Chad Borgestad, Senior Consultant
The other day, I had a moment.
I was feeling the weight of a few current campaigns—ministries facing challenges, momentum stalling, and other issues facing some of our clients. In the world of fundraising consulting, we don’t just advise from the sidelines; we carry the burden with you. We want your campaigns to succeed just as much as you do.
So, I reached out to my friend Mark, an advancement director at a ministry serving hurting teenagers. I had walked with Mark and his team for four years, through a feasibility study and a capital campaign. Mark knows me, and he knows the pressures of a campaign. But he also knows Jesus on a very deep and personal level.
On our phone call, I shared my frustration and nagging sense that I should be doing better.
Mark listened, and then he said something that stopped me in my tracks: “You know, Jesus never said, ‘Well done, good and successful servant.’ He said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.’”
That truth hit me like a ton of bricks.
We are called to be faithful, which is not always defined by the world’s understanding of success.
Think about it. Jesus’ teachings were never about chasing worldly success. He spoke about taking up your cross, choosing to be last instead of first, losing your life in order to find it. By the world’s standards, His own death on the cross looked like the ultimate failure. But in His faithfulness—through pain, surrender, and obedience—God fulfilled His purpose. Jesus overcame death so that we would not have to live separated from our Creator for eternity. I could be quick to call that success. But God would call it… love.
This is the invitation for us as well.
It’s not only about the role you play, the numbers you hit, or the recognition you receive. It’s about being faithful—right where God has placed you.
Years ago, I wrestled with what I was “called” to do. Was it a particular job? A position? A specific title or path? But the truth is, calling isn’t about chasing any of these things. It’s certainly not about chasing success. It’s about showing up with faithfulness in whatever work God has put before you.
In my role as a consultant, I have seen time and time again how our process is effective. The biblically-based fundraising principles really do lead to good outcomes, both financially and relationally. But it’s not a magic formula that I get to implement and then see overnight results. In the middle of the work, when we are sowing row after row of seeds, being faithful and not yet seeing results, it still feels hard to wait. The Lord of the harvest will bring fruit from our labor, but in His way and His timing. My role is to be faithful, but I have to entrust the outcomes to Him.
Galatians reminds us that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit. You won’t find success on that list. But you will find faithfulness, because that’s what God values most.
So today, if you’re like me—wrestling, frustrated, or questioning—hear this: You are called to be faithful.
Lean into that. Let it reshape your heart. And know this: you are deeply, dearly loved by your Father—not for what you accomplish, but for who you are in Christ.
May the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, wash over you today, and may you be faithful where you are. Be faithful to Him.
We’ve been privileged to help many organizations be more effective in their fundraising by learning and implementing relational fundraising principles in their work with donors. Want to talk?