Fundraising Is About People 

When the Reverend Dr. David Heetland took the podium at a trustee dinner celebrating his 42 years serving Garrett, he would have had every right to boast about his many accomplishments. In his capacity as vice president for development, and most recently senior vice president for planned giving, Heetland helped raise more than $200 million—perhaps the person most singularly responsible for the seminary’s secure financial foundation.

In this moment affirming that legacy, however, Heetland spoke of gratitude. “I am grateful,” he said, “for this sacred work to which I was called—to help people grow in their own spirituality by investing themselves in something bigger than themselves, and in the process discovering the joy of giving and the truth of Jesus’s words—that when they invest themselves in something greater than themselves, in the causes of Christ, they discover life at its deepest, richest level.”

“But it is not just the donors who grow spiritually,” Heetland continued. “So too do we. I have grown in my own faith journey as God has taught me much about life and giving through the donors I have come to know.” Those words embody what makes his understanding of stewardship so powerful: He never treated development as just asking for money. Instead, he rightfully lived this calling as a ministry.

Heetland noted that, too often, ministers are not trained with this perspective; therefore, the prospect of fundraising elicits fear and anxiety. “Seminaries have not done a great job of teaching pastors about the importance of financial stewardship,” he said. “And talking about money is one of the last taboos we have, so many ministers simply aren’t comfortable asking people to give.” A study some years ago confirms this assessment. When pastors were asked what part of their jobs they felt least prepared to do, fundraising was the resounding consensus.

The way to alleviate this sense of fear, Heetland suggested, is to shift the focus from securing donations to cultivating relationships. “Oftentimes, we have the idea that asking for money is convincing someone to do something they don’t want to do,” he said. “But actually, our mission is to plant seeds of awareness. Before ever asking people to consider a gift, I want to hear their stories. I need to understand their interests and values and where they may intersect with our mission.”

This change in approach can transform fundraising into a process of deep mutuality and unexpected joy. It can also lead to what Heetland likes to call “happy surprises.” One time, for example, a colleague recommended Heetland talk with a gentleman he had met. Heetland visited the man at his home several times and learned of his deep commitment to his local church and his willingness to learn more about Garrett. On the anniversary of their first visit, the gentleman indicated his intention to give $5,000 a year for five years to establish a scholarship in his name. Unfortunately, he died a few months later. Shortly after his death, however, Heetland was notified that the gentleman had included the seminary in his will for a gift of $300,000—enough to permanently endow a leadership scholarship in his name. It was a very happy surprise!

Time and again, Heetland discovered that when he focused on building long-term relationships, amazing things happened. “I saw donors in their fullness, with many different gifts,” he noted, “including perhaps the gift of financial resources. I saw them as our partners, collaborating with us on projects that would give them, as well as us, great joy. I saw them not just as donors, but as friends—friendships built on mutual trust and respect. And more often than not, it is when these long-term relationships are nurtured that happy surprises result.”

Heetland concluded his remarks at the dinner by telling those gathered that he grew up on a farm, and that one of his favorite parables is the parable of the sower. “We are reminded,” he said, “that some seeds fall on rocky ground, some seeds fall on thorny ground, some seeds fall on good soil. The sower does not cause the seeds to grow. The sower simply plants the seeds, knowing that God will cause some to grow and bring forth grain, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, and some thirty.”

“And so it is with us,” Heetland noted. “We are called to diligently plant seeds of awareness about Garrett’s mission day in and day out. We never know for sure which seeds will sprout and produce gifts, some a hundred-fold, some sixty, and some thirty. We simply know that if we are faithful in our work, the Word is our promise, and we can rest in the knowledge that God will cause some to grow and bring forth grain. These are our happy surprises—and they never fail to delight because they remind us that God is always at work in our midst.”

If you would like to honor David Heetland’s 42 years of ministry at Garrett, you are invited to contribute to the David and Kathy Heetland Endowed Scholarship.