Over the span of many years, I have raised a lot of money for nonprofits. Of course the largest portion of my time and energy for fund-raising was focused on the churches I served. Along the way, I also raised funds for arts agencies, suicide prevention and response, housing and food services for those who are in need, and a lot of other causes and organizations. I learned a bit about raising money - at least about what worked and didn’t work in the places where I lived.

One of the most important aspects of fund-raising is honesty and openness. People are generous, but they want to have some sense that their donations will be well used. A large part of fund-raising involves telling people exactly why an institution or agency needs donations and exactly what is being done with the money that is being raised. That process, of course, requires open talk about finances. There are a lot of well-meaning and engaged volunteers who shy away from talking about money. That reluctance can make it more difficult to raise funds.

One of the easiest causes for which I raised funds was Habitat for Humanity. People can easily understand what it costs to build a house with no profit and volunteer labor. The money is spent on building materials and the cost of building materials is easy to obtain. Of course the materials to build a Habitat for Humanity home were paid for in a variety of methods. Part of the process was raising dollars that were spent at building supply stores. Part of the process was soliciting and receiving in-kind donations of goods and services. In general, however, it was easy to explain how much money was needed for a specific home’s construction. Millard Fuller, an early leader of Habitat for Humanity, often said, “There are two simple jobs in Habitat for Humanity: building homes and raising funds. If a group doesn’t have funds to build, their primary job is raising money. If they have funds, their primary job is building homes. A board builds until they run out of money. Then they fund raise until they are able to resume building.”

Of course it isn’t quite that simple. Habitat for Humanity does not give away homes. They are built with donated funds and volunteer labor and they sold, at cost, to homeowners who generally have a 20 year mortgage. The funds that are received from mortgage payments are invested in building more homes. A properly run Habitat for Humanity affiliate has growth built into its economic picture. The more homes built, the more money received in mortgage payments and the more homes that can be built. So you have to add to the two jobs of fund raising and construction the job of managing mortgages. And being a mortgage lender is a complex job.

Still, over the years I found it easy to solicit and raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. It was easy to explain why the affiliate needed donations and what happened with the donations received.

Churches should be as simple, in my opinion. Church budgets, at least those of the denomination in which I served, are public. Our congregation’s budget was approved at a congregational meeting each year. It isn’t hard for a church member to find out how church funds are spent. The costs of salaries and benefits are pretty clear. The costs of building maintenance and utilities can be clearly stated. The costs of various programs can be detailed. The congregations with which I have been associated have had personnel and buildings as their largest expenses each year. I used to say fairly frequently that the church budget’s largest item was salaries and that its most expensive salary way mine. I wasn’t afraid to point out what it cost the congregation to have me working for it.

I know pastors who are more reluctant in that area, however. I’ve read a lot of church budgets that lump together all of the salaries and don’t disclose the differences in compensation packages between individual employees. Everyone knows that the church secretary and janitor don’t earn what the lead pastor earns, but the exact breakdown isn’t made clear in the published budgets. Another thing that regularly occurs is that benefits are not listed in the section of the budget where salaries are listed. I’ve seen items such as mileage reimbursement, continuing education, and sabbatical leave placed in program areas of the budget.

In my experience, obfuscation doesn’t aid fund raising. Simple honesty and transparency work better. The people we serve are intelligent and deserve honest answers to simple questions such as “how much does it cost to have a full-time pastor?”

Today is pledge dedication at the church where we belong. This year’s stewardship campaign consisted of a single letter mailed to all members, a series of reminders about pledging that were offered during worship, and today’s service which instead of being held in the sanctuary will be held in the fellowship hall over a breakfast. There have been no meetings to explain the budget yet. We won’t vote on the budget for the coming year until January. It is as if church leaders are being intention about separating income from expense in the minds of congregational members.

I understand that we all need generosity in our lives. It is a blessing to be able to give. We have filled out and returned our pledge card and we will honor that pledge as well as give additional money to special appeals. At the same time, I question whether or not the church will be successful at raising the needed money without being a bit more frank about its needs. In our short time with this congregation, there has never been a second appeal. There has never been an opportunity to make up a shortfall in the church budget. The pledges are totaled, an estimate of additional income is made and the budget is balanced by cutting expenses.

I miss the simplicity of Habitat for Humanity’s simple approach. Determine what God calls us to do. Raise the money to do it. Do the work. It is quite different from “We’ll tell you how much ministry we will do after we see how much money you will donate.” But I am just one church member. And retired ministers should not be the ones in charge of local church decisions. So I’ll be at the breakfast worship and try to participate fully. I’ll attend the meetings and vote on the budget. And I’ll trust the process and leadership of others.

And even though part of me is happy to sit back and not be the one responsible for raising the money, part of me misses that part of my life’s work. I keep having lots of ideas about better ways to fund the ministries of the church. I pray for the grace to keep those ideas to myself and allow others to emerge as leaders.