108. Is Fundraising Biblical? What Scripture Really Says About Asking for Money

Summary

Podcast Episode Summary

The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast

Episode 108: Is Fundraising Biblical? What Scripture Really Says About Asking for Money
Date: October 29, 2025
Hosts: Jason Galicinski (“A”), Jim Dempsey (“B”)

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Episode Overview

This episode delves into one of the most important and frequently misunderstood topics for Christian nonprofit leaders: Is fundraising biblical? Podcast hosts Jason Galicinski and Jim Dempsey, drawing on decades of nonprofit experience, explore whether the act of asking for financial support aligns with scriptural principles. They address common discomforts—sometimes called the “ickiness” of fundraising—and unpack 10 key scriptures that demonstrate not only the biblical roots of generous giving but show that, when done properly, fundraising is an invitation to joyful, God-honoring generosity.

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Key Discussion Points & Scriptural Insights

1. Addressing the “Ickiness” of Fundraising

• Many Christian leaders struggle with feeling uncomfortable or even “icky” about asking for money, seeing it as distracting from ministry or spiritually inappropriate.
• [01:23] A: “A few weeks ago, we did an episode called the Beggar Mentality of Fundraising ... this is kind of the counterbalance of that episode.”
• The distinction is drawn between manipulative, guilt-based fundraising and biblically grounded, Spirit-led giving.

2. The Biblical Basis for Fundraising

a) Scriptures That Affirm Biblical Fundraising

1. Exodus 25:1-2 — The Prompted Heart ([03:34])

   • God commands Moses to ask for an offering, but requests it be received “from everyone whose heart prompts them to give.”
   • Quote [04:24] A: “He’s commanding people to give. But really, he wants people to give out of a willingness, out of a generous heart.”
   • Key principle: Divine command + Donor Free Will = Biblical Giving

2. 2 Corinthians 9:7 — The Cheerful Giver ([07:02])

   • “Each one of you must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.”
   • [07:02] B: “In some translations it says cheerful giving is giving hilariously … that's the kind of attitude that God wants for us.”
   • Joyful giving is an act of free will, not compulsion—mirroring God’s gift of free will in salvation.

3. Deuteronomy 15:10 — Giving Freely, Not Grudgingly ([10:16])

   • “You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake.”
   • When you give freely, God blesses your work—often in unexpected ways (e.g., health, family, provision).

4. Acts 20:35 — The Greater Blessing in Giving ([15:05])

   • “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
   • [15:53] B: “...when we get a gift from [a donor], we think we’re the ones going to be blessed. But in reality, Jesus is saying, no, the person who gives is blessed more than the person who receives.”

5. Proverbs 11:25 — Mutual Blessing ([16:47])

   • “Whoever brings a blessing will be enriched, and the one who waters will himself be watered.”
   • Giving is a two-way relationship; blessings flow to both giver and receiver.

6. Acts 4:32-35 — Radical Generosity in the Early Church ([17:15])

   • Early Christians shared all resources as needs arose, giving sacrificially and collectively for the good of all.
   • [18:01] B: “...everyone gave in a different way. They gave radically ... they served the body.”

7. Proverbs 3:9-10 — Honoring God with Firstfruits ([18:37])

   • “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing ...”
   • Faithful generosity leads to overflowing blessing—often beyond material wealth.

8. Matthew 6:21 — The Heart Follows Treasure ([22:54])

   • “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
   • [23:16] B: “Your giving reveals your priorities; your heart doesn’t come first, your giving does, and then we determine where your heart is from there.”
   • Giving actually shapes our focus and passion, drawing our hearts to God’s work.

9. 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 — The Macedonian Example ([25:44])

   • The Macedonian church, despite poverty, begged to give generously, overflowing with joy in their sacrifice.
   • [27:18] B: “...they begged Paul for the privilege to be part of his ministry ... that’s powerful.”

