When it comes to fundraising at Good Shepherd’s, we are different from other organizations in how we use them. Fundraisers can be good, but there are also concerns with them. This series will carefully step us through what makes fundraisers work so they are healthy for God’s people.

Step Five: Fundraisers that work are budget mindful

Fundraisers can be great ways to purchase items outside of the budget. For instance, let’s say we need a new computer for one of the classrooms. A fundraiser may be a great way to raise money to purchase that new computer. But that isn’t the way we would typically want to raise money to buy things like new computers. Instead, we want to plan our expenses as best as we can by using a budget. This is one way we practice the biblical principal of doing everything in a fitting and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40). Too much fundraising for things outside of the budget could cause people to say, “Then why do we even have a budget?”

Another reason for having a budget is because it stresses our unity. A budget brings us together to make decisions about how to use the resources God grants us. It allows us to encourage each other to support—together—the work we have joined to do at Good Shepherd’s. Fundraisers may communicate that we don’t need to support the budget to get the kinds of things we want for school or church. So fundraisers that work are budget mindful.

Your comments are welcome, pastors@GoodShepherds.net.

Next up! Step Six: Fundraisers that work are most concerned with motive.