When faith-based organizations need to undertake a major fundraising effort, motivating supporters can feel like an uphill climb. Leaders may ask themselves:

• Will asking for money cause division or hard feelings?
• Is now the right time to do this?
• Will this negatively impact weekly giving?
• How can I value humbleness, while encouraging significant gifts – without appearing insincere?

Fear or uncertainty can take over, even when you know the goals you are considering are necessary and vital to your ministry. Many pastors and church/school leaders express that fundraising can feel distasteful, even describing it as a “necessary evil.” But it doesn’t have to, nor should it, be that way. With an authentic, thoughtful approach, fundraising can become a joyful, life-giving, community-building endeavor — an invitation for everyone to grow in generosity, deepen faith and unite around a shared mission that transforms lives.

The answer lies in effective messaging. How you communicate the vision of your ministry can inspire and even strengthen a community. When you tell your story well, the impact is positive for both those who will invest in your vision and those who benefit from it. Clear, consistent and mission-driven messaging fosters trust, builds unity, and helps people visualize how their generosity connects directly to God’s work in the world through your ministry.

Here are three proven campaign messaging strategies that serve not only to inspire support, but to encourage the community to invest fully and commit more deeply to the shared mission.

Strategy 1: Share Donor Stories That Build a Connection

Donors want to know that their support will have a tangible impact. That their dollars will make a difference. The most powerful stories focus on people – not new buildings, HVAC upgrades, debt repayment or a larger endowment. Sure, a campaign may raise funds for those goals – but your story should be told through the lens of how those projects will help people, your faith and your community. By sharing the stories of those most impacted by fundraising or a capital campaign, you build a tangible reality to your messaging. The impact of a donation becomes personal.

Strategy 2: Link Your Ask to Measurable Impact

Communicate specific benchmarks for the dollars you raise. Specific outcomes allow the donor to see precisely what their gift accomplishes.

For example, link dollar amounts to unique outcomes beyond construction costs or debt amounts, like, “Each new chair for our auditorium will cost $200. Your donation of $1,000 will buy five seats for our programming.”

Rather than asking for a gift for a new worship space, share exactly what the space will accomplish. For example: “a place for our community to come together in prayer and worship with expanded seating to serve our entire growing congregation.” This transforms a financial request into a vision for the ministry.

Strategy 3: Make the Ask with Clarity, Authenticity and Strength 

God calls us to be good stewards of all He has given us. Before inviting supporters to invest in your vision, it is important that you share with your community the importance and value of stewardship. It is a key tenant in the work that we do at the Steier Group.

Once it is time to make the big ask, do so authentically with precision. Don’t tip-toe around the subject. No apologies are necessary for your invitation. If you have done the work of informing your community about stewardship and inspiring your donors through compelling storytelling, the ask should be relatively easy. Invite the donor to support your vision, explain why it matters and assure them of what their gift will accomplish. Avoid requests that are vague, timid or rushed; they create feelings of uncertainty and hesitation. Clarity and confidence in messaging builds trust.

When donors understand exactly how their gift will be used and the difference it will make, they feel confident and eager to contribute. With coaching, your leadership is empowered by a clear, compelling and inspiring case for support, which invites and motivates a donor to participate wholeheartedly. A well-framed ask does more than secure funding; it strengthens relationships, reinforces mission alignment and ensures donors see themselves as vital partners in the ministry’s success. Further, by leading with transparency about objectives, costs, timelines and goals, donors can give confidently to a project that they understand and believe in.

In conclusion, faith-based capital campaigns succeed when they move beyond simply asking for money and instead invite people into a shared mission. By presenting authentic stories, linking asks to measurable and mission-driven impact and making appeals with clarity, authenticity and strength, organizational leadership can transform fundraising into an act of discipleship. In this way, giving is no longer seen as a burden or obligation, but as a joyful opportunity to build up a lasting legacy of faith for generations to come. Campaigns rooted in prayer, transparency and mission help communities see generosity as a reflection of God’s abundance. When faith-based leaders consistently articulate vision with conviction and hope, they cultivate deeper trust, inspire broader participation and ensure that every gift, large or small, becomes a witness to faith in action. Ultimately, a campaign becomes not just a fundraising effort, but a transformative journey of stewardship, unity and renewal for the entire faith community.