The Popular Girl, The Wealthy Donor, and The Apostle Paul

Has someone ever told you a story that just sticks with you….and you end up rehearsing it in your mind for days afterwards?

We are wired for story aren’t we?

That happened to me last week.

In our Fundraising Accelerator, Honnie shared her husband’s high school insight:

“He noticed something in high school that most guys completely missed.

The most beautiful, popular girls, the ones everyone wanted to ask out, were often the ones who got asked out the least.

When he actually talked to them, they would say the same thing:

“Most guys just assume I’ll say no, so they never even try.”

Wealthy donors often feel isolated—discover how the Apostle Paul's approach can transform your fundraising relationships.

Here’s what I keep rehearsing in my mind…(it’s what I call the “storal of the morie”).

Overabundance can create separation.

For these girls, an overabundance of beauty and popularity became a barrier to genuine relationships.

They weren’t lacking attention.

They were lacking the right attention.

While the decent guys stayed away out of respect and intimidation, these girls were constantly dealing with:

• Guys who only cared about their looks

• Superficial approaches that made them feel like an object

• People who wanted to be seen with them, not know them

What does this have to do with fundraising?

An overabundance of wealth can cause this same separation.

I have mentored fundraisers all over the world, and it is common for them to be apprehensive about approaching high wealth individuals. “They don’t want to talk to me,” they will say. Or, “I could never just call them on the phone.”

One fundraiser said, “When a wealthy person gives me a gift, I don’t mess with them!”

On our call last week, this sparked some interaction from our group.

One fundraiser shared how a wealthy donor gave them money, and they were apprehensive about calling them to thank them. Pushing past their apprehension, they called and were so surprised at the donor’s warmth and thankfulness that they called to express gratitude.

They hit it off and had a long conversation.

We shy away from the wealthy, often isolating them.

We often treat wealth holders differently.

There are different reasons…

It’s easy to believe that the wealthy don’t want us to waste their time.

We harbor misperceptions about what they think about us. They may feel like they don’t need others or mistrust their intentions.

Wealth can isolate.

Wealth can be a barrier to fellowship.

The book of Timothy is a “Pastoral Epistle.” Paul is telling his young protégé how to be a minister. He has already given special instructions for ministries to:

• Older men 5:1

• Older women 5:2

• Younger women 5:2

• Older widows 5:3-7, 9-19

• Younger widows 6:11-15

Then he directs his young protégé to do something few ministers find comfortable.

After warning Timothy against chasing wealth (6:9), and the love of money (6:10), Paul outlines a specific ministry to the rich.

Ministry to the rich?

WHAT?

Most people believe that James 2:2-4 prohibits a ministry to the rich.

Let’s examine these verses…

For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the bright clothes and you say ‘You sit here in a good place’ and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,’ have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? James 2:2-4

In the original Greek, the word for “made distinctions” is diakrinō and literally means to separate.

Two people come to church.

Immediately this propensity is perpetuated: they are separated.

The message is clear: you don’t belong together.

This kind of separation is wrong. It disrupts the community of fellowship (koinōnia).

Paul is instructing Timothy to have a ministry to the rich that addresses this propensity for separation and pulls them into the fellowship community.

Paul is instructing Timothy to have a ministry to the wealthy that attacks this isolation.

And guess what the answer involves?

Reminder For Fundraisers

1st & 3rd Thursdays of every month, 12:30 EST, I do an accelerator class for fundraisers. The first 30 minutes I focus in on fundraising for those in the faith community. After that, the focus is on fundraising techniques.