Generosity campaigns and other resources

By Sas Conradie Topic: ArticleKeywords: , , ,

I hope that you found the generosity resource lists useful. Hopefully the lists will create further generosity awareness and use of generosity resources to catalyse a global culture of Christian generosity and wise stewardship in support of global mission, especially where it is most needed. We received very encouraging responses from Christian leaders. On Friday one of the leaders in the World Evangelical Alliance sent me this message ‘Sas I received this piece [the list on Tuesday] and am wondering if you have done the next pieces.’ It is a great encouragement to know that somebody of this leader’s stature is looking forward to the rest of the generosity resources lists. Other people contacted me with requests to include resources in the lists.

Today, I want to mention a few generosity campaigns or ‘organized and active ways to encourage generosity’. In July 2011 the leaders of the Lausanne Movement and World Evangelical Alliance asked the Global Generosity Network to launch a generosity campaign to encourage generous living and Kingdom giving amongst Christians. What is interesting is how many what could be called generosity campaigns already exist. Here are a few of them including the Global Generosity Campaign. I hope that this will stimulate engagement in these campaigns but will also generate ideas about possibilities in different regional and national contexts.

Generosity campaigns that I am aware of:

  • Global Generosity Campaign (http://generositymovement.org/about/) aims to catalyse generosity collaboration, create generosity awareness, encourage generosity commitment and facilitate generosity engagement. It consists of a challenge to sign the Generosity Declaration (http://generositymovement.org/network/), subscribe to a 40 Day Generosity Devotional (http://generositymovement.org/category/resources/study_guides/) and use various generosity resources for generous living discipleship. A specific giving pledge is also being looked at.
  • Micah Challenge (www.micahchallenge.org/) is a global coalition of Christians holding governments accountable for their promise to halve extreme poverty by 2015. Micah Challenge organises annual campaigns (see for example www.micahchallenge.org/campaigns/micah-2012) to challenge Christians to engage in areas of poverty need and to give to address poverty.
  • 90 Days of Blessing (www.globaldayofprayer.com/90days_prayer.html) could be called a campaign from the Global Day of Prayer. It encourages Christians to become vessels of blessing through prayer and voluntary compassionate action in their communities. As such it might be seen as some form of generosity campaign.
  • The ‘Generous You 21-Day Giving Challenge’ (http://generousyou21.ning.com/) is designed to inspire and encourage people to intentionally commit themselves to one act of generosity over a period of 21 days and then share their stories. The Challenge is part of www.generousyou.com/, an online learning experience designed to help Christians grow in their understanding and appreciation of the message of biblical generosity. The experience consists of brief readings; video teaching from great teachers like Andy Stanley, Chip Ingram, and others; video testimonies of individuals on their giving journeys; personal journaling online to put on paper what God is doing in your heart; and the Giving Challenge.
  • ‘40acts – do Lent generously’ (www.40acts.org.uk) is a challenge to Christians to take part in 40 simple acts of generosity to impact the lives of others. It starts with creating a giving jar and ends with a challenge to tell somebody about Jesus. As the campaign website says ‘What could be more generous than helping someone along the way to salvation?’ Leading up to Easter daily reflections are provided to help people in their generosity journey. Initiated and managed by Stewardship in the UK, the campaign is spreading to other countries. The campaign attracted 5051 daily email subscribers in 2012. The target for 2013 is 100,000 participants. This can be achieved if people across the world will participate.
  • Bountiful (www.stewardship.org.uk/harvest) is a Stewardship (UK) campaign to encourage celebrating generosity during Harvest.
  • Ilikegiving (http://ilikegiving.com/) is an internet based campaign with videos of daily giving stories. People can take videos of their generosity acts and upload them on the site. People who participate motivate their friends and acquaintances to join in the campaign. Just take a video of your generosity act and post it to the site.
  • Give with Joy (www.GiveWithJoy.org) is a nationwide radio and online media campaign to inspire greater generosity in a country. Using a 40 day generosity campaign message based on Brian Kluth’s 40 Day Generosity Devotional, the campaign culminates in a generosity day when as many Christians as possible in a country are mobilized to serve people in need. There is great interest in this campaign in Guatemala and other Latin American countries.
  • The Missions Africa Trust Fund (http://community.generositymovement.org/en/resources) can also be seen as a specific campaign to mobilize financial resources from Africa and elsewhere to support mission initiatives in Africa and from Africa to the rest of the world.
  • In South Africa a tradition developed in many churches to use Pentecost as a specific day to encourage mission giving through faith promises. Contact Dr Richard Verreyne ([email protected]) for more information.
  • In the UK there are a few interesting secular giving campaigns including the Give More Campaign (www.givemore.org.uk/), Legacy10 Campaign (http://legacy10.com/) and the Philanthropy Review that published a ‘Charter and call-to-action’ (www.philanthropyreview.co.uk/Philanthropy%20Review%20Charter.pdf) to encourage more people in the UK to give and people to give more.

These are just a few ideas of what can be done through focussed generosity campaigns. Please encourage people in your churches, ministries, fellowships, businesses, networks and small groups to participate in these campaigns or to start their own. Send me information on other generosity campaigns you are aware of or initiate campaigns that will fit your context. We already have examples of emerging national generosity campaigns in countries such as France.