10. 1 Chronicles 28–29 — David’s Visionary Fundraising Blueprint ([27:47])

    • David publicly casts the vision for the temple, leads with his own gift, makes a public ask, and the people respond with joyful, freewill offerings.
    • Several elements mirror modern fundraising best practice:
      • Vision casting
      • Leading gifts from leadership
      • Public invitation to give
      • Celebration and gratitude
    • [29:51] A (quoting scripture): “Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.”
    • [30:50] A: “David cast the vision. He provided lead gifts... a public ask. The response was public and joyful ... then there was an attitude of gratitude celebration afterwards.”

b) Applying the Scriptures to Modern Fundraising

• The show’s “Perfect Vision Dinner”—a fundraising event whose structure is directly inspired by 1 Chronicles 28–29—stands as a living example that scripture gives a blueprint for generous and joyful fundraising.
  • [32:14] A (listener feedback): “She emailed me and said, ‘Wow, I just saw the Perfect Vision Dinner in the Bible’… you guys really pulled this right out of Scripture.”
• Biblical fundraising is not about manipulation, pressure, or guilt, but inviting people into a partnership with God’s work.
• [35:02] A: “...our model is different. It's just getting the right people in the right place at the right time to present an opportunity that will resonate with their hearts and in allowing the Holy Spirit to do the work in their hearts…”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [02:42] B: “There’s a lot of misperceptions out there, Jason ... Jesus talks about money more than any other topic in scripture.”
• [12:47] A: “...when a child does something for you in love, they’re gonna go out of their [way] to show you ... and that’s what creates that relationship.”
• [14:07] B: “You can never outgive God … giving is that one area that God says, try me and test me.”
• [29:51] A (quoting): “Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.”
• [33:24] B: “If there's ever a question ... is this something I should do? Well, if it’s done according to scripture ... this was built on the word of God.”
• [36:48] B (closing reflection): “Is fundraising biblical? Absolutely. And secondly, is development ministry? Without a doubt. ... go back to the scripture we gave you and you will see that clearly these were modeled by the Lord in these examples.”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening & framing the “ick” factor: 00:15–02:18
• Is fundraising biblical? What’s the difference between development and fundraising? 02:18–03:13
• Scripture #1 — Exodus 25:1-2: 03:13–05:35
• Scripture #2 — 2 Corinthians 9:7: 06:42–09:44
• Scripture #3 — Deuteronomy 15:10: 10:16–13:55
• Scripture #4 — Acts 20:35: 15:05–16:47
• Scripture #5 — Proverbs 11:25: 16:47–17:15
• Scripture #6 — Acts 4:32-35: 17:15–18:32
• Scripture #7 — Proverbs 3:9-10: 18:37–21:56
• Scripture #8 — Matthew 6:21: 22:54–25:38
• Scripture #9 — 2 Corinthians 8:1-4: 25:44–27:20
• Scripture #10 — 1 Chronicles 28–29: 27:47–33:24
• Application: Model for Modern Fundraising: 33:24–35:38
• Summary/reflection/Q&A wrap-up: 35:38–37:18

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Final Takeaways

• Fundraising, when practiced according to scriptural principles, is not only biblical, but also God-ordained.
• Spiritual fundraising invites donors to participate joyfully and freely in God’s work, resulting in mutual blessing.
• The best development strategies are modeled after biblical examples, rooted in vision, generosity, transparency, and gratitude.
• If leaders feel uneasy about fundraising, reflecting on these scriptures can reframe their perspective and bolster confidence.

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For Nonprofit Leaders

This episode calls Christian nonprofit leaders to see fundraising as a ministry itself: an act of faith, a means to disciple others in generosity, and an opportunity to witness God’s faithfulness. The biblical approach is not to pressure, but to invite, inspire, and celebrate every freewill, joyful act of generosity.

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“Is fundraising biblical? Absolutely.” – Jim Dempsey [36:48]

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the number one podcast for nonprofit leaders getting your nonprofit fully funded. This is the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast. Most of the strategies out there kind of come from the world's idea of fundraising.

[B]

Built by man. Let's just say it.

[A]

I'm just thinking about the one where they booze people up and then boom.

[B]

Oh, man, so scary.

