I was a fundraiser most of my life. At the age of 19, I started working in fundraising and have never looked back.
In this professional journey, I have been exposed to generosity of the greatest magnitude. But I also saw that generosity is not reserved for the rich. Some of the most generous people I know are those who give from their small portions.
Throughout my career, I have often been asked, “Tim, where does your motivation for this type of career path come from?”
Some express it more bluntly. This is one of my favorites: “Why a Career in Fundraising?” »
The answers to these questions are very simple.
I turn to the very book for which I strive to provide a platform, in our nation’s capital: the Bible!
I serve with Bible Museum as development director. I am charged with leading a campaign to raise $1 billion as we create a museum for all ages to honor and engage people of all faiths and backgrounds with this great book – its history, its narrative, and its impact.
Among the central themes of the Bible are money and stewardship. And as we continually see, the Bible is not simply a historical volume; it’s alive and dynamic, and relevant to people’s lives. So the Bible’s principles of stewardship truly inspire generous giving in our world today.
Let me show you how:
1. Generous people often give more than what is asked of them.
In Exodus 36:1-7we see God’s people bringing more than enough to meet the needs — so much so that Moses has to tell them to stop!
We don’t see many campaigns today where donors are asked to stop giving! But when it happens, it’s a special moment.
Giving to a cause that inspires you to get your best gift can bring the greatest fulfillment you have ever experienced!
Often, overfunding a project can create a broader impact. The project may accomplish more than it was initially designed to do.
I worked on a project several years ago in response to the tsunami in Indonesia. The response from people was so great that we were able to establish long-term community development in this region of the world. Long after the rescue, we were still there to help those most affected.
2. Generous people give in response to a great cause.
In 2 Corinthians 8-9we see the Corinthian Church giving faithfully to help a community of people they have never met!
I have sponsored a child with a great organization, Food for the Hungry, for many years. I never met this child. I saw his photo, heard about his education and health care, but never met him.
One of the most rewarding things I do each month is read the reports on his progress, his spiritual growth. I will probably never meet him. But I believe so much in the cause defended by this organization that I can trust them to help this child with my donations.
3. Generous people give of what they have, whether large or small.
In Luke 21:1-4Jesus compares the widow’s mite to the rich man’s gifts – demonstrating that the gifts of all are needed and used in God’s economy.
It’s a well-known story – you’ve probably heard or read it many times – and yet it never gets old to me. In my world of generous giving, and even in the big project I’m working on right now, the most powerful moments are when I hear stories of sacrifice, big or small, in people’s giving.
I have seen young children give away their allowance. I have seen wealthy people seek the greatest gift they have ever given to take a stand for the Bible.
In all cases, it is the sacrifice that counts.
Among the many big donors these days, their giving doesn’t really involve much sacrifice. Despite the volume of their contributions, their donations are small compared to their total capacity. When you meet that person who puts something else aside in order to help accomplish a key task or vision — that is a special gift!
4. Generous people give more than their money.
In Luke 10:25-37Jesus tells the classic story of the Good Samaritan, the one who donated time, resources and skills to meet the needs of a man left for dead by the side of the road. The Samaritan makes himself vulnerable and available – the very definition of hospitality.
Generosity and hospitality are often closely linked.
In today’s culture, I see more and more that generous donors want to give more than their financial resources. This is especially true for younger donors. They want to be grounded with the causes they support.
Volunteering with an organization you’re passionate about is a great way to form a deeper connection to the cause. And sometimes, like in the story of the Good Samaritan, the opportunity is there, in front of you, without you having to look for it.
Jump in with everything you should give – money, time, skills – and see what God will do in and through you.
5. Generous people give even if it doesn’t make sense.
In Genesis 45we find Joseph responding graciously and generously to his family, even when logic would tell him not to.
Sometimes donating to a project or cause only makes sense to you! Like Joseph, you may have been mistreated or hurt in some way, by a church or a cause. You still believe in the organization’s mission, but you feel resentment.
This kind of situation is a real test for me: a “grace check”. This goes to the very heart of my commitment to being a generous person.
Going beyond our humanity is the hardest thing to overcome. Putting aside differences in order to help do good with your generosity is an act of true maturity, true Christlikeness.
6. Generous people give to help others, even when they differ from each other.
We see it in Luke 7:1-10like a Gentile builds a Jewish synagogue! Who could have predicted such a donor for such a cause?
Sometimes we have the opportunity to help people who don’t share our worldview.