Other resources and future initiatives:

1)     Global Generosity Resources CD

The Global Generosity Resources CD is a compilation of generosity videos, a generosity reader, generosity articles, generosity presentations and papers, generosity information and generosity books in pdf format. The material can be translated, copied, adapted, distributed and used in preaching, teaching, workshops, seminars, awareness raising, etc. This CD can be obtained from Dr Sas Conradie at [email protected].

2)     Research

There are a number of generosity research reports. Here are a few examples:

  1.  ‘Understanding a Woman Doing Well:  She Wants to be Known’ (www.womendoingwell.org/images/wdw_wp.1.pdf) is a research study to understand women giving motivation and ways to engage women in generosity.
  2. ‘Directions in Women’s Giving 2012’ (www.womendoingwell.org/images/executivesummarymay%202012%20directions%20in%20womens%20giving.pdf) is a joint research initiative initiated by Women Doing Well to explore Christian women’s giving motivations, their giving practices and preferences, the influences that have nurtured their generosity, the barriers they have faced, and the resources and experiences they have found most helpful.
  3. The ‘Latin American Survey on mission institutions fundraising’ (Wycliffe Global Alliance and COMIBAM International, June 2011) is a survey into fundraising problems and challenges Latin American mission institutions and their leaders face. It can be obtained from Nydia Garcia-Schmidt at [email protected].

3)     Generosity and resource development coaching

I know about the following 2 highly respected coaches. There should be more. Please send me their details.

  1. Rob Martin ([email protected]), the Lausanne Senior Associate for Resource Mobilization, is already coaching mission leaders in fundraising. He is willing to coach a group of leaders on an annual basis through regular personal and group interaction and discussions.
  2. Barbara Shantz ([email protected]) of TWR is coaching leaders in Biblical stewardship, their part in the Great Commission and local fundraising. 

4)     Generosity facilitators

We now have a substantial list of generosity facilitators who can assist in teaching and speaking on generosity. I did not want to include their names in this list to prevent them from being overwhelmed with requests for assistance. Contact me ([email protected]) for further information.

5)     Generosity champions/advocates

  1. Generosity champions or advocates have a passion to spread the good news of generosity with their families, friends and colleagues;
  2. Generosity champions encourage generosity and stewardship in their areas of influence
  3. 1,345 participants mentioned during Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization that they are willing to encourage generosity and stewardship in their areas of influence
  4. Generosity champions/advocates are supported through resources and networking

6)     Generosity consultations

The Global Generosity Network already organised a European generosity consultation in April in collaboration with the European Evangelical Alliance. We hope to organise similar consultations in 12 regions in the next 2 and a half years. We will post information on the consultations on the Lausanne Conversation Global Generosity webpage (https://lmconversation.wpengine.com/en/home/global-generosity), the Global Generosity Network page on the World Evangelical Alliance website (www.worldevangelicals.org/projects/global_generosity.htm) and the Global Generosity Movement website (http://generositymovement.org/). We are using these 3 websites as main information distribution points. So, please make a note of them.

7)     Generosity discussions, seminars, symposiums and workshops

  1. At Christian consultations, meetings, conferences, celebrations, retreats, assemblies, mission events, mission partnership events, etc
  2. Possible tracks within conferences and events
  3. Possibly as part of evangelistic and mission campaigns
  4. Please send information of possible events to Sas Conradie ([email protected]).

8)     Generosity and resource mobilisation training

  1. The Global Generosity Network is organising regional generosity training events in collaboration with the Lausanne International Deputy Directors, the World Evangelical Alliance regional and national General Secretaries and other Christian networks;
  2. Training can also be organised during, before or after major conferences or events.

9)     Generosity networks

  1. Consist of Christians and Christian networks who work together to increase Christian giving and improve stewardship
  2. Geographically or in stakeholder networks such as church, Christian professional and business, fundraisers, etc
  3. Discuss issues around generosity and stewardship and might organise workshops, seminars and conferences
  4. A number of generosity networks are emerging. Contact Sas Conradie for further information

10)  Generosity city campaigns

  1. Encourage Christians in cities to live more generously and give more to Kingdom causes where it is most needed
  2. Possibly as part of evangelistic and mission campaigns
  3. Potential global city generosity tour in 2013

11)  Generosity publications

  1. The January 2013 edition of Evangelical Review of Theology (www.worldevangelicals.org/commissions/list/index.php?com=tc&id=25) is a generosity focused edition with generosity articles. Please look out for the publication.
  2. Because of growing interest, we want to negotiate with other Christian journals and magazines to include generosity focused editions as well.
  3. Possible generosity publications for the Lausanne Global Leadership Forum in June 2013 and the World Evangelical Alliance Assembly in October 2014.
  4. Please notify me about upcoming publications so that we can distribute the information.

This list of generosity campaigns and other resources became much more comprehensive than what I initially intended. At least it helped me with my own planning!

This is the final generosity resource list. We might now add all the lists into a one more comprehensive list. Please continue to send me information on resources. Thank you for all those who contributed and participated in the Conversation. Let us continue with the discussion on the Lausanne Conversation Global Generosity webpage (https://lmconversation.wpengine.com/en/home/global-generosity). Rob Martin, Ram Gidoomal, I and other leaders in the Global Generosity Network are looking forward to further collaboration in the future.

Dr. Sas Conradie is the Coordinator of the Global Generosity Network

[email protected]