[A]

Planting plants and, you know, silent auctions and selling tickets and trying to entice people in to give. Is fundraising actually biblical? Because a lot of Christians probably think that it's not. Well, welcome back to another episode here at the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast. My name is Jason Ginski, and with me, my co host, Jim Dempsey.

[B]

Hi, Jason.

[A]

If you are new to the program and you are a nonprofit leader working in Christian ministry, you are in the right place. This podcast specializes in development strategy, leadership, nonprofit fundraising strategies and techniques. All that good stuff is in our history. We've got over a hundred episodes now of great content in that area. So if you're new to nonprofit work, definitely check out the things in the past and hit that subscribe button, because we have a lot of great stuff coming in the future as well.

[B]

And 60 years of nonprofit experience between us.

[A]

Yeah. Well, Jim, I'm excited about this episode because I think some people in our audience have still kind of a weird idea idea of fundraising in the sense of, like, the ickiness of fundraising.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

A few weeks ago, we did an episode called the Beggar Mentality of Fundraising. If you haven't watched that one, definitely go back because this is kind of the counterbalance of that episode.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The one was focused on how people tend to be more like, looking at fundraising as an icky factor. And, like, I don't really want to ask people for money. I just want to be focused on ministry, and I just want to do what God's called me to. But I don't really. I don't like talking about money.

[B]

Definitely a n evil. Yeah.

[A]

So we addressed that mindset in that episode, but now we're just asking the question, like, straight up, is fundraising actually biblical? Because, you know, a lot of Christians probably think that it's not.

[B]

Well, there's a lot of misperceptions out there, Jason. And, you know, people don't know that difference between development and fundraising and certainly don't understand that. Yes, fundraising is biblical, and there's a incredible number of examples. In fact, Jesus talks about money more than any other topic in scripture.

[A]

Oh, and in Proverbs, certainly there's a lot of scripture about money. As well. And so we're going to talk about 10 powerful scriptures that affirm biblical fundraising. Now, we say biblical fundraising because there's certainly unbiblical ways of raising money as well, like unethical ways, human ways of raising funds. But when we're talking about biblical fundraising, we're talking. Talking about areas of fundraising where God moved in the hearts of people and they wanted to give out of it joyfully.

[B]

Yeah. And cheerfully, not out of obligation or compulsion. For sure.

[A]

Right. And so. So let's just get into it. Yeah. Because this is going to be 10 scriptures that affirm biblical fundraising. So the first one, I'm going to let you read the scripture, but this comes from Exodus, chapter 25, verse, verses 1 through 2.

[B]

Yes. Now, it says, the Lord said to Moses, tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. Now, remember, this is during the exodus out of Egypt. The Israelites were coming together, traveling through the wilderness. God had just brought them over the Red Sea, and they were given the opportunity to give to God. And God is asking them to give as the Lord prompts them. And so fundraising isn't based on manipulation or coercion, but it's based on a generous heart, a heart that is prompted and ready to give.

[A]

Well, he. Yeah, it's interesting that the Lord told Moses, tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. So there is a command there. But then he says, make sure that everyone, one whose hearts prompt them to give. So everyone, He's. He's commanding people to give. But then really, he wants people to give out of a willingness, out of a generous heart.

[B]

So there's the overarching command, which is to bring an offering. But there's the individual decision that God does not require someone to do that. He only wants them to do that with a generous heart.

[A]

The idea here is that God received the offering from those who were prompted to give by the Spirit. And it's the invitation. Right. That was an opportunity for them to give.

[B]

Yeah. There was a collective. The collective command, but an individual decision that they could make on their own whether to give or not. And that's what God asks of us as well. Think about it. God wants us to give, but he allows us to decide what it is our heart prompts us to give.

[A]

So the general principle here is that God commands his children to give.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

He makes that very clear throughout the whole Testament. He wants his children to be generous. He wants them to take care of the poor. He wants them to give out of their abundance. And then as they do that, hopefully with a willing heart. And that's really the key is to the second part of this scripture is it is a command. But then he wants us to do it with a willing and generous heart. So you can give out of grudging obligation. But then you're kind of negating your gift in a sense. God isn't going to bless that.

