These days, because of the increasing cost of media, it
is ever more difficult for the Church to fund its warning message. In order to
reach all nations it is absolutely necessary to boost resources, considering
that contributions from members and co-workers seem to have leveled off.
The good news is that it is possible, with creative
presentation and promotion skills, to funnel contributions from outsiders who
do not actually intend to donate to the Church. One such method that has proven
effective is to conduct a charity 5K run which offers prizes, fun and an outlet
for those members of the uncalled public to satisfy their desires to contribute
to a “charity.” This is where zealous members can secure not only their
excellent standing with the Church, but certainly a higher position in the
Kingdom. And eventually the individuals who contribute will someday see
that their money was given to the greatest cause on Earth!
In order to conduct a charitable 5K run which will
maximize income for the Church, there are some general principles and
guidelines which are important to follow:
·
Remember that the audience consists primarily of carnal human beings who
are not being called and who really do not wish to support God’s Work. Keeping
this principle constantly in mind will help you craft marketing material that
points away from any direct mention of the Church and any of its resources such
as websites and literature. Remember – this fund raising effort is targeted at
those who would not otherwise directly donate to the Church. Such an audience
would actually tend to be less interested in the activity if they felt that you
were pushing the Church on them. So, it’s best to leave the evangelistic
efforts to the ordained ministry, and let your light shine through your
example.
·
While disclosure regulations require that you mention to which “charity”
proceeds will be donated, it is not necessary to mention the parent organization.
This means that you can simply mention one of the Church’s programs, such as a
youth program, or a performance arts program. Historically, the youth program
approach has been the most profitable because even uncalled people like to feel
that they are doing something to help children.
·
Focus on the “get.” Even though it is necessary to have a “charity”
which the participants of the event will be supporting, the real draw should be
the fun, food and prizes. This means that the disclosure about the “charity”
should be minimal and tucked away deep inside the information pages of your
marketing material. What you are trying to do is appeal to the participants’
vanity, appetites, and desire to win, while at the same time making them feel
good about themselves for supporting the “charity.” In reality, all it takes to
make them feel good like this is to simply mention that they are supporting a
good cause like children, or arts. Of course if anyone wants to know about who
they are supporting you must have the disclosure located somewhere in your
material, but the vast majority of participants will not bother with digging
any deeper than the material you provide. REMEMBER: Maximize the get!
·
Always avoid any mention or hint that the “charity” only supports the
members and efforts of the Church, especially when it comes to children. Again,
all that is needed to make the public feel good about donating is to mention
the name of the Church’s youth program (without mentioning the Church’s name).
The vast majority of the public will not even think to ask if the youth program
only benefits a small exclusive segment of children – they will assume all
children are welcome, especially disadvantaged children. Eventually when these
people are raised in the Great White Throne Judgment, they will at that time
realize that they were actually being used as tools to help bring joy to the
godly offspring of the elect!
·
When dealing with the unconverted, it is okay to present material in a
way that could be mis-characterized as deceptive. Jesus set the precedent for
this by speaking in parables that were intended to deflect understanding of the
truth from the minds of the unconverted. "To you it has been given to know
the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in
parables, that `Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.'
(Luke 8:10)
·
To present the appearance of a valid charitable cause, consider having a
separate 5K run that benefits a real charity. This way you can mention the
charity more predominantly for that run, which will boost your credibility and
reduce questions for the 5K that benefits the church.
Here is a wonderful real-world example:
You’ll notice right away how appealing the visuals are on
this website. There is not only food, but ICE CREAM! And there are a multitude
of prize categories, again appealing to the vanity of your participants. When
you find the page Race Info, you can scroll to the bottom and read the
well-done “charity” disclosure.
Here it is:
Charity
“Out of the proceeds, Stinky Feet Running Company will
make a donation to benefit Living Youth Programs. Living Youth Programs, its
affiliated youth camps for teens and preteens, and other activities form a part
of its effort to provide great opportunities to create lasting friendships
and unforgettable memories. The camps consist of classes and programs designed
to expose teens and preteens to activities they may not normally experience and
empower them to grow to lead responsible and healthy lives.
Right away you will notice that the above disclosure has
all the great wording that is needed to deflect attention away from the fact
that the money will be given to the Church! There is no need to mention that
Living Youth Programs is merely an office of the Living Church of God.
Also notice how it appears that “Living Youth Programs” seems like a name of an
entire organization while not actually stating so. The statement also
wisely and carefully plays up the wonderful benefits to “youth,” “preteens,”
and “teens.” These statements are technically accurate, and it is not your
fault if the public ASSUMES that the children in the world are excluded, and
the only beneficiaries of the youth programs are children of Church members.
The members who coordinate the above 5K run have very
wisely coordinated another 5K run that benefits a real charity. Here it is:
And here is the disclosure for the charity for this race
found on their
race
info page:
Charity
“A portion of
the proceeds will benefit Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) research
through the KU Endowment. PWS is a rare disease that affects an estimated
12,000 to 15,000 people worldwide. Click here for a
fact sheet about this condition. Click
here to directly give for this cause.”
A key
difference here is that there are no problems with letting people know they can
donate directly to the charitable cause if they want – a link is even provided.
Of course, this must not be done when the primary “charity” is the Church, as
you will notice there is no link in the first disclosure for the Church or even
any encouragement to donate directly to is as this could unnecessarily detract
from participation.
Above all, show them that you care! In our world,
intentions are everything. This is why wearing colored ribbons and bumper
stickers are so popular. The more you care the less people will ask difficult
questions.
Here
is a great example from a member in very good standing, of letting everyone
know they care.
by Assistant Coffee Maker 5/13/14
