Fund-raising is proclaiming what we believe in a such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission. Fund-raising is precisely the opposite of begging. When we seek to raise funds we are not saying, "Please, could you help us out because lately it's been hard." Rather, we are declaring, "We have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you- your energy, your prayers, and your money- in this work to which God has called us." Our invitation is clear and confident because we trust that our vision and mission are like "trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in eseason, and their leaves do
not wither" (Psalm 1:3).

In fund-raising and ministry we are inviting people into a new way of relating to their resources. By giving people a spiritual vision, we want them to experience that they will in fact benefit by making their resources available to us.... "You won't become poorer, you will become richer by giving." We can confidently declare with the Apostle Paul, "You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity..." (2 Corinthians 9:11).

Henri J. M. Nouwen