Finding Money for Your Ministry

In so many ways, 2008 represented a funding nightmare for Christian ministries and churches. Many reported being down by 15-40%. There were exceptions to this rule of course.

As we look forward to the rest of 2009, many questions abound in the fundraising environment. There are some certainties but those certainties tend not to spell good news: as cash tightens, so will donations. Gifts of publicly traded stock gifts plummeted in 2008. That trend continues. If unemployment deepens and the recession lingers longer than expected, many charities will have their backs against the wall.

What bright rays of light remain? Well, for one, non cash giving remains hot. Did you know that in the last few days, we’ve seen gifts of $100,000 of light fixture inventory on the east coast, a $20,000 corporate inventory in the mountain states, and a $150,000 coach bus in Texas. See www.idonate.com for more examples and how a ministry pursues these kinds of gifts.

Many ministries are also asking about the grant world. The truth is that many foundations are willing to dig deeper in these times. The key to pursuing grants is that a ministry must first find those funders who fit their mission and vision. They will do even better if they can build a relationship with those funders. That’s where it all comes back to knowing where to look.

Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) is the country’s largest database of faith based funders. It is the best source for finding faith based funders.

But Christian Foundation Grants doesn’t stop there. They also provide sample grant templates, a list of great fundraising ideas, helpful resources for running and managing your ministry, resume templates, and more. Most of these resources are free. If you subscribe for one year (just $129), you get access to the Find a Funder database. You also get access to sample grantwriting templates in 13 major ministry areas. If you need help with grantwriting, you can sign up for free for one hour of grant coaching. There’s really nothing like it.

The message today, however, is to get with it and pursue these grant opportunities. Clearly, now is the time before times get even rougher.

Resource : Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) serves ministries and churches by helping them get grants. CFG does so by providing grant resources, a grantwriters network, and a database of funders.

christianfoundationgrants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) serves ministries and churches by helping them get grants .CFG does so by providing grant resources, a grantwriters network, and a database of funders.