Fully-Funded Faith - Biblical Principles on fundraising for transformative projetcs

Rafael Bandeira

Fully-funded Faith Biblical principles on fundraising for transformative projects

Editorial coordination: Claudio Beckert Jr. Translation: Nedra Ann Dugan Cover: Rafael Bandeira, Josiane Zanon Moreschi, canva.com Illustrations: Rafael Bandeira Layout: Josiane Zanon Moreschi International Cataloging Data in Publication (CIP) Sueli Costa CRB-8/5213

Bandeira, Rafael Fully-funded Faith: Biblical principles on fundraising for transformative projects / [text and illustrations] Rafael Bandeira. - Curitiba, PR : Editora Evangélica Esperança, 2020.

112 p.

ISBN 978-65-87285-13-9 1. Biblical principles 2. Projects 3. Fundraising 4. Christian organizations 5. Management 5. Missions I. Title CDD-260

Indexes for systematic catalog:

1. Christian organization : fundraising 260

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from New King James Version (NKJV) [Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 Thomas Nelson].

All rights reserved.

Total and partial reproduction without written permission from the editors is prohibited.

Editora Evangélica Esperança

Rua Aviador Vicente Wolski, 353 - CEP 82510-420 Curitiba - PR Phone: 55 (41) 3022-3390 comercial@editoraesperanca.com.br www.editoraesperanca.com.br

For all Christian organizations who, because of their calling, face the daily challenge of finding the necessary funds to complete the mission given by their heavenly Father.

For missionaries inspired by God who find themselves face-to-face with the great challenge to achieve and fulfill the divine call to preach the Good News and promote the integral transformation of man in the most adverse social contexts of their country.

For businessmen and investors who serve God with their talents, acknowledging that He owns all things and has given them the responsibility of cooperating in diverse Kingdom initiatives.

Acknowledgments To the Lord Jesus, for finding and transforming me, redeeming me

by His blood and permitting me to see this world through the eyes of faith and the Word of God. To my parents, Lucio and Tereza Bandeira, who dedicated years of their life to my formation as a servant of God and minister in His kingdom. Without them, I wouldn’t have known God’s ways. I can now say that their God is my God. To my local church whom I serve and commune with, developing loving relationships, edifying and being edified.

To the Editora Esperança staff and the ALEF Mission for believing in me and investing in this project—the first of many to come.

To my friends who have accompanied me on this adventure, who listen, counsel and intercede for me. Without you, this journey would have been very difficult.

And especially to my loving family who has unconditionally supported me in this ministry journey even when it implied sacrifices, knowing they would be rewarded in glory.

Table of Contents Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 - Starting from Zero

Chapter 2 - Characteristics of a Fundraiser

Chapter 3 - Organizational Cycle for Fundraising Chapter 4 - Managing the Lord’s Resources Chapter 5 - Putting our trust in God

Chapter 6 - All resources come from the Lord Final Remarks

Preface More than 30 years ago I received a call to missions and have since devoted my life to developing transformational social projects. I saw a faith project birthed by believing that “God is our source” and have rejoiced in His faithfulness year after year. Together with my team and Rafael Bandeira himself, we have worked together to strengthen hundreds of Christian social entrepreneurs, nourishing a great movement for social transformation that has impacted thousands of lives.

The principles laid out in this book by my dear friend and brother, Rafael Bandeira, are solid foundations anchored in eternal truths for those who desire to leave behind a legacy of life and transformed society. By following these principles, you will see your dreams come true and find fulfillment in your vocation. By ignoring them, despite the use of well-honed methods, you will fail to see your ideals realized.

Rafael’s book fills in a missing element in the formation of leaders, missionaries and Christian social entrepreneurs. How many projects have failed for lack of vision, solid foundations and proper tools for fundraising? This book has come at the right time for Christian entrepreneurs—to eliminate headaches and ease their biggest worries—furnishing all that is needed to make the dream of transformation come to life and grow to fulfill its mission.

In this book, Rafael brings together many years of experience having traveled throughout the country as a fundraising consultant for Christian social projects, leaving in his wake a legacy for social entrepreneurs.

1

Have a great read!

Mauricio Cunha - President of CADI Brasil1

CADI (Centro de Assistência e Desenvolvimento Integral) Center for Assistance and Integral Development

Introduction After a missionary trip to Mozambique, Africa in 2014, I felt called to help missionaries get the support they needed for their institutions, social movements and projects. (How I made that decision I will certainly tell in another book). My calling involves equipping leaders and organizations in the area of management, and in this book, I will deal specifically with fundraising—an activity I confess I didn’t even know existed in times past.

