Alaska, and Fairbanks specifically, is all abuzz in money talk at the moment. The first installments of the PFDs came out this week. PFD stands for Permanent Fund Dividend for those of you who do not have the fortune of living in this magnificent state. Without going into details, the PFD is the annual share of oil money that every resident of Alaska receives every year. This year the number is $900. For those of you who don't live here, I will let your imagination run wild with what would happen if everyone around you suddenly received an extra $900 to do with as they wanted...
So here is the reality: Everyone has some extra money and everyone else knows about it. The question on everyone's mind is "What are you doing with your PFD?" Every retailer has specials and sales going on. Airline tickets are especially cheap. There are opportunities to buy or rent or invest or donate or save or use money in some other way that only appear during this time of year. A few people will save their money. Many will use it to pay off debt. Many more utilize it for buying toys and special purchases.
As someone who raises money as a large part of my job, allow me to share some of what this time is like for me. On the one hand this is the perfect time to fundraise...a target rich environment, if you will. Lots of money is flowing in Fairbanks at the moment and surely at least a little of it could make its way here. However I do not want to just be another voice in the cacophony trying to convince you that this is the best place to spend your money. There are literally hundreds of those voices on the airwaves and in the papers at the moment. Don't get me wrong. I would be happy to accept donations. Money is really useful and we always seem to be right on the edge of not having enough. However there are two major factors that allow me to sit out the PFD frenzy.
The first factor is a long-term view. One time donations are great. They allow us to pay off large expenses and really give this time of year a big boost for our annual budget. I love months where our income is significantly higher than our expense. However there is a donation that is even more valuable: the monthly donation. Monthly donors are the people who really feel like partners. They will meet with you, talk with you, encourage you, network for you and pray with you. This is a relationship business and there is always a question when approaching a donor for an annual gift. "Do we have enough relationship that they will want to give this year?" Consistent monthly donors are the gold standard in this industry. It would be great if they were all in a position to give $200 every month, but that is not reality. I cherish our monthly donors that give $10-100 each month. They are the foundation that we are able to build our structures on. The big annual gifts will fund the buildings, but without the foundation they will not last.
The second factor that helps me step back from the frenzy is our stance as a faith-based organization. I believe that God will provide for our us. I still put in the work of asking because that is my faithful response, but I have the freedom to ask without fear or panic. I often say that I do not need your money. God has unlimited resources and creativity. We give because it is a joyful way of living. Your gift will bless you as much as it will bless myself, the staff and the kids of Joel's Place. Transactions in the kingdom of heaven never only have one person who benefits. The gift will grow relationship and allow us to partner together in caring for the young and the poor, both of whom God holds in a special place in His heart. My hope is that if you hold these views as well, you will listen for God's invitation and respond. If He invites you to give, we are eager to receive. If He invites you to invest elsewhere, blessings upon you and your money.
One other money-related note for our readers of faith: If you are not committed to a community of faith, I would invite you to consider sending part of your tithe to Joel's Place. Scripture is filled with encouragements to give 10% of our earnings towards the work of the kingdom. The easiest way to do that is to put it into the offering plate each sunday. If we are not attending a church community, it becomes really easy to intend to give and just never get to it. Giving is hard for me and I don't say this lightly: it is important for the health of our souls that we freely bless others with our money.
Money is a great tool. There are lots of things I would love to fix up with it. It is not a substitute for relationship. Let's be intentional about how we use our stuff (that includes our PFD's) in order to build what really lasts...
...that's relationship, in case I was being too subtle.
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