[B]

Yeah, God doesn't command us to give to everything. God commands us to give. And then based on what he is prompting in our hearts individually, that's what we choose to give to.

[A]

Now, I believe that was the difference between Cain and Abel's gift.

[B]

It was. I believe it was exactly. Yeah, there was one. One came with a very generous and willing heart. One came out of obligation and out of selfishness.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, interesting. Well, let's go on to the second scripture. So this one comes from second Corinthians 9, 7. So it says each one of you must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver. Now, Jim, what. What do you think he means by a cheerful giver?

[B]

Well, one of my good friends who wrote a book about giving yourself away talks in about giving hilariously. And I think in some translations it says the cheerful giving is giving hilariously. Now, when I think of hilarious, I think of watching a comedian and I'm laughing so hard I can't catch my breath. Well, I think of that as hilarious. And that's what that's kind of the same attitude that God wants for us. He wants us, as Larry Onan says, to give joyfully, to give intentionally, and to give with a cheerful heart, a heart that is full of joy, one that just gives an abundance, gives overflowing. And you know, just giving would be, I'm laughing, I'm happy, but hilarious. That is overflowing.

[A]

So why does God love a cheer, a cheerful giver? Like what? What about that? Does he love?

[B]

Well, well, it's the individuality of that. It is the decision that we make on our own that God loves about that. It's very much like our salvation. Could God make us all servants and slaves for him, that we never make a decision to follow him? Yes, he could have forced us, but he gave us that free will to be able to make an individual decision for salvation to follow him. I believe he did the exact same thing with that. He wants us with our own free will, not with compulsion to give. Could he have forced us in our hearts to give to whatever he wants us to give. Yes, but he wants us to make, based on free will, make that decision to give. And I believe that's why we enjoy it so much. It's because of that free will decision that we made, not out of obligation, that makes this so special.

[A]

So again, we're not twisting people's arms or whatever, but we're giving them the opportunity to invest in the kingdom. And then the donor or the partner is receiving that with joy.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And giving not because they were tricked into giving, but because they want to give. Right.

[B]

Or guilt it into it. Whatever.

[A]

Right. So that, that's what we're saying. The, the biblical version of this is that it's done out of a free will, a free desire. And they want to give. Yeah, they're than you for that.

[B]

Yeah. In fact, I was just going to say in a prior broadcast that we did, we actually I talked about the fact that I've had over the years a significant number of donors or partners who have thanked me for the privilege of giving them the opportunity to give. That borders on giving. On giving. Hilariously, it definitely is a cheerful giver, but it also borders on hilarity.

[A]

Well, let's go to number three and I'm going to let you read this one, but this one comes from Deuteronomy, chapter 14, verse 10.

[B]

Yes, absolutely. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all you undertake. So when you give freely, God is going to bless you. This is where the whole concept that we've talked about, about being a blessings broker, you as a ministry leader, when you share your mission and vision with someone, you're giving them an opportunity to be blessed by God. And in fact it says, you shall not be grudging when you give to. To the Lord, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and all you undert. So that doesn't mean that God is just going to bless you in a couple things. He's going to bless you in everything, everything you undertake. Jason, it is one of those things that we might not always know how God is going to bless us. There's an obscure verse in Exodus that I love and it talks about the Israelites and it says dealing with the 40 years in the desert. Their shoes never wore out. Jason, can you imagine? I mean, you know, to think about the fine craftsmanship of shoes today. If I Could get a pair of shoes the last 10 years. I would be happy the last 40 years. There's no way. And we're talking sandals that were much more inferior. God ensured that their sandals did not wear out in 40 years. That's a blessing. God make sure that your kids are protected in difficult situations. Those are the kinds of blessings. It may be monetary, he may bless your work and your job, but he also may just provide you with a happy family and he might provide you with a loving marriage and kids who love you.

[A]

All right, so the idea there is that God wants us to give freely, not grudgingly, and he will bless the work of our hands when we do.

[B]

The bottom line is that God will bless us. That's right.

