recent Forbes article, the author observes three particularly positive trends in philanthropy.

First, charitable gifts increased to $471 billion in 2020, a 5% increase from 2019, despite a 2.3% decrease in GDP. This upward trend has not changed since the nation transitioned out of the pandemic. Second, donors are growing more sophisticated in how they give. More and more Americans are using private foundations, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds as giving vehicles. This sophistication has elevated the overall generosity, tax savings, and specificity of giving for donors. In other words, donors are not just giving bigger gifts; they are giving better gifts. Finally, there is a demographic mindset shift in the next generation. On average, more millennials than boomers view themselves as philanthropists, leading them to make decisions about their time, money, and resources through a charitable lens.

Nevertheless, our culture continues to face challenges generated from ideologies of individualism and consumerism. As religious belief remains on the decline in the West, the focus shifts more and more to the self-actualization of the individual. This leads to an inward focus and dependence on one’s self for finding lasting happiness rather than viewing God as our greatest source of happiness and meaning. In addition, the consumeristic mindset continues to place things before people, leading society to objectify humans as mere sellers and buyers in a transactional process.

With these societal shifts in view, let me suggest that an educational renaissance in the development shop will have three prominent features, relating to:

1. God’s Provision
2. Donor Engagement
3. Leadership Transparency

God’s Provision

In Giving and Getting in the Kingdom (Moody Publishers, 2012), R. Mark Dillon suggests there are two prevailing attitudes about God’s financial provision.

The first attitude is a pietist waiting upon the Lord with no practical action. This approach is famously illustrated by George Mueller, a German-born pastor who later moved to Bristol, England, and opened an orphanage. Mueller would regularly pray for his orphanage’s needs but refused to share them publicly, waiting instead for the Lord to provide miraculously (which He did time and time again).

The second attitude, illustrated by Chicago evangelist D.L. Moody, is a business-savvy call to action. Ever the entrepreneur, Moody would identify an evangelistic or societal need, cast vision, and enlist financial support. Through this approach, Moody inspired countless to give to the kingdom and, in doing so, support the saving of a multitude of souls.

Summarizing these two attitudes, Dillon writes,

The danger of Mueller’s approach is that what seems to be childlike faith in God for His provision may be missing an opportunity to call God’s people to obedience and generosity. The inherent danger in creating a vision and boldly calling God’s people to fund it, as in Moody’s approach, is the human tendency to stray from discerning God’s leading into merely fulfilling personal or corporate ambition and perhaps missing the elements of dependent prayer and humble gratitude (44).

To avoid these two pitfalls, schools must adopt a biblical mindset of God’s provision, which embraces the paradox of divine action and human responsibility. Development officers must begin, saturate, and culminate their fundraising efforts in prayer, while faithfully taking steps to see what doors God might open. The reality is that neither Mueller nor Moody receives the credit for the gifts that came in to bless their ministries during their years of service. God does. We can prayerfully depend upon the Lord and faithfully share publicly our schools’ needs when we realize that God is the ultimate source of every gift.

Donor Engagement

It is common to approach fundraising as a game of numbers. Maximize the number of mailed letters, email campaigns, golf outings, and first time gifts, and you have a successful development shop. 

But what Jason Lewis argues in The War for Fundraising Talent and How Small Shops Can Win (Gatekeeper Press, 2017) is that deep relationships and meaningful partnerships are the key to successful fundraising. And yet, so many development shops are reluctant to do this. It is easier to keep donors at arm-length and ask through impersonal methods. But what talented and seasoned fundraisers have learned through years of practice is that it is all about relationships and shared passion for a vision. Through intentional engagement with donors, having meaningful conversations, and communicating with respect and gratitude, the partnership can go deeper, become more meaningful, and last for a lifetime.

As schools engage donors in a meaningful way, the goal is to prevent these relationships from becoming merely transactional. An authentic partnership occurs when both schools and donors believe they can give and receive from one another. Here I think of Paul’s gratitude for Phoebe at the church in Rome. Paul refers to Phoebe as a “sister,” “deacon,” and “benefactor” (Rom. 16:1-2). It is clear that the relationship Phoebe experienced with the church, including the apostle Paul, went beyond the financials. It was spiritually uplifting, relationally deep, and mutually beneficial.

