Category Archives: fundraising

Why Fundraising is Biblical (Part 2)

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Here is a two part Biblical basis for why we fund raise. Make sure you read Part 1 of Why Fundraising is Biblical.

2 Corinthians 8-9 — Paul encourages generosity.

“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” (8:2). Make sure you don’t “say no” for others. Don’t cross them off your list to ask just because you know of something in their life that you think would prohibit them from giving. In these chapters Paul describes the Macedonian Christians giving as much as they were able. In fact they pleaded with the disciples for the “privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people” (8:4).

Are you inviting others to partner with you in accomplishing your mission? Are you allowing others the privilege to join you?

“ At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality” (8:14). You have something to offer your donors. It may not be financial, but it may be one of the services of your organization. Or it may be a benefit you discover through a personal relationship with your donors.

“We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man” (8:20-21). Be good stewards of the resources you are given.

Philippians 4:10-20 — Paul thanks the Philippians for their support.

“Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles” (v14). Giving to help Paul was a way for his friends and others to share in his troubles, to identify with his problems and to help him. They became partners with Paul.

“The gifts you sent are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God” (v18). Even more than donations helping our organizations, these donations are a way to worship God. People can worship the Lord and honor Him, by giving of their resources.

1 Timothy 6 – Be rich in good deeds.

“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it” (v6). Everything we have is God’s. He has given it to us, or provided for us, allowing us to be born where we were, given the privileges we have, the education we received, and the healthy body to work. Whether directly, or indirectly, the Lord has provided everything you have. We give back to Him out of gratitude for all He has done for us.

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (v17). God provides things for our enjoyment, so we can put ourselves in His hands. We can trust Him with all He has given us. Don’t trust in your wealth which can so easily be gone, but trust in God.

“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (v 18). We are commanded to give. It benefits others, but it also benefits us as we “store up treasures in heaven” (v19).

Why Fundraising is Biblical

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Did you know Jesus lived on financial support? He even sent His disciples out to raise support. Generously giving to others is encouraged throughout the Bible. So why do we shrink away from asking people to give? Why do we get nervous and afraid when it comes to exchanging money? Maybe it’s because we need a better understanding of the foundation of fundraising.

Psalm 50, 124 — God owns it all.

“I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (50:9-10). God is speaking to the people about the animals they sacrifice as offerings to Him. He doesn’t need them because He owns everything. All we have belongs to the Lord. What we give Him isn’t necessary for Him, its necessary for us because it helps us recognize His authority in our lives. Giving away of our resources helps us not be dependent on them, as well as trusting God to continue to provide for us.

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth” (124:8). The Lord made everything. We can trust Him to provide for our non-profits as we ask others to give, and we can trust Him as individuals giving away our resources.

Luke 8:1-3 — Jesus lives on support.

“These women were helping to support them out of their own means” (v 3). These women were supporting Jesus and the disciples because their lives had been impacted by Jesus’s ministry. Who are the people impacted by your work? Have you told them about your financial needs? Do they know the impact they can make on your ministry if they donate. 

Luke 10:1-7 — Jesus sends out his disciples to live on support.

“Stay there eating and drinking whatever they give you, for a worker deserves his wages” (v 7). Jesus sends the disciples to every town where He is about to go. They are preparing the way for Jesus. But He gives them clear instruction not to bring a purse or bag or sandals. Not even to say hi along the way. Jesus wants the disciples to go directly to their destination and to be focused on their objective. The people in each town will provide for the disciples’ needs, because a worker deserves his wages.

1 Corinthians 9 — Paul defends the right of living on support.

“Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?” (v 7,11). I think Paul could have done a mic drop after this. Amen! We should expect people who are impacted by our ministries, schools, non-profits to want to give back to the organizations that have helped them.

Read Part 2 of Why Fundraising is Biblical

You Can Be Part of their Story

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About six years ago I had a special announcement for my husband, so I made him a special dinner. He walked in the door and I told him the menu. “Tonight we are having BABY back ribs, sweet BABY ray’s bbq sauce, and BABY carrots.” Jeff said “Oh that’s funny. All those things have “baby” in the name.” It took him a minute to figure out the announcement was that I was pregnant!

We dreamed and planned for this first baby of ours until about halfway through the pregnancy when our dreams came to a crushing end. I found myself being rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, doctors telling me that I’m already in labor and they can’t stop it. That night I delivered our first son, Caleb, born at just 20 weeks and too small to live.


