SPE Offers Faith and Fundraising Seminar
Philanthropy may be one of the most promising ways SPE projects can achieve financial independence, but unfortunately it’s a field that few church leaders know much about.
This summer, though, a group of SPE directors and key staff members will get a chance to learn new skills by attending a special seminar on “Faith and Fundraising.” Scheduled Aug. 11-14 in Indianapolis, the four-day course will be led by some of the most knowledgeable experts in charitable giving—faculty from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
“Sustainability has always been one of the most critical issues facing the SPE community,” says the Rev. William H. (Bill) Lamar IV, director of the SPE Grant Coordination Office. “Virtually all the projects want to find ways to make sure they can keep doing their good work long after the Lilly grants end. Clearly, fundraising is one of the most promising tools they can use to help achieve that goal.”
At the request of seminar faculty, enrollment will be limited to 40 participants to help ensure an optimal classroom environment. Registrations will be received on a “first-come, first-served” basis, with priority given to SPE programs sending two representatives.
If more people want to attend than can be accommodated, the seminar will be offered again later, Lamar says. He encouraged interested project directors to send two representatives, if possible, in order to increase opportunities for dialogue and practice within their project.
The seminar will be held at University Place Hotel and Conference Center on the IUPUI campus. SPE projects will have to pay only the costs of transportation to and from Indianapolis, ground transportation in the city and lunch the opening day, if necessary. All other expenses—tuition, hotel and meals—will be paid by the SPE Grant Coordination Office.
“Basically, we have arranged for the center to conduct a special session of Faith and Fundraising just for the SPE community,” Lamar says.
The Faith and Fundraising course was developed by the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving and the Fund Raising School, both at the Center on Philanthropy. Currently offered twice a year at the center, the course examines the relationship between faith and fundraising and gives participants practical tools for creating a “culture of generosity” within their faith communities. Tuition for the regular Faith and Fundraising class is $1,200.
One of the primary reasons the center began offering the course was that few pastors know much, if anything, about fundraising, according to William G. Enright, Ph.D., executive director of the Lake Institute and former senior pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis.
“Most clergy have not been trained to engage in fund raising,” he says. “They don’t know how to talk about it, they don’t understand it, they’re not comfortable with it and they don’t do it well.”
In fact, money is often a taboo subject in most congregations and other faith-based organizations, Enright says. Yet, it is essential that pastors and leaders of faith-based organizations learn about philanthropy.
“Fundraising plays a vital role in securing the resources needed to sustain the work of faith in this world,” Enright says. “And giving is an important means by which believers can express their faith.”
In the Faith and Fundraising class, participants will learn about the following:
- The opportunities and challenges facing religious and faith-based organizations today;
- The interplay between religion and generosity;
- The six elements of fundraising—vehicles, organizational readiness, dynamic functions, human resources, management and markets;
- The role of pastoral leadership, theological integrity and organizational transparency in the creation of a culture of generosity;
- Donor motivations; and
- A results-oriented approach for achieving success in growing philanthropic support.
Participants will receive a comprehensive, easy-to-use study guide with background reading as well as “best practices” advice and exercises on building a fundraising program that is based on giving as an expression of faith and wise stewardship of resources.
For more information or to enroll, visit the SPE Faith and Fundraising seminar. If you have additional questions, contact Lamar at (919) 613-5328.