[A]

And we don't do it because he will bless us. We do it because we want to bless him.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And then in turn he rewards our gift and blesses us, you know, so it's kind of like, you know, if you think of a parent child relationship, you know, you know, I have 10 kids and every child has a personality. Right. Some kids are more, are more compliant to be obedient, others are, have a little bit more independent spirit. Right. But it always blesses my heart when a child comes up to you and says, daddy, I just wanted to give this to you because I thought you would like it, you know, or I did something specifically for you because I knew that you liked this and they, they give it to you because they wanted to.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And of course that really melts your heart.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you're going to be a lot more just softened to that child, you know, when the opportunity comes for you to bless them for whatever reason, you're going to take that because they were blessing you so much. You know what I mean? So there's that kind of back and forth relationship is really rooted in love.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Ultimately like when a child does something for you in love, they're gonna go out of their to show you that they love you and then you're going to show them that you love them and that's what creates that relationship.

[B]

Yeah, well, the beauty of God is that it really is not a reciprocal relationship per se. Because we know, I mean there's an old adage that says you can never out give God. We'll probably run into this verse later, but there's money is that one area that giving is that one area that God says, try me and test me. And when we do trust God with our giving, he provides in multiple fold. He doesn't reciprocate with the same thing. He always seems to give us a whole lot more back from what we gave him and we don't. Like you said, we don't do it because we know God's going to give. But God gives and we know it that he's going to give.

[A]

Well, the fourth scripture that I wanted to bring to your attention and Jim, I'll let you read this one. Okay. Acts 20:35.

[B]

Yep, yep. It's more blessed to give than to receive. In all things. I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. So the emphasis, Jason, is on the giving, that those individuals who give are blessed more than those who receive. So when we think as an organization that we ask somebody for something and that when we get a gift from them, that we're the ones who are going to be blessed. But in reality, Jesus is saying, no, the person who gives is going to be blessed more, even more than the person who receives.

[A]

Yeah, well, we really see this at Christmas time, you know, just with families giving to their children and things like that. You know, how often do we sit around and just. I don't even want to open a Christmas gift because I, I want to see the reaction of my kids opening up. And it's like I don't even really care about receiving something. I just want to. I get more joy out of watching other people open their gifts.

[B]

Well, I don't know about you. When I was a kid, Jason, I couldn't wait for Christmas. I was sitting around watching those packages, shaking them when my parents weren't around to figure out what they were. Couldn't wait to open those. When I bec. A parent, I just like you, I. I was not interested in opening myself. I was interested in watching my kids open it. And I think that's a great analogy of it's more blessed to give than to receive.

[A]

Number five, Proverbs, chapter 11, verse 25 says, Whoever brings a blessing will be enriched, and the one who waters will himself be watered. And that comes from Proverbs 11:25.

[B]

Yes, absolutely. Yeah. Giving, Jason, is a two way relationship. It is not the receiver who gets blessed, but it's also the giver. And that just reinforces that it's a blessing really to both parties. And that's the exciting part.

[A]

All right, let's go to Acts, chapter 4, verse 32 to 35. Yes, this is a good one here. It says, all the believers were in one heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions were of their own, but they shared everything they had with great power. The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work with them that there were no needy persons among them at all. From time to time, those who owned land or houses sold them and brought the money from the sale of the homes and brought it and laid it at the apostles feet and it was distributed amongst to everyone who had need.

[B]

Yeah, Jason, this is such a great example of the early church that everyone gave in a different way. They gave radically. Giving at this point in time was not collective. It wasn't shared. It was shared amongst families, but not across families. And so this was so unique that they shared all their needs together and collectively, they serve the body. So what a great example we have of the early church.

[A]

Let's head over to Proverbs chapter 3, 9, 10. Yes, want to read that one?

[B]

Proverbs 3, 9, 10. Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. Jason, is God just going to give us the bare minimum? I don't think so. It's saying your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. Jason, have you ever noticed that some of the most generous people in the world just seem to be blessed beyond comprehension at times? I've seen it so often. I have personal supporters that I have just watched over 40 years and how God has blessed these individuals beyond belief, some of them. And I believe it's because of their faithfulness. I believe that because of their generosity, God has blessed them. And it's not just Jason, we're not just talking about normal blessings. We're talking about over and above blessings. And I think it's because they gave generously, cheerfully, and without compulsion.

