Wine Miracles & Fundraising

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Filling six large 30-gallon water pots with water IS A LOT OF WORK!

Historic storytellers tell the story of Jesus’ first miracle. He attends a wedding where the host runs out of wine. At the insistence of his mother, he turns six stone jars of water into wine.

The belief in miracles is a matter of personal faith and varies among individuals and spiritual traditions.

Fundraising Is Miraculous

Personally, I believe it is a miracle every time someone gives away money they could have spent on themselves! Fundraising is participation in the miraculous! But participating in the miraculous requires an understanding...

Miracles Require a Lot of Work

Yes, I believe in miracles. But I have learned that they don’t just happen, they are “worked.” First-century followers of Jesus considered this "​working of miracles" a supernatural gift.

Looking closely at this story gives us some real insights.

The story revolves around six stone jars, each with a 20-30 gallon capacity, and they are empty.

The working of this miracle begins with Jesus’ command to the workers: fill the jars with water.

Think this through with me. Six jars, thirty gallons each. We are talking about 180 gallons of water. If we assume the workers use a three-gallon bucket, then we are talking about sixty trips to the well.

Wait a minute. SIXTY TRIPS TO THE WELL?

Now we are talking about work. Couldn’t Jesus have merely spoken to the jars and they would be filled with wine? Of course, but miracles don’t work that way. They require a lot of work, remember?

Did the servants roll their eyes at first? Did they have an attitude by trip five? What were they thinking by trip ten? Their muscles hurt by trip fifteen. Might they be angry by trip twenty? By trip 30 they may have been thinking, "They need wine NOT water!"

Trip 35.

Trip 40.

Trip 50.

Trip 60.

THIS MIRACLE INVOLVES A LOT OF WORK.

Miracles are not for the lazy and uncommitted. Being an amplifier for marginalized voices requires all your strength. There is a cost to expanding your visionary capacity. Learning storytelling is not for fence-sitters. Learning the fundraising rhythm takes a dedicated effort.

Remember Solomon’s wisdom, ​the truth is going to cost you something​.

• Studying the art of storytelling is hard work.

• Mastering the art of telling unfinished and finished stories requires dedicated effort.

• Learning the fundraising rhythm requires hard work.

• Establishing your donor's journey is tedious.

• Having first-time protocols that multiply your income requires some creative thinking.

• Posting stories each week on social media becomes taxing.

The "miracle" of fundraising requires a lot of work!

To the miraculous!

David

​P.S. Do you have my book Visionary Fundraising​? It is a great place to start learning the work of storytelling and fundraising.

P.P.S. I also do a monthly Fundraising Accelerator that helps missionaries and fundraisers double, triple, and quadruple their income. ​CHECK IT OUT HERE​.

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