The purpose of Educational Renaissance is to promote a rebirth of ancient wisdom for the modern era. Through synthesizing the insights of the great philosophers of education across time and place with contemporary findings in modern research, we aspire to serve fellow educators in the worthy calling to educate future generations for the good of society and in service to the church.
If you are new to this blog, you will notice that we typically focus on wisdom and modern research for the classroom or homeschool. As classical Christian educators who have been profoundly influenced by the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason, we believe that children are born whole persons and their schooling should reflect this reality.
Unfortunately, so often today, precisely the opposite occurs. In our post-industrial revolution world, modern education has become a training ground for our children as mere test-takers and future wage-earners. Siren songs of college readiness, job preparation, and high-wage incomes have replaced the classical vision for a formative education in the good, true, and beautiful.
Interestingly, the classroom is not the only area of education that has been negatively impacted by industrialist assumptions. Likewise, children are not the only victims of this mindset. Educational institutions are complex entities with multiple departments and a variety of constituents. The underlying philosophy of an institution will inform and shape the parts through the whole, and in turn, the whole through the parts. It is therefore of upmost importance for school leaders to regularly take inventory of these parts, evaluating the missional alignment of what is said and done across departments and roles.
In this article, I want to hone in specifically on practices relating to fundraising, what is sometimes called the development shop of a school. Whether the funds are used to meet an operational gap or strategic initiative, schools rely on the generosity of donors to advance their missions and achieve their future visions. While the classroom is, and must remain, the central focus of any educational institution, it is the contention of this author that the development shop, too, is in need of an educational renaissance.
Philanthropy on the Rise
What kind of a renaissance is needed?
Interestingly, it is not a rebirth in generosity, at least for now. Despite economic challenges caused by the pandemic and rising inflation, giving is up more than ever before, especially in the United States. In a recent Forbes article, the author observes three particularly positive trends in philanthropy.
First, charitable gifts increased to $471 billion in 2020, a 5% increase from 2019, despite a 2.3% decrease in GDP. This upward trend has not changed since the nation transitioned out of the pandemic. Second, donors are growing more sophisticated in how they give. More and more Americans are using private foundations, charitable trusts, and donor-advised funds as giving vehicles. This sophistication has elevated the overall generosity, tax savings, and specificity of giving for donors. In other words, donors are not just giving bigger gifts; they are giving better gifts. Finally, there is a demographic mindset shift in the next generation. On average, more millennials than boomers view themselves as philanthropists, leading them to make decisions about their time, money, and resources through a charitable lens.
Nevertheless, our culture continues to face challenges generated from ideologies of individualism and consumerism. As religious belief remains on the decline in the West, the focus shifts more and more to the self-actualization of the individual. This leads to an inward focus and dependence on one’s self for finding lasting happiness rather than viewing God as our greatest source of happiness and meaning. In addition, the consumeristic mindset continues to place things before people, leading society to objectify humans as mere sellers and buyers in a transactional process.
With these societal shifts in view, let me suggest that an educational renaissance in the development shop will have three prominent features, relating to:
- God’s Provision
- Donor Engagement
- Leadership Transparency
God’s Provision
In Giving and Getting in the Kingdom (Moody Publishers, 2012), R. Mark Dillon suggests there are two prevailing attitudes about God’s financial provision.
The first attitude is a pietist waiting upon the Lord with no practical action. This approach is famously illustrated by George Mueller, a German-born pastor who later moved to Bristol, England, and opened an orphanage. Mueller would regularly pray for his orphanage’s needs but refused to share them publicly, waiting instead for the Lord to provide miraculously (which He did time and time again).
The second attitude, illustrated by Chicago evangelist D.L. Moody, is a business-savvy call to action. Ever the entrepreneur, Moody would identify an evangelistic or societal need, cast vision, and enlist financial support. Through this approach, Moody inspired countless to give to the kingdom and, in doing so, support the saving of a multitude of souls.
Summarizing these two attitudes, Dillon writes,
The danger of Mueller’s approach is that what seems to be childlike faith in God for His provision may be missing an opportunity to call God’s people to obedience and generosity. The inherent danger in creating a vision and boldly calling God’s people to fund it, as in Moody’s approach, is the human tendency to stray from discerning God’s leading into merely fulfilling personal or corporate ambition and perhaps missing the elements of dependent prayer and humble gratitude (44).
To avoid these two pitfalls, schools must adopt a biblical mindset of God’s provision, which embraces the paradox of divine action and human responsibility. Development officers must begin, saturate, and culminate their fundraising efforts in prayer, while faithfully taking steps to see what doors God might open. The reality is that neither Mueller nor Moody receives the credit for the gifts that came in to bless their ministries during their years of service. God does. We can prayerfully depend upon the Lord and faithfully share publicly our schools’ needs when we realize that God is the ultimate source of every gift.
Donor Engagement
It is common to approach fundraising as a game of numbers. Maximize the number of mailed letters, email campaigns, golf outings, and first time gifts, and you have a successful development shop.
But what Jason Lewis argues in The War for Fundraising Talent and How Small Shops Can Win (Gatekeeper Press, 2017) is that deep relationships and meaningful partnerships are the key to successful fundraising. And yet, so many development shops are reluctant to do this. It is easier to keep donors at arm-length and ask through impersonal methods. But what talented and seasoned fundraisers have learned through years of practice is that it is all about relationships and shared passion for a vision. Through intentional engagement with donors, having meaningful conversations, and communicating with respect and gratitude, the partnership can go deeper, become more meaningful, and last for a lifetime.
As schools engage donors in a meaningful way, the goal is to prevent these relationships from becoming merely transactional. An authentic partnership occurs when both schools and donors believe they can give and receive from one another. Here I think of Paul’s gratitude for Phoebe at the church in Rome. Paul refers to Phoebe as a “sister,” “deacon,” and “benefactor” (Rom. 16:1-2). It is clear that the relationship Phoebe experienced with the church, including the apostle Paul, went beyond the financials. It was spiritually uplifting, relationally deep, and mutually beneficial.
Leadership Transparency
Finally, an educational renaissance in the development shop must include leadership transparency. School leaders need to cast a compelling vision for the future and be honest about current challenges. R. Mark Dillon writes,
Sometimes people assume that being the messenger on behalf of the organization to the giver requires knowing all the answers and defending your institution at every turn. Nothing could be more antithetical to a genuine relationship than refusal to acknowledge shortcomings or gaps in our knowledge.
R. Mark Dillon, Giving and Getting in the Kingdom (Moody Publishers, 2012), 95
Certainly there are times when one must explain with fortitude certain institutional decisions. It is important to help donors understand the complexity of particular issues as well as the thought process that went into reaching a decision. At the same time, no institution is immune from criticism. No leader has all the answers. School leaders can build trust with donors by being honest, preparing informative reports, and admitting when there are weaknesses. If a donor brings up a criticism, explore it together. Find it out what reality of the school it likely touches. If a donor asks a question and you do not have a response, acknowledge the fact and commit to finding the answer.
Conclusion
While there is much more to be said about an educational renaissance for the development shop, I hope this article can be the start of a new conversation. We are all recipients of the generosity of others, and the principles of God’s provision, engagement, and transparency are applicable. As school leaders, we can push back against the reigning ideologies of individualism and consumerism by adopting a biblical view of God’s provision and understanding that how we are interact with all people in our organizations reflects what we truly believe about them as persons made in the image of God.
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