Everyday Spirituality: Living in Relationship

Fund Raising and Spirituality: Not an Oxymoron
by Therese Mackin, BVM

When I joined the faculty at Clarke College a close friend asked me how I could ever consider “theatre” as a viable ministry. Twenty years later, the same friend was aghast that I would consider “fund-raising” as a ministry. Clearly, in her eyes, becoming a development officer was sliding even further down hill.

Fund-raising and volunteer work often go hand-in-hand. My involvement in the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dubuque, the Dubuque Hospice Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Iowa taught me that. Volunteer work is one of meeting, greeting and working with and for the people of God; so too is fund-raising.

Both fund-raising and volunteerism provide a variety of experiences. People are marvelously different while frequently similar. Life experiences can be simultaneously inspirational and supportive to causes meaningful to so many people. Thus enters the spiritual life…my spiritual life.

I think of and pray for the donors, prospective donors and beneficiaries as members of my spiritual community.

How do I incorporate the BVM Core Values into my relationships with others?
How can I enable a person to become a better person while striving to become a better person myself?
How do I join the individual in educating and empowering both of us to move toward goodness and wholeness?

It is in “…recognizing our gifts and developing our potential. It is in recognizing our interdependence. It is in becoming whole and integrated…. ” It is sharing the core value of education.

Take for example, the individual who does not have the gift of philanthropy but truly has the capacity for it. Creating a meaningful proposal with such a person is a slow process of conversion.

Nevertheless, my striving to empower this person to understand that “to be free is to… recognize…that we are empowered to make loving choices…to move toward goodness and wholeness….” This reflects back to me the core value of freedom, how I think about it, and how I live it.

As a fund-raiser, my practice of the core value of justice not only requires my concern for “…the whole hurting person…the oppressed, the marginalized and the person without access to resources” but also includes beneficiaries whose lives can be made better by my endeavors. When donors truly comprehend that every human being deserves dignity and respect, many will respond favorably.

Stewardship is an integral part of justice. Without this all my concern and assistance may well fail. As a fund-raiser I need to be enthusiastic about humankind and its present needs, think ahead, conserve resources and demand they be used judiciously. Meaningful stewardship is based in an attitude which makes the best decisions for short term impact and long term viability. My spiritual life helps to mold my fund raising attitude.

The core value of charity asks of me “To live a life of love…and to possess the power and courage to make loving choices. As Sisters of Charity, BVM, we are called ‘to bring charity to an uncharitable world.'”

This requires me as a fund-raiser to recognize my sisters and brothers in need. At the same time I strive to encourage those who have the gifts of time, concern and financial resources to share with those in need.

Philanthropy is truly a gift from God. Many fund-raisers define philanthropy as “the love of humankind.” How well that phrase fits with the BVM Core Values. It is critical to me that my spiritual life frequently is enhanced by the chance “to love humankind.”

“As a form of ministry, fundraising is as spiritual as giving a sermon, entering a time of prayer, visiting the sick or feeding the hungry!,” writes Henri Nouwen, in The Spirituality of Fund-Raising.1

“Fund-raising is a very rich and beautiful activity. It is a confident, joyful, and hope-filled expression of ministry,” he continues. “In ministering to each other, each from the riches that he or she possesses, we work together for the full coming of God's Kingdom.”

If there is such equity between Nouwen's words and my fund-raising, is it any wonder that my spiritual life has benefited accordingly?

Endnote

The Spirituality of Fund-Raising, Henri J.M. Nouwen. Used with permission of the Estate of Henri J.M. Nouwen. Order a copy of Nouwen's The Spirituality of Fund-Raising from www.HenriNouwen.org or call toll-free 1-866-226-2158 x101.

About the author: Therese Mackin, BVM (Jeremy) is executive vice-president and former vice-president of institutional advancement at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa. She was a charter member of the BVM Development Board, and received the Dr. R.S. Gerard Outstanding Development Professional Award in 2000 from the Eastern Iowa Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (NSFRE).