We were devastated. This wasn’t how I planned things. The grief and sadness were overwhelming. Instead of decorating a nursery, we were planning a funeral. Instead of picking out baby clothes, we were picking out a gravestone. We stood in the front of the church, with a shoebox-sized coffin in front of us, while the congregation sang “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” a song I had chosen. I was crying too hard to sing the words, but in my heart I knew it to be true. “Morning by morning new mercies I see. All I have needed the Lord has provided.” But amidst all the questions and sadness, I stood firm on the foundation of faith I had, knowing that, even though I don’t understand it all, I know that God is good, that He is faithful and He loves me.

A few weeks later I went back to work, only to find the non-profit I worked for needed to restructure and now I was out of a job. I was supposed to be a stay-at-home mom, but now I’m home with no job and no baby. Again the grief feels overwhelming, but I stand on the foundation of faith.

I get a call from the Young Life area director at the time saying the office administrator moved away and asking if I have any time that I could help in the office. “Yes!” in fact I had a lot of time. Instead of having an identity crisis and sinking into despair, volunteering at the Young Life office gave me a purpose, a reason to wake up in the morning.

About six months later I got pregnant again and this time I was confident everything was going to be fine. But halfway through the pregnancy, I began to have the same problems. Thankfully the doctors were able to do surgery and keep the baby safe inside me. Except it meant I had to be on bed rest for 4 months – flat on my back for 4 months. Those 4 months could have been so boring. But friends and family, and many Young Life friends surrounded me. They brought me dinners, made me lunch, brought me Starbucks. These Young Life friends didn’t even know me very well, but knew a Young Life friend was in need and they were going to do what they could to help.

Those months of bed rest could have been filled with fear and worry and anxiety. Because of losing Caleb, I understood very clearly that bed rest meant life or death for this baby. But I stood firm on the foundation of faith, trusting that God is good, He is faithful and He loves me.

Well the rest of the pregnancy was miraculous and Jack was born. He is 4 years old now. I have another son, Parker, who is almost one year old. In fact I wasn’t at last year’s Young Life banquet, because I was in the hospital giving birth to Parker!

I tell you these stories because they are examples of things not going as I planned. I’m sure you can relate – whether it’s losing a child, losing a job, death of a loved one, an illness, a wayward child, a divorce – the list goes on of things that happen in our lives that we didn’t plan. The question isn’t IF something happens, but WHEN something happens in your life that you didn’t plan, what are you going to do? When the world as you know it falls apart and you are at rock bottom, what will you be standing on?

I had a foundation of faith because of people that poured into my life when I was a teenager. People who showed me what it looks like to be a Christian, how to trust God even when I don’t have all the answers. I learned verses in the Bible that showed me God is good, He is faithful and He loves me. I had a Foundation of Faith to stand on.

Tonight you have the opportunity to give a foundation of faith to students. You have the opportunity to partner with Young Life and ensure that teens across Naperville & Aurora hear about the God who is good, who is faithful, and who loves them. You can be part of their story, so one day when their world is shaken and their plans don’t work out, they have a solid Foundation of Faith to stand on.

Maybe you came in here with a number in mind of what you were going to give. But I encourage you, now that you’ve heard about how great ministry is, you’ve heard our vision for the future, you’ve seen these kids and heard how God has used Young Life to change their lives. Think about how much it’s worth. How much is it worth to provide a foundation of faith? How much is it worth to reach another student, another class of students, another school? How much is it worth?

There are many ways you can spend your money. But they’re temporary. You buy a shirt, but eventually the shirt gets stained, or doesn’t fit or isn’t in style. You buy groceries, but then your family eats all the food and you have to go back to the store. You can buy stocks and see incremental increases or decreases. But it’s still temporary. Not with Young Life. Giving to Young Life is investing in our community. Investing in our students. As a Young Life donor, you are part of these students’ stories. Your donation is making an eternal impact.

You can see in the program that our annual budget is $400,000. A gift of any amount is wonderful and we thank you for that. But what we really need are monthly donors, that helps us know how much money is coming in each month and how to plan for the future. We are also looking for people to be Foundational Donors, which means giving $10,000 each year for three years. I encourage you to give generously, where your gift will make an eternal impact, where students will hear about the God who is good, who is faithful and who loves them. Give where you can provide a Foundation of Faith. 

Give Online or Email me (Debbie@ylchicago.com) to be a Foundational Donor