Leadership Transparency

Finally, an educational renaissance in the development shop must include leadership transparency. School leaders need to cast a compelling vision for the future and be honest about current challenges. R. Mark Dillon writes,

Sometimes people assume that being the messenger on behalf of the organization to the giver requires knowing all the answers and defending your institution at every turn. Nothing could be more antithetical to a genuine relationship than refusal to acknowledge shortcomings or gaps in our knowledge.

R. Mark Dillon, Giving and Getting in the Kingdom (Moody Publishers, 2012), 95

Certainly there are times when one must explain with fortitude certain institutional decisions. It is important to help donors understand the complexity of particular issues as well as the thought process that went into reaching a decision. At the same time, no institution is immune from criticism. No leader has all the answers. School leaders can build trust with donors by being honest, preparing informative reports, and admitting when there are weaknesses. If a donor brings up a criticism, explore it together. Find it out what reality of the school it likely touches. If a donor asks a question and you do not have a response, acknowledge the fact and commit to finding the answer.

Conclusion

While there is much more to be said about an educational renaissance for the development shop, I hope this article can be the start of a new conversation. We are all recipients of the generosity of others, and the principles of God’s provision, engagement, and transparency are applicable. As school leaders, we can push back against the reigning ideologies of individualism and consumerism by adopting a biblical view of God’s provision and understanding that how we are interact with all people in our organizations reflects what we truly believe about them as persons made in the image of God.

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What is this purpose? Education is about coming alongside students made in God’s image and helping them achieve their God-given potential. It begins with the question, “Who is this person that sits before me?” and goes on to probe both the limits and possibilities of her growth. Consequently, education is a branch of applied ethics, grounded in a particular conception of human flourishing, both individually and corporately. Like Kant’s categorical imperatives, we must ask ourselves, “If I were to educate every human person in this way, what sort of world would result?” 

Through asking questions like this, we can arrive at a way of educating that is counter-cultural, inspirational, and robustly biblical. This approach will take seriously the image-bearing status of our students and invite them into the good life as defined within a broader biblical framework of human flourishing. As a result, it will prepare the next generation of people like William Wilberforce and Mother Teresa, men and women equipped to lead and ready to serve no matter the cost.

Of course, this sort of quality education comes with a budget. To give students the attention and support they need calls for a sufficient number of well-trained and godly faculty. It is also dependent upon a well-developed curriculum, a safe and reliable facility, and supplies. This all costs money.

Like most non-profits, Christian, classical schools rely on the generosity of donors who believe in the mission to deliver the outcomes of the education. The process of partnering with donors to fund the mission, known as fundraising, can be a touchy subject, both for the giver and receiver. In this blog article, I will explore the relationship between education and fundraising, showing how the vision for education we seek to promote here at Educational Renaissance offers some help guidance for how we can provide for it financially. 

Science of Relations, Including Money

Earlier this week, I met with my colleague about an Upper School course we are designing on applied theology. We brainstormed objectives for the course like implementing spiritual disciplines, growing in awareness of personal vocation, mapping out convictions that align with faith and virtue, and developing a biblical worldview on key ethical questions. While we were in the flow of our brainstorm, my colleague wisely suggested that we include a unit on the theology of money. I responded immediately that I thought this was a great idea. We do not often reflect theologically on money–what is and how it can be used to bring glory to God. And yet these are precisely the sort of questions one could explore in an “Applied Theology” course. Press pause on the hypostatic union for a moment; what should we do about bitcoin? 

In A Spirituality of Fundraising (Upper Room Books, 2010), Henry Nouwen observes that money is a central reality in our lives, beginning when we are children (28). It is likely that our view of money is influenced by family upbringing more than anything else. Each of us grow up and develop a particular relationship with money just as we do with other facets of the created order.

This relational existence is precisely what prompted Charlotte Mason to ultimately define education as “the science of relations.” She writes,

A child should be brought up to have relations of force with earth and water, should run and ride, swim and skate, lift and carry; should know texture, and work in material; should know by name, and where and how they live at any rate, the things of the earth about him, its birds and beasts and creeping things, its herbs and trees; should be in touch with the literature, art and thought of the past and the present. I do not mean that he should know all these things; but he should feel, when he reads of it in the newspapers, the thrill which stirred the Cretan peasants when the frescoes in the palace of King Minos were disclosed to the labour of their spades. He should feel the thrill, not from mere contiguity, but because he has with the past the relationship of living pulsing thought; and, if blood be thicker than water, thought is more quickening than blood. He must have a living relationship with the present, its historic movement, its science, literature, art, social needs and aspirations. In fact, he must have a wide outlook, intimate relations all round; and force, virtue, must pass out of him, whether of hand, will, or sympathy, wherever he touches.

