Matching Donations

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Neto
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Matching Donations

Post by Neto »

Today in the mail I received a donation request for a special project from a mission organization that we support. It is one of those matching gift deals.
What is you all's feeling about matching gifts, where someone promises to match everyone else's gifts up to some certain amount?
I admit that it turns me off. The Scripture says that each one should give as he/she has determined in their own heart. So I don't think that one person's donation amount should be determined by how much someone else will match it for, or by matching how much someone else has given.
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Biblical Anabaptist
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Biblical Anabaptist »

I agree. If you have it to give and there is a need, give. It should make no difference what anyone else is doing.

Heard of an individual who would give some toward a need. If the need was not met he would give more. I suppose there are two ways to look at that. It is commendable that he was willing to dig deeper to help meet the need, but why not do that in the beginning?
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Josh
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Josh »

Biblical Anabaptist wrote:I agree. If you have it to give and there is a need, give. It should make no difference what anyone else is doing.

Heard of an individual who would give some toward a need. If the need was not met he would give more. I suppose there are two ways to look at that. It is commendable that he was willing to dig deeper to help meet the need, but why not do that in the beginning?
Perhaps so that he could help additional needs, and also so that his example would inspire other people to give as well?

All of us have a lot of things we would like to give to, but eventually hit limits. There's only so much I can give to. I hope my example / testimony encourages others to give as well. It's hard to do that whilst simultaneously "giving in secret"; but when the church budget comes out and I can see how much my brethren have been giving it encourages me to do the same.
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Biblical Anabaptist »

Josh wrote:
Biblical Anabaptist wrote:I agree. If you have it to give and there is a need, give. It should make no difference what anyone else is doing.

Heard of an individual who would give some toward a need. If the need was not met he would give more. I suppose there are two ways to look at that. It is commendable that he was willing to dig deeper to help meet the need, but why not do that in the beginning?

Perhaps so that he could help additional needs, and also so that his example would inspire other people to give as well?

All of us have a lot of things we would like to give to, but eventually hit limits. There's only so much I can give to. I hope my example / testimony encourages others to give as well. It's hard to do that whilst simultaneously "giving in secret"; but when the church budget comes out and I can see how much my brethren have been giving it encourages me to do the same.
You do make a valid point, Josh. Even the wealthiest have their limits
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Neto
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Neto »

Biblical Anabaptist wrote:
Josh wrote:
Biblical Anabaptist wrote:I agree. If you have it to give and there is a need, give. It should make no difference what anyone else is doing.

Heard of an individual who would give some toward a need. If the need was not met he would give more. I suppose there are two ways to look at that. It is commendable that he was willing to dig deeper to help meet the need, but why not do that in the beginning?

Perhaps so that he could help additional needs, and also so that his example would inspire other people to give as well?

All of us have a lot of things we would like to give to, but eventually hit limits. There's only so much I can give to. I hope my example / testimony encourages others to give as well. It's hard to do that whilst simultaneously "giving in secret"; but when the church budget comes out and I can see how much my brethren have been giving it encourages me to do the same.
You do make a valid point, Josh. Even the wealthiest have their limits
I agree that there are limits. These deals always say something like "A donor has promised to match all gifts up to $100,000.00" (or some other figure). My point is that if that is the amount he had determined in his heart to give, he should just give it already. Seeing others give large amounts may prompt others to give as well, but it does not seem to me to be a Biblically supported reason to give, for either person. I should also give as I have determined in my own heart, not in response to what others give, or promise to give, if I will give more.
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Josh
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Josh »

I does seem to go against the whole idea of giving in secret, and in general, I think it's better to give at a very local level, not to distant organisations a long ways ago. My personal limit is that CAM is about as far away as I'd like to go, and the level of opacity where I have no idea what is going on with their organisation.

There are so many needs locally around me that even if I had a really huge salary, my resources would be exhausted before I could send a lot of money to far away places and organisations.
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Sudsy
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Sudsy »

Neto wrote:Today in the mail I received a donation request for a special project from a mission organization that we support. It is one of those matching gift deals.
What is you all's feeling about matching gifts, where someone promises to match everyone else's gifts up to some certain amount?
I admit that it turns me off. The Scripture says that each one should give as he/she has determined in their own heart. So I don't think that one person's donation amount should be determined by how much someone else will match it for, or by matching how much someone else has given.
I think all giving should be as private as possible and not be seeking recognition for it like the Pharisees were in Jesus day. Frankly, it is no one else's business how much I give and when I give and where I give. However, since the government allows me to get some of my giving back, I do need to disclose what I give to those keeping records. And when I get this tax break, I can give that equivalent amount back also if that is what I chose to do.

Myself, I don't care for the giving that gives me back some article (book, trinket of sorts, etc) based on how much I give. Imo, I just forfeited any eternal reward as in my giving I gave to get. Jesus told the Pharisees that when they put on a show for their giving, then any recognition they got was all there would be. No eternal reward.We should give freely and yet we are promised reward in heaven for it.

A comment on giving outside the local church - our dollar goes so much further in other areas of the world than it does here and we live in such abundance, even many we call poor here. We also can know where the monies are spent and what the admin. costs are. Often here we could be giving to dig a well for water for a whole village but instead we spend it on replacing some outdated church carpet or something like that. Some Anabaptists, including my own church, spend a great amount on fancy surroundings in a building that gets little use through the week according to hours spent there and I really wonder what God thinks of this 'giving to get' on these kind of things when we are so aware of the needs around the world and have such easy access to give to them.

Sorry, Neto, got carried away. :oops:
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Neto
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Neto »

Regarding giving to organisations far removed from us in location: We want to help people get the Scripture in their own languages. It's what we did in missions, and so our hearts are there. There aren't any people groups here close by that have that need, and we have close friends who are directly involved in this work in far off places.
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Josh
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Re: Matching Donations

Post by Josh »

Within a 20 mile radius of me are people I know struggling with finding a new place to move, making ends meet, and very behind on their bills, but also experiencing victory on things like finally getting payment plans put together for eg licence reinstatement.

Giving to far away ministry is fun and exciting. Helping my actual neighbour out with finding a place to stay and, yes, sometimes cash help - not that fun and exciting and also requires an emotional investment in the person.

I don't think it's right to say "Well Americans are well off so we don't need to focus on needs here" when people I know are at risk of being homeless or have been homeless before.
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