[A]

I know when Jennifer and I first got married, we were, you know, two young people that were struggling, you know, to pay the rent and, you know, going to the grocery store, we had to pinch our dimes, you know. And I remember we had that choice of do we tithe to our local church or not? And it was kind of like, well, we could really use the money, you know. But we did have a strong conviction that, you know, we were to honor the Lord with our money.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And so we did tithe, even though it was difficult. And, you know, we've never been at a place where we have been without need.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

God, we never seem to have enough to buy everything that I would ever want to buy.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

You know, but at the same time, we've never been in a position to where we've really seriously needed something and not been able to buy it. Yeah. So I think the Lord does honor, you know, those who put him first, especially in the area of funds.

[B]

So. Well, and like I said, we don't. When God blesses, it's not always the way we think it is. When we hear blessings, we always think it's going to be. Monetarily. We have seen people that are in the same age group having. They've gone through health issues that we have never faced. And I think that's part of that blessing that God has given us.

[A]

I mean, we've had, we've had 10 kids.

[B]

Yes. Right.

[A]

And, you know, 10 individual births. And when I look at, like, some people, they have two or three kids and like every. There's something medical that went wrong, you know, like the mom almost died or the child went through some major health crisis or, you know, and I just think, wow, like, how, how did we have 10? And like, we have, they were all good births. Like, we, there was a few that were, you know, a little bit of, you know, close call, but nothing major. Like, nothing that was unusual. And, and that's, that's an example, I think, of God just having his hand on us, you know, over the years. But I've been, we've been blessed with 10 incredibly healthy kids.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Nothing seriously wrong with anything from a health perspective. So that's an example of that.

[B]

Even on the flip side, I, you know, I don't know our listeners know, but, you know, our daughter was born with cerebral palsy, and we can do nothing but thank God for that. Our daughter getting cerebral palsy. Because what God showed us and through that birth and through her difficult times, we could not be more blessed with that child than you can imagine. And the fact that she was the captain of her field hockey team, graduated high school, college and graduate school with straight A's, and is now an attorney, we couldn't put a price on that, Jason. And I think all that, once again, is to God's credit. It's God's blessing on that. So, you know, some of the things that don't always look like they're blessing blessings end up becoming blessings because of God. So I love that. I love that.

[A]

So number eight comes from Matthew, chapter six, verse 21. And it says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

[B]

Wow, Jason. Where your heart is, that's where your treasure will be also. Oh, wait, it doesn't say where your heart is. That's where your treasure will be also.

[A]

Oh, it says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

[B]

Jason, I. I thought it is where your heart is, that's where your treasure will be.

[A]

It's not what Jesus said.

[B]

No, he does not. Now, doesn't it sound so right that, hey, if someone's heart is there, that's when they give. But unfortunately, that is not how human nature works. And I would venture to say that Jesus knew exactly what he was saying, and I believe he did. Because you're giving reveals your priorities and that says all about your heart. Your heart doesn't. Doesn't come first, and then you're giving. It's your giving. And then we determine where your heart is from there. That's why I love that verse so much and it's so good.

[A]

Now, Jim, we have a lot of people who give first time at Vision Dinners, and you know, they're not really interested in the organization until that first gift is given.

[B]

And then.

[A]

And suddenly they're very interested to know how their money was spent and how it's being used. And I think it's because people's hearts follow their money.

[B]

That's right.

[A]

And so if you're the type of person who has a lot of money in material things, then your heart is probably wrapped up in material thinking. If you have a lot of. If you're the type of person where you've given generously to a lot of Kingdom work, then your heart is probably in that kingdom work.

[B]

Jason, getting back to your earlier comment about the perfect Vision Dinner and people coming and giving, and then we see their heart go there. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people make that, take our course, make a mistake and say, I can't ask that person because they've never shown an interest in what we're doing and what a big mistake that is because we've found that people don't have to have an interest to come to the dinner. They just have to be in line a bit with some of the things we're at and that by the time they come and see the outstanding program and hear how we highlight the ministry and what they're doing, that people will give and then from there their heart follows from that point on. But people make a big mistake by feeling that someone's heart has to Be there before they give.

