Prayer Before a Fundraising Committee Meeting
The staff member who leads the fundraising committee at a Catholic organization often begins the meeting in prayer. A great way to start is by asking God to guide the conversation and direct your actions. One of the most well known Catholic prayers invites the Holy Spirit to do just that.
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
-Prayer to the Holy Spirit
You could also open your fundraising meeting with this prayer to God the Father. Written by St. Thomas More, this prayer acknowledges the abilities that God has given you and asks that all your endeavors radiate Christ.
Father in heaven, you have given us a mind to know you, a will to serve you, and a heart to love you. Be with us today in all that we do, so that your light may shine out in our lives. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
-St. Thomas More
Prayer to Guide A Donor Meeting
Many donors to Catholic organizations are also people of faith who make prayer a priority in their lives. The experience of praying with a donor can make a significant impact, as it deepens your personal relationship with them. However you pray together during a donor meeting, be sure to offer the prayer for their intentions, and invite God into your conversation.
Thanks be to you, our Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have given us, for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us. Most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, day by day.
-Prayer of St. Richard
Prayer with a donor can also be focused on discerning God’s will, especially if, during the meeting, you will be asking them to consider a commitment to your organization. As this is a decision that should be prayerfully discerned, asking for God’s wisdom and the grace to know His will is especially appropriate.
May it please the supreme and divine Goodness to give us all abundant grace ever to know his most holy will and perfectly to fulfill it.
-St. Ignatius of Loyola
Prayer before Making an Ask
Individual prayer can also be beneficial for fundraising professionals, especially regarding parts of the job that are most challenging—such as preparing to speak with a donor or funder to make an ask. Begin by acknowledging the blessings God has bestowed, and then, with confidence and trust, request what you need, knowing that God is the giver of all that is good.
O God, grant that whatever good things I have, I may share generously with those who have not, and whatever good things I do not have, I may request humbly from those who do.
-St. Thomas Aquinas
Another helpful prayer before an important task, such as a meeting with a major donor, entrusts yourself to God, placing your good and the good of your organization into His loving hands.
Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you; I am ready for all, accept all. Let only your will be done in me and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul; I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands, without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father. Amen.
-Bl. Charles de Foucauld
Prayer before Beginning New Work or a New Project
As a team or on your own, asking for God’s help and presence in your work allows you to begin a new project with the right mindset, helping you focus on what is most important as you offer your work to God. This morning prayer from the Divine Office will center your mind and heart as you begin.
Direct, we beseech thee, O Lord, all our actions by thy holy inspiration, and carry them on by thy gracious assistance so that every prayer and work of ours may begin always from thee and through thee be happily ended.
-From the Divine Office
The traditional Catholic Morning Offering can also be adapted for any new project.
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day [project] for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.
-Morning Offering
Prayer at the Start of the Work Day
As you begin your workday, you can invoke the intercession of St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus and patron saint of workers. This prayer humbly asks for a diligent work ethic with a steadfast focus on a deeper purpose.
O Glorious Saint Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labor, obtain for me the grace to work in a spirit of penance for the expiation of my many sins; to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my natural inclinations; to work with thankfulness and joy, considering it an honor to employ and develop by means of labor the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, never shrinking from weariness and trials; to work above all with purity of intention and detachment from self, keeping unceasingly before my eyes death and the account that I must give of time lost, talents unused, good omitted, and vain complacency in success, so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all through Mary, all after thy example, O Patriarch, Saint Joseph. Such shall be my watch-word in life and in death. Amen.
-Pope St. Pius X
Prayer of Thanksgiving for Donations and Fundraising Success
Finally, do not forget to turn to God not only in your time of need, but also when you find success. For example, you can echo the praise and gratitude of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in her Magnificat.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.
-Luke 1:46-55
You can also turn to the Psalms, which so beautifully express human emotions, while always returning to thank God.
I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous deeds. I will delight and rejoice in you; I will sing hymns to your name, Most High.
-Psalm 9:2-3
In all things—our needs, our fears, our joys, and our daily duties—let us remember to turn to God in prayer, trusting that He will guide and bless our efforts.
Fundraising carries a unique spiritual value when we approach it with a humble attitude and open heart. Read more about the spirituality of fundraising.