Since the beginning, I have worked in a context where developing social initiatives is based on Christian values and faith—and my specific contribution reflects this reality. As such, I’ve noticed a large gap in what institutions, directors, leaders and development agents know about fundraising and mobilizing resources for transformative initiatives.

I was happy to dedicate myself to research this theme. By sharing experiences and knowledge gleaned in my profession as a fundraiser in Brazil, I seek to assist other entities that are doing relevant and socially-impacting missionary work in their communities.

This book does not intend to be the last word on the subject nor promote a thorough and profound exegeses on fundraising. I understand that more technical, detailed books have been published that the reader can investigate if he so desires. However, I sincerely believe that the Holy Bible is the true manual of human behavior—a rich source of instruction on all themes that man desires to understand. The Scriptures are the starting point for understanding the world and human relationships.

Almighty God is the One who has in His hands the riches, power and control over history and the universe. I believe this and the Bible affirms it. What does this God have to say about fundraising, so important for growing our mission?

My reflections on this theme are found in the following pages and just as I’ve gleaned fundraising instructions and principles from Scripture, my prayer is for the Holy Spirit to also speak to your heart, edifying your ministry and organization.

I am not a theologian (yet), but the son of one. My father always emphasized the value of the Holy Scriptures. Even though I have been a business administrator for many years, I have also dedicated myself to finding ways for missionaries and organizations to work toward excellence and efficiency in their mission of wholistic transformation.

You have in your hands the fruit of many devotional moments this fundraiser has spent with God—the God of all resources.

Enjoy your reading!

Chapter 1

Starting from Zero What is fundraising? I confess I didn’t know such a thing existed, but in 2015, while praying one day, the Lord gave me specific instructions, directing me to take on the role of fundraiser. I had just resigned from a federal public service job in order to dedicate myself full time to helping organizations in the area of administration, but hadn’t yet discovered my specific role. I didn’t know this noble profession existed—one that allows me to motivate people and organizations to direct their resources toward the completion of a mission.

Maybe like me, you are hearing about this for the first time and don’t know where to start, what to do, or where to get information.

Don’t worry, you are taking a first step in the right direction. I can’t promise you that the learning curve will be quick, easy or simple, but I can assure you that you are starting out with the right perspective—the perspective of God’s Word. We will examine Biblical passages and discover which texts can be applied to funding the creation of transformational projects.

I would not be able to start this book without beginning at creation. I don’t consider starting at creation a cliché or a mere attempt to follow the chronological order of the books of the Bible, for when I read Genesis one, I recognize situations I’ve experienced while helping organizations start fundraising efforts. In fact, an identical situation of total chaos described in the first book of the Bible—no direction or organization, no vision or plan for implementing fun-

draising—is where many organizations and social or mission projects find themselves (if this is not your case, pardon my frankness): they are “without form and void.” But I have good news for you: The Spirit of God is hovering over this situation. He is very close and will certainly bring order out of this, just as He did at creation. And, just between us, if He was able to organize all of creation, bringing into existence what did not exist, why would He not be able to help you in your project? Let’s analyze, then, this important passage of Scripture and see what it can tell us about mobilizing our resources for transformative projects.

Recognize that the situation may not be ideal.

“The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2 NKJV).

That’s a fact: the earth was a shapeless, chaotic mass. I can only imagine this in the context of undefined darkness.

Many organizations, churches and mission projects have dreams and good intentions, but would have to confess that when they take a closer look at themselves, they can’t find a basic strategic plan—a plan of action for the current year. Their project is not written down, not structured and ready to go. They only have dreams without content or structure and with no reference points to give a basic foundation. In other words, they are void. Even the simplest plan needs to be written down on paper; it needs a committee, volunteers, a well-defined goal, a knowledge of strengths and weaknesses, and an awareness of obstacles one might encounter along the way. I am talking about having not only a clear idea in your mind, but getting

out your notebook or computer to write down what God has put on your heart. Get everything organized!

Most organizations I have talked with have many future dreams.

They are able to visualize wonderful projects being carried out, lives transformed and the Kingdom of God incredibly expanding.

When I ask if they have anything written down—a spreadsheet, a slide presentation or document—the answer I most hear is no.

When the question is sustainability or the financial viability of these dreams, a negative response is almost unanimous. Many of these organizations have never even heard of mobilizing resources.

It is necessary to have a fundraising plan for any organization, any project inside or outside the church, and for any missionary who wants to start something in a community anywhere around the world. A structure is always needed — a plan, a direction. We have an organized God who turns chaos into a habitable place. And this same God desires that when we start big operations in His Kingdom, we act in faith and discipline to see our vision for this world become a reality. As His workers, our job is to pay attention to this initial phase of fundraising.

