Ask for a Fish: Bold, Faith-Based Fundraising

Fundraising is sometimes described as "fishing" for donors, but the fishing metaphor is misleading. Real fishermen bait their fish into making bad decisions. Fundraisers might strategize about "fishing in the right ponds," "choosing the right donor hook," or "reeling in a huge catch." They may even tell fish stories about "the big one" they landed or even "the one that got away." But these images wrongly imply that fundraising means luring someone into doing something they will eventually regret. Instead of fishing, a better ogy for fundraising can be seen in Jesus' lesson about prayer.