The Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising (ECRF) is currently an eight week online course with a practical application project. It provides the research, tools, and customized training to meet the growing needs of leaders in religious communities and fundraisers of faith-based organizations. The focus of the ECRF is on the cultural, organizational, and philanthropic practices unique to religious institutions. These practices in turn enable donors motivated by spiritual and religious values to experience the joy of generous giving.
The ECRF is made up of the following four key topics, selected readings, and a final project.
- Nurturing Generous Congregations & Organizations
This foundational content surveys the changing landscape of religious giving with a focus on the organizational readiness of an institution to engage in effective fundraising. This section gives particular attention to the social dynamics and practices nurturing generosity.
The learning objectives are:
- Establish a learning community
- Orientation to the progression of the course
- Establish a framework for religious fundraising: theological, sociological, organizational
- Analyze the congregation or organization: identify challenges and opportunities
- Begin planning and integration of the ECRF project
- Nurturing Generous Donors
Experiential content in which participants first explore their own giving story and philosophy. This section then focuses on the art of donor care through highlighting research on donor profiles and motivations for giving.
The learning objectives are:
- Transition from thinking about organization to thinking about people -- fundraising is about relationships.
- Emphasize the need for leadership with integrity, in order to practice fundraising as ministry.
- Understand our own stories so that we are ready to nurture the generosity of others.
- Develop a sense of the fundraisier's role, the practice of discernment, and donor motivation.
- The Practice of Religious Fundraising
The spirituality of fundraising lays the foundation for this practical information with an emphasis on fundraising principles, practices, tools, and techniques.
The learning objectives are:
- Embrace the work of fundraising as an element of religious leadership.
- Equip ourselves for effective practice as religious fundraisers -- putting tools into our toolkits, telling effective stories, and inviting others to join in the mission of our work through their generous giving.
- Integrating Religious Leadership and Fundraising
This final section will explore how the faith community talks about money, generosity, and the faithful use of possessions. While exploring this material, participants are encouraged to develop a theology of money reflective of their faith tradition.
The learning objectives are:
- Recognize and evaluate the theologies of money that are operating in the organization.
- Integrate the work of religious fundraising at the organizational, individual, and practical level with theological integrity.
- Practice asset-based thinking to strengthen religious imagination.
- Articulate the positive theology of money shaping your leadership as a religious fundraiser.
- Communicate theology with integrity.