[A]

Well, we got two more scriptures. This one comes from 2 Corinthians 8:1 4. You want to read this one?

[B]

Sure. Be happy to. And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches in the midst of a very severe trial. Their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability entirely on their own. They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service in the Lord's people. Jason, this comes right out of Second Corinthians. Paul was writing to the Corinthian church, which we know was a very wealthy church. We also know that the Macedonian church was a very impoverished church, but yet they begged Paul for the privilege to be part of his ministry. Paul used the example of the Macedonian people when writing to the Corinthians, and he said, if they in their poverty, could give and give above and beyond that, what more should you or can you give beyond that yourself? He was using the Macedonian people as an example to the Corinthians. What a powerful message. Couldn't be any more joyful, asking for the privilege. Jason, when was the last time you begged and asked a ministry for the privilege of giving to that organization? That's powerful. Powerful.

[A]

Yeah, it is.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

All right. So this last scripture actually is one of my favorite scriptures. And I love this scripture because this is where we got the blueprint for the Perfect Vision Dinner. So when you read this, you actually see Perfect Vision Dinner all throughout this. So I'm not going to read the whole two chapters because it's very lengthy, two chapters. But I would encourage you to go to your own Bible and read 1st Chronicles 28 and 29.

[B]

Essentially, in Chapter 28, David is given the charge. God has told him, it's time to build the temple. Build a temple for me. To me. And David assembled all his leaders and said to them, here is the vision that God has given me. Let us work together as one body to achieve this goal.

[A]

He painted the vision of what was going to take place.

[B]

Yes, exactly. And then in chapter 29, verse, verses 1 through 5, we see that David started out himself. He didn't just ask others to give. He led out himself and decided to be the first one. And of course, being the king, he had an enormous amount to give for us in this. This is the invitation that we put out before others. And what I always like about our dinner is that I think our Board and our matching gift individuals, those people lead out and they use the model that David gave to lead out.

[A]

In that passage there, David said, he describes all the things that he that he gave as lead gifts. And then he said, moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own, gold and silver. And because of my devotion to the house of God, I gave it to the house of God. God. And then he switches to who then will offer willingly and consenting to himself today for the Lord. So he's. He gave freely and then he's asking others to say to give freely as well. To give freely as well.

[B]

That was his we. We might call it in today's standards. That was his appeal. Verse 29:6, nine people gave freewill offerings once again, not out of compulsion, but free will. Offerings, offerings. Joyously and publicly. They gave. Now coming forward just in gratitude to the Lord for his blessings.

[A]

I love where it says there. Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

David rejoiced also greatly.

[B]

And we see that at our dinners. Jason, when people give freely, it is just a blessed evening. Chapter 29, verses 14 through 16. The abundance mentality exists with them. All things come from you. So they knew that all those blessings, all the money, all the offerings, all the products, all came from the Lord. They gave God the credit for that win that day. And that was all from the Lord. Verse 29:22 said they ate and drank with gladness. Jason, if that isn't the epitome of our dinner, eating and drinking with gladness, that is just. They had a joyful celebration, and that's our Perfect Vision dinner.

[A]

So David cast the vision. He provided lead gifts. Yeah, he did a public ask. The response was public and joyful.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then there was an attitude of gratitude celebration afterwards. So in a sense, you know, we can't fully take credit for our Perfect Vision mentorship program. Right. But. But a lot of these things are coming directly from the Bible and it's kind of crazy. I would encourage you all to read those two chapters because it's pretty crazy when you read through that to go, wow, that sounds an awful lot like what we do at the Perfect Vision. Enter.

[B]

Jason, will you do me a favor and share with our audience the call you got not long ago from an individual who kind of stumbled on these verses and what they said to you from one of our graduates?

