A Jew, a Christian and a Muslim go to Las Vegas sounds like the start of any number of jokes, doesn’t it?
I belong to a trio of faith-based fundraisers. We speak at secular fundraising conferences. Las Vegas is most definitely not our vibe—I preferred Vancouver—but it makes the catchiest headline.
We are bridge builders, and if I can boast just a little bit, we are excellent at Q&A! There are questions you can’t – or shouldn’t – search for answers on the internet. We offer our fundraising peers a safe space to ask questions about how giving works in each of our faith traditions. We always generate questions, often after our session is done. We’ve been presenting together since November 2019 and really any of us could handle 90% of the Q&A at this point.
We talk about money and giving
We help fundraisers interact respectfully with faith-based donors. And if money wasn’t a tough enough topic, we also talk about death, funerals and legacy giving.
Most of all, we demonstrate how friends talk about hard things.
We provide meaningful content, but what people comment on the most is the respectful relationships we model. We don’t present to big rooms – probably 40 or 50 people at most. However, we will spend the rest of the conference being thanked by each of those people. It’s humbling.
Recently, my friend Irshad and I shared about Muslim and Christian fundraising practices with a group of Jewish fundraisers. Our friend Ann organized the gathering at her synagogue in Toronto, where she is director of development. (Having a paid fundraiser is not unusual in Ann’s context. Some in the group were surprised to learn that the giving details for many churches-different than the synagogue-reside in an Excel spreadsheet in a volunteer’s basement.)
Irshad is a full-time fundraiser by profession and an imam by vocation. He had been to this synagogue before, when he brought his congregation to gather outside in solidarity after the Tree of Life synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh. That is how he met Ann. I was introduced to Ann by a mutual friend.
We enjoyed the conversation and the bagels. I felt very comfortable, probably more at ease than in a room full of Christians. Why is that? Christians are polarized. I worry that someone will take offense at a progressive Christian woman presenting data showing that fewer North Americans are Christians.
Most of my friends are Christian, or nominally Christian. It’s an occupational hazard working in Christian fundraising. Belonging to an interfaith fundraising trio has enriched my definition of generosity.
I continue to learn from our interactions and have grouped my stories into three categories: etiquette, advocate and Scriptures.
Etiquette
Our church had its first in-person funeral after Covid restrictions. The kitchen was full of volunteers. I made a grocery store run to get gluten-free bread. I eyed the sandwich platters with dismay. Some family members were Muslim, plus the Muslim newcomer family our church sponsors was in attendance. I knew ham and cheese was out. Wait! Both egg salad and tuna were halal. Phew!
Advocate
I could do more here. I explain to audiences how the security situation differs at a mosque or synagogue compared to a church. