Growing Givers' Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry (Book)
Thomas H. Jeavons, Rebekah Burch Basinger, Authors.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

Calling on years of experience in the field and extensive study of numerous organizations and programs, Jeavons and Basinger propose a paradigm different from that of normal fundraising: "…a vision of fundraising as a process that is as much concerned with the effect of the people’s (donor's) character and values as with the effect on organizations' incomes." In effect they are making the strong argument that a fundraiser’s goal should be to assist in the faith development of the giver as much as it is to enhance the income of the organization.

Fundraising is treated as ministry, and the same principles that guide the good stewardship of a congregation also apply to Christian fundraising. Christian giving in any setting should be an act of joy, an expression of one’s own experience of and trust in God’s love and care, and a reflection of one’s sense of being a partner in God’s work.

This book would be good background reading for anyone in the field of Christian fundraising. However, it also has application for the local church in both the theology of and the practical approach to money and giving.

This book will be specifically helpful to any congregation rethinking its whole approach to stewardship. It would be a valuable resource for any finance team or larger community concerned with the relationship between discipleship and money.

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