[A]

From one of our graduates, yes. Yeah, they they had went through the program already, already did their dinner already. You know, everything was already done. They were very successful and everything. Right. And then they were doing a Bible study on this section. And she emailed me and she said, wow, I. I just saw the perfect vision dinner in the Bible. And she pointed to these references, and she's like, here's the vision. Here's the ministry update. Here's the appeal. Here's the legal gifts. Here's. You know, it's all right here. And she's like, you guys really pulled this right out of Scripture. Or. Or like, the scriptures reinforce this idea.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, and we always like to say we're. I wish that we were smart enough to come up with this.

[B]

Y.

[A]

But there were some key individuals way back at the beginning of crew who kind of latched on to certain biblical principles and kind of brought all this together. And we're really just the beneficiaries of all their hard work.

[B]

Yeah, we really. We just. We have always given this to the Lord and given him the credit for everything, and it was really nice. That was probably one of the best compliments we could have ever gotten because essentially said, hey, you stole this from God. Yeah, we did. And amen. I think that's why he. Why he blesses this, because we have taken it right according to. And tried to follow scripture all the way through. So if there's ever a question. Question in your mind, is this something I should do? Well, if. If it's done according to scripture and it's done according to the way God wants. This was not a model that was built on Madison Avenue or it was not a model built by marketing executives. This was built on the word of God. Yeah.

[A]

So going back to the original question, is fundraising biblical?

[B]

Jim, if these verses didn't let you know by reading, then you must not have been listening, because that's. Every one of our principles are based on the word of God.

[A]

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. And as we think about, you know, perfect vision in our mentorship program just kicking off this week, we just started a few days ago. We're well underway. And, you know, if you're thinking like, oh, shoot, dude, I forgot I wanted to sign up for that class. Well, you know, still get in touch with us. I'll put a QR code on the screen, but you can still reach out to us. There might be places sometimes we let people join a little late, but not ideal to join late, but if you really, really, really wanted to jump in, we might be able to still squeeze you in there. But if the perfect vision in our mentorship program, the biggest thing that I want you to know is that. But it's. It's not like any other strategy out there, because most of the strategies out there kind of come from the world's idea of fundraising.

[B]

They're built by man. Let's just say it.

[A]

Yeah. They're built by man. You know, if you want a good example of that, we've got some funny episodes where we kind of go into different myths and different things that people have come up with to raise money. I'm just thinking about the one where they booze people up and then boom.

[B]

Oh, man, so scary.

[A]

You know, planting plants and, you know, having all these ideas.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Silent auctions and selling tickets and trying to entice people in to give.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But really what we're wanting to do and how our model is different is just getting the right people in the right place at the right time to present an opportunity that will resonate with their hearts and in allowing the. The Holy Spirit to do the work in their hearts and allowing them the opportunity to respond freely and generously with gratitude. Right. All this stuff that we're talking about in the scripture, we're giving people the opportunity to exercise what we're reading in the scriptures. So that's the difference is we're not twisting people's arms, but we're giving them the opportunity to express that.

[B]

Right.

[A]

That. That. That joy. Joy through giving. So. And in return, they will be blessed because of the joy that they had. So it's a great, great, great program, and I would encourage you to look into it, if you haven't already. But, Jim, I think we did a good job of adequately answering the questions. Is fundraising biblical? If you didn't feel like we included your favorite scripture or we. You feel like we missed something, definitely let us know in the comments below. We'd love to keep chatting about that, but if you're new to this podcast, definitely hit that subscribe button, because we got a lot of new, great content coming down the future. But I hope that if you were one of those audience members who felt like fundraising was kind of icky, you didn't really feel comfortable with the topic, you didn't really understand how it fits into ministry. I hope that this episode really helped to bring some clarity to you so that you have a little bit more confidence in doing biblical fundraising the way that we were describing it today. Well, Jim, any last final words as we wrap up this episode?

[B]

Well, I've got two questions and two answers. The first question is, is fundraising biblical? Absolutely. And secondly is development ministry? Without a doubt. If those two questions have not been answered in your heart, I would say go back to the scripture we gave you and you will see that clearly these were modeled by the Lord in these examples.

[A]

Well, thanks everybody for tuning in to this episode. We will see you next time.

[B]

Take care. Sa.