Make a clear diagnosis of the situation.

“Then God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Gen. 1:3).

There is nothing better than working in a well-illuminated place, right? Bad lighting impedes us from seeing things clearly, and in fact, can lead to errors and accidents. Am I correct that one of the first things you do upon arriving at an institution or church is to turn on the lights? The reason is that light gives us security, which,

after all, allows us to identify where each thing is. To start fundraising requires the knowledge of how we are doing, who we are, what we can do, and principally, what can threaten us. You have probably heard of the analytical method called SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats).

STRENGTHS

Positive, favorable aspects of fundraising within the organization.

WEAKNESSES

Negative, unfavorable aspects of fundraising within the organization.

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

Characteristics or external state of affairs that positively influence (or will influence) fundraising in your organization.

Characteristics or external state of affairs that negatively influence (or will influence) fundraising in your organization.

Analysis SWOT (Adapted by author)

This is an excellent method to give clarity to your organization’s situation and its missionary project in relation to the goals and objectives you hope to accomplish. Doing this exercise will bring greater understanding of the situation and context in which you are working or want to work.

Recently, we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. We have two beautiful children, and as you know, family life many times is hectic and causes us to get lax about taking care of ourselves. Many times it’s not easy to do a self-evaluation, like when you look in the mirror and see a larger waistline than when you were single, or a few white hairs that appeared and you hadn’t even noticed (and I confess that many appeared after our children were born). But

think of this: Do you ever leave home for a very important commitment without first checking in the mirror to see if your tie is positioned just right, or if there is a spot on your suit coat? Of course not! We are very careful and constantly check up on ourselves so we look good. Just like we are careful with our looks (or should be), it is necessary for our organization or fundraising project to be constantly reevaluating. This deep reality check will permit us to adopt more realistic goals and methods on our journey.

Applying the SWOT analysis to fundraising will allow you to identify positive and negative practices, both internal and external, that are specifically linked to the mobilization of resources. Let’s suppose you and a group of friends desire to do an analysis of efforts already developed for environmental educational in needy communities in a small, interior town in your state. It’s a marvelous idea designed to make people aware of the environment and the need for stewardship in caring for God’s creation, and is a cause the church needs to embrace. Nevertheless, the project is simple and hasn’t been legally formalized, has no headquarters and resources are limited for its current activities. How would we use the SWOT analysis for this transformative initiative? How could this group of friends shed more light on these bold goals for the social context in which they live? Here’s a hypothetical example of how it would look using the SWOT analysis:

STRENGTHS • Simplified administrative processes; • Work recognized by community; • Volunteers highly motivated and interested OPPORTUNITIES • A local company showed interest in supporting the work; • A neighboring city’s university wants to study the organization’s present activities

WEAKNESSES • No administrative structure; • No full-time dedication of team members; • No fundraising department

THREATS • Informality in functions; • Donations have diminished due to local economic scene; • Remiss in registering project with city counsel

Example SWOT Analysis (adapted by author)

Therefore, don’t neglect to do this simple, but enlightening and decisive evaluation when you are ready to start fundraising.

Organize a Fundraising Department

“Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so” (Gen. 1:7).

Every endeavor developed by an organization or missionary project needs to be organized. Disorder favors the undisciplined, resulting

in the absence of documents, e-mails, job descriptions, established goals, or even a work schedule. After the initial chaos, God began to put everything in its place, correctly positioning each thing in an orderly fashion.

It’s very difficult to find organizations with a fundraising department in place or a person dedicated exclusively to that activity. Even as a part-time position, it is necessary to recognize its demands and keep it separate from other operational and administrative activities. By this I don’t mean there needs to be office space exclusively for fundraising, but rather it needs to be a specific department in the organizational chart of the institution. The idea that everyone does everything certainly only works in disorganized minds, and our God is a God of order. I know what you’re thinking: I’m the only one in my organization…or, I work alone, so now what? If this is your situation, it’s still important to make fundraising intentional, done in an organized and dedicated manner. You could separate one or two days in the week for this. You could also recruit volunteers for this specific task. What is not recommended is letting this activity get lost inside other departments of the organization, neglecting the essential job of building partnerships and maximizing resources.

Here are some fundamental steps for organizing fundraising:

• Make an organizational chart of the institution that includes a Fundraising Department showing to whom it answers, its reporting or relational hierarchy and other areas of responsibility for fundraising (or institutional development);

• Define job descriptions, their scope and what is expected of them; • Make a work schedule—a daily, weekly, monthly and annual plan for fundraising. This will certainly build greater confidence in the team.

Establish methods for measuring results “And God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth’” (Gen. 1:11).