School Education, p. 162, bold emphasis mine

I quote this passage in full because it captures so well the relational existence that we are all born into. True knowledge of the world, including money, expands beyond the domain of information. While we can speak abstractly about income and expenses, P&L statements, and cash budgets, these numbers impact us personally when they are ours to manage. Consequently, depending on our upbringing and training, we can view finances as a terrifying enigma, a necessary evil, or a God-given aspect of responsible living. When viewed as the latter, we can approach finances and fundraising just as we do the throne of grace: with confidence in the faithfulness of our gracious and generous God.

Relocating our Source of Security

Effective fundraising begins with a proper view and relationship to money. It also requires a new way of relating to material resources. For most people, money is a chief form of security. This is in large part why fundraising is such a touchy subject. To admit the need for money leaves one feeling exposed. To ask for it even more so.

But it does not have to be. Nouwen writes, “The pressure in our culture to secure our own future and to control our lives as much as possible does not find support in the Bible. Jesus knows our need for security…What is our security base? God or Mammon?” (32). In this chapter, Nouwen clarifies that money holds an important place, but never as the foundation. As believers, we must put our trust in God and constantly through prayer recalibrate our dependence on Him alone.

Can we trust God? Yes, we can! His transcendence and sovereignty know no depths. As the prophet Isaiah writes,

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?

Isaiah 40:12 NIV

Here the prophet underscores the unquantifiable distance between the knowledge and power of God and ourselves. This is an important truth to keep in my mind as we approach fundraising. Our security base cannot be our ability to forecast expenses, increase enrollment, or attract new donors. The only true base of security for believers is God alone.

Viewing Donors as Whole Persons

As Christian, classical educators, we talk often about the fact that we are educating whole persons. Here we are getting at the idea that humans are more than their grade point average, trophy case, or SAT score. They have minds, but they are not merely minds. They have bodies, but they are not merely bodies. They will likely one day join the work force and earn a salary, but this is not their sole purpose of existence. Therefore, we provide students with a liberal (generous), well-rounded education that will prepare them to thrive intellectually, physically, spiritually, and yes, economically.

Likewise, we should approach people with means to support the school as more than the biggest gift they can give. Donors are whole persons with families, interests, challenges, and aspirations. They have spiritual needs just like you and me, and need biblical encouragement. When we begin to view donors as whole persons, we grow more generous ourselves as we look for opportunities to bless and serve them.

It can be tempting to approach donors with a feeling of desperation and even helplessness. We feel the pressure of school expenses adding up and, as a result, fundraising can start to feel like begging. But, again, Nouwen is helpful here. He argues that fundraising is the opposite of begging; it is the invitation to join a compelling mission. He writes,

We are declaring, ‘We have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources God has given you–your energy, your prayers, and your money–in this work to which God has called us to do.’

A Spirituality of Fundraising, p. 17

Seen in this way, fundraising is a form of ministry, not begging, in which we play the role of gift-giver even as we ask for monetary gifts to support the mission of educating the next generation.

Conclusion: The Role of Teachers

If you are a teacher reading this article, and you are still reading, well done! I am grateful for your attention. Many teachers are uncomfortable with the idea of fundraising and did not become a teacher to ask people for money. That is fine. But my hope in writing this article is that it will help you remember and appreciate the financial side of your school. I actually believe you will become a stronger faculty member and broader contributor to your school’s culture if you can appreciate this important dimension of your school’s sustainability.

In Journey to Excellence (ACSI, 2017), Ron Klein writes, “While the active fundraising effort of others is important for progress, the faculty’s subtle, indirect culture of gratefulness and appreciation for donors is no less crucial” (98). Teachers, understand that your school is a non-profit and relies on donors. It is very likely that your salary is dependent to some extent on the generosity of donors and therefore the efforts of those charged to raise funds. When appropriate, offer your gratitude to these partners in your school’s mission and prayerfully consider inviting potential new partners to learn more about your school.

Fundraising does not have to be a necessary evil. When we trust the Lord as our ultimate security and believe that our school’s vision is a cause worth getting behind, inviting others to partner together can bring an unexpected amount of joy.

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