The most popular question I receive regarding Transformational Giving goes like this:

‘OK, so I understand that fundraising is not the process but rather the result of the process of equipping a champion to get involved in the cause. So I’m working on getting my champions involved in the cause. But when do I let my champions know about my financial need for which I need their support?’

The question is super helpful because it helps us to identify two counterfeit versions of TG:

Counterfeit Version #1: TG means not talking about money

Some people, upon first hearing about TG, say, ‘Oh, yeah–I’ve been doing that for years. I build friendships with people and tell them what’s going on in my ministry, but I never ask them for money. I let God put that on their heart.’

News flash: That’s definitely not TG. In fact, it’s anti-TG.

First of all, TG isn’t about building friendships, nor is it about sharing your ministry. It’s about building mutual accountability relationships, and its about supporting your champions and equipping them to minister in the cause.

Second of all, the G in TG stands for Giving. If you’re not talking about Giving, you’re not talking about TG. We talk as much if not more about giving in TG as is done in traditional/transactional fundraising. We just talk about it really differently. More on that in a minute.

Counterfeit Version #2: TG means fee for service

Another way TG is misunderstood is when people think TG means that we bring up our needs after we’ve helped a champion get involved in the cause. Kind of like, ‘Now that you’re active in the cause, I need to let you know about my financial need. Can I count on you to make a donation?’ It’s the classic bait and switch: bait the person by supporting them…then turn the tables and ask them to support you. There’s a nasty element of guilt in there as well, if you think about it.

The Real Deal: TG invites giving at the point that the need belongs to the champion, not to the ministry

I never say to a champion, ‘I’m not here to talk about your money.’ Of course we’re going to talk about your money! It’s just not all I’m going to talk about, and when I talk about it, I’m not going to talk about it in a way that is nothing more than loosely veiled self-interest. I’m going to talk about it in a way that reveals me to be a trustworthy counselor to how you can impact the cause through the financial dimension of your involvement. (If the answer to how you can impact the cause is always ‘Send me more money’, please re-read the sentence about loosely veiled self-interest.)

The causes I talk to champions about require them to be ‘all in’, meaning that volunteering or learning or experiencing just isn’t enough if they want to seriously make a difference. Kingdom rule of thumb: if you want to impact the cause, count on God calling you to give cheerfully and significantly.

So when do you ask for money? When it fits into the involvement plan that you’ve helped the champion to draw up that equips them to be ‘all in’ in relation to the cause. If an ask is about the champion supporting your financial need, you’ve biffed it. If, on the other hand, your ask is really an answer to a question the champion raises because you’ve coached him to raise it on the way to maturity in the cause, that’s straight over-the-plate TG.

You up for some examples in the next post?