Brad Layland, Chief Executive Officer & Senior Consultant
“But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, ‘No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations…’”
—1 Samuel 8:19–20
When Wendy and I were newly married, we lived in a small duplex in Orlando. Most of our friends had moved into three-bedroom homes with two-car garages. We loved our setup—especially the part where our tenant helped pay the mortgage—but we still felt that quiet, cultural pressure. The subtle message was: “Shouldn’t you want more?” And truthfully, sometimes we did. We wanted to be like everyone else.
That tension came to mind again this morning as I read 1 Samuel 8. The Israelites were asking for a king—not because God wasn’t leading them, but because they looked around, saw what others had, and said, “We want that, too.” They weren’t rejecting strategy; they were rejecting trust. They wanted to look like everyone else instead of living into the uniqueness of who they were called to be.
It reminded me of Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.“ Or, in the context of 1 Samuel, this could be phrased as: “Don’t ask for a king—I am your King,” says the Lord.
I see this same dynamic all the time in how people approach fundraising.
Nonprofit leaders feel the pressure to follow what others are doing. They see big galas, golf tournaments, silent auctions, and end-of-year appeal letters, so they jump in and do the same. But here’s the problem: they often mimic strategies without understanding the purpose behind them. It’s like the party game I describe in my book, Turning Donors Into Partners, where one person mimes washing an elephant, and has to act it out to another person trying to guess what they are doing. They then act it out to a third person. By the third round, no one has any clue what’s going on. It’s funny at a party; it’s a disaster in fundraising.
We think we need a “king”—big events, glossy brochures, slick mailings—because that’s what everyone else is doing. However, those things only work when rooted in a strategy built around people and relationships.
Here’s the truth: an appeal letter or a big event might bring in some gifts. But personal meetings with donors will, more often than not, raise more money. Not every time, but over time, the trend is undeniable.
Fundraising done right is relational, not transactional. Just like our God is relational, fundraising should be about people first. That’s why, at The FOCUS Group, we teach people to stop asking, “What should we do to raise money?” and ask, “Who are the people we need to engage?”
Let’s not chase the kings of fundraising. Let’s be faithful to the strategy God has called us to: build real relationships, pursue people with purpose, and trust that He is our provider—not the gala, not the mailing, not the golf tournament.
You may not have the flashiest events and slickest mailings, but if your fundraising is built on trust, intentionality, and personal connection, you’ll have something better than what the world offers: you’ll have a mission funded by people who believe in it and in you.
Let’s resist the urge to be like “all the other nations.” Let’s remember who our true King is—and build our fundraising accordingly.
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?