Just as there was an expectation that the earth would produce fruit, so in fundraising. Once the department is established in an organization, a mechanism needs to be put into place to show if it is going in the right direction or not. It isn’t enough to be competent in our fundraising by using available resources in the best way possible and prioritizing economy; it needs to be effective, to demonstrate results. If we don’t establish work routines, goals and result indicators, it becomes very difficult to evaluate the efficiency of our fundraising; consequently, the organization as a whole must be evaluated as to its effectiveness (in relation to its impact, to the transformation that it produces in its context of activity).

As for your missionary project, I do not advise you to follow the same criteria used in the business sector, whose objective is profit and who dismiss whomever fails to show results. I am very cautious about accepting experienced businessmen from the private sector offering to work in the third sector because of that kind of work ethic. What I want to emphasize is that you can (and should) plan out the tasks to be carried out based on expected results. Everyone is a winner in this case—the organization that can manage its procedures, the fundraising team, which certainly will have direction for making plans and goals, and those who contribute, whose resources will be administered and reported on responsibly.

Develop a team and share the vision “And God said: ‘Let Us make man in Our image , according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen. 1:26).

God desired to share His authority over creation with man, and man was created to exercise this dominion. The creation was a team effort— Father, Son and Holy Spirit— and if it weren’t so, the phrase “Let Us make man in Our image” would be incorrect. Always keep in mind the importance of working as a team because, as a team, there will be multiplied strength and greater possibility for better results.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion, but woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up” (Eccles.

4: 9-10).

When we act alone, we deprive ourselves of our co-worker’s wisdom, his counsel and different point of view which would enrich the work of fundraising. The fact is that any network of relationships is maximized when we have the greatest number of people involved in the process. The more people involved in the work of fundraising, the greater the results for that organization, and consequently, greater the chances for obtaining resources.

This has everything to do with the multiplication of vision. At first, only the leader had the vision. When he was able to transmit his vision and the team assimilated it, the leader was no longer alone and, even if he were to fall, his team would lift him up because they had been captivated by that great project.

Be realistic and optimistic “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31).

Following the creation—a huge project—God evaluates it and affirms that everything was very good. In fact, our planet is of unequaled beauty and exhibits an incomprehensible equilibrium. God thought of all the details, created everything with immense care and excellence, including man. He made sure that the entire complex process was working adequately and satisfactorily.

In the difficult task of management, we cannot ignore our capacity to perceive and evaluate our organization or even ourselves.

We may not be totally satisfied with what we see, but our pragmatism will allow us to continue growing in an organized, sustainable manner. Negative evaluation must not overshadow genuine confidence and hope. Optimism needs to be present in our fundraising.

That’s what gives us the zip we need to grab our briefcase in the morning on our way to a fundraising appointment even though we heard many “nos” the week before.

According to the Brazil Donation Survey of 2015 (Pesquisa de Doação Brasil 2015) of the Institute for Social Investment (IDIS), when asked for a donation, the chance of receiving a “yes” is only six per cent. Many respond by saying they will think about it; others say they don’t know, and still others will affirm they have already given to other causes. Because of this somewhat discouraging report, we need to celebrate even the small victories with optimism and enthusiasm, strengthened by observing the good things happening in our ministry.

Allow time for work and rest “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done” (Gen. 2:2).

Even though we understand the challenges in fundraising, we won’t see results unless we establish a healthy work routine. This involves establishing a plan of action for the fundraiser. Inevitably, it’s important to decide when this worker should take time off to avoid exhaustion. This depends on many variables involved in raising funds; among them, the fundraiser’s relationship to the organization, funds already raised, type of organization, strategy employed for fundraising, the profile of possible contributors, the size of the organization he/she is fundraising for, the size of the budget destined for fundraising, among other factors.

There are organizations that concentrate their fundraising on the weekends when churches hold events, obligating fundraisers, at times, to dedicate many hours of their Saturdays and Sundays. A high priority task in fundraising, then, is to figure out an adequate amount of time he or she should dedicate to this. There are also the charitable events promoted by organizations that have a large percentage of people in the organization doing fundraising. Although many are volunteers, one cannot disregard the effects these events have on the team’s morale.

In the end, my advice to the fundraiser who must face goals for raising money, meetings and visits every day is to know your physical limits. Don’t lose sleep over a report that needs finishing. Don’t be anxious because of a big meeting that is scheduled that week.

Try to sleep well, exercise and eat well. You will then be ready to

face the daily, difficult challenges that this work requires. Don’t trade in the family you love for your work. There will always be lots of work to do in your organization, but you will not be able to do it if you are physically and psychologically spent. Therefore, do your work with dedication, but also dedicate time to rest and renewing your strength.