Of course, your conscience should guide you as to how and where to invest your resources, but it is healthy to keep an open mind, to truly consider the potential of various projects to accomplish something good and valuable, and to imagine yourself contributing to such an endeavor.
This can become an opportunity for character growth for you… and a boon for this worthwhile project.
7. Generous people give to make the impossible possible.
A little boy offered Jesus his meager lunch Matthew 14:14-21. He only had a few loaves and fishes, and Jesus had 5,000 mouths to feed. But gifts in God’s hands can be—and often are—divinely multiplied to meet the demands of greater works.
It’s one of the greatest stories of giving ever seen, a beautiful picture of faith to see something profound happen because of your gifts.
Above all, the young man had enough faith to provide his own lunch! He risked his own livelihood, his own comfort, in the hope of helping others. One boy’s faith is what sparked the incredible miracle of Jesus feeding the 5,000 people.
Sometimes we have to be willing to imagine something much bigger than ourselves in order to sustain a project.
I have to work there every day at the Museum of the Bible. This is a project of such magnitude that it may be difficult for a potential donor to understand how it could possibly come to fruition.
Yet, almost daily, I encounter the miraculous – in the responses of generous donors, of people from all economic demographics. They transform what seems impossible into possible.
8. Generous people give as a byproduct of their own personal transformation.
The story of Zacchaeus, in Luke 19it’s the story of a transformed donor. I love this story: a tax collector who abandons the norm to give – driven by Jesus’ call to return to God’s ways.
This is the story of someone who goes from “money collector” to “money giver”!
In my own journey, perhaps the most deeply satisfying stories are those of people who have been radically transformed in their gift through spiritual transformation. I’ve seen this repeatedly with donors who, in an extraordinary moment, suddenly realize why they are here: not just to harness their ability to accumulate wealth, but to create a story much bigger than themselves.
It is, in a way, a picture of redemption – as people rise above their personal limitations and see the supernatural potential in their own lives through their generous gifts.
9. Generous people give from their own poverty.
We see it in Luke 21:1-4again, in Jesus’ observations on the widow’s mite:
“He saw the rich putting their donations into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow putting in two very small copper coins. ‘Truly I tell you,’ he said, ‘this poor widow put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts with their wealth; but out of her poverty she put in all that she had to live.'”
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to some of the poorest parts of East Africa. I was taken to many villages to speak and visited the leaders of these communities. I will never forget the moment when I was able to see the generosity of people who gave out of their own poverty.
After spending a whole day in a village, people came to let me go on a trip. They brought chickens, vegetables, fruits, and even a goat. It was a very poor village – people had very few resources. Yet they gave from their own poverty to thank me, someone far away, who simply gave them a day of their life.
It took me years to fully grasp this moment of generous and sacrificial giving.
10. Generous people give when others don’t.
In Philippians 4:15-16the apostle Paul deplores the lack of response from the churches he met.
“No church was shared with me,” he said. “Only you” — the Christians of Philippi. Even when he served others far away in Thessalonica, the Philippians gave to his ministry!
Most of the donors I’ve known enjoy being part of a larger giving community. It is satisfying, perhaps comforting or reassuring, to know that you are one of many donors to a project. Yet sometimes we are called, as donors, to stand alone, to complete a project even if others do not.
This is the kind of situation Paul found himself in. Others ignored the need, but one church – that of Philippi – was willing to give, to provide the necessary support, even if it meant being alone.
Perhaps the day will come when you find yourself here too: you look around and no one else is giving; but something inside you says, “Go for it.”
Your personal impact can be enormous. And your personal journey can be beautifully enriched by the experience.
I love reading stories about people and their generosity.
Generosity is not something that comes later after accumulating wealth. It’s something you experience wherever you are in life today. It’s not something that “just appears” – it’s a lifestyle that you cultivate.
Generous people in our culture today are no different from the generous people mentioned in the Bible. Generosity becomes part of a person’s DNA; it permeates every area of their life.
How generous they are You? And an equally important question: How are you generous?
These are questions worth examining. The more generous you are, and the more generous you are, the richer you become!
Timothy L. Smith has over 35 years of experience with non-profit organizations and currently serves as Director of Development for Bible Museum. His book, Donors are also people is required reading for many NPOs when developing a major fundraising program.
To learn more about the Museum of the Bible or to make a donation, please visit BibleMuseum.org.
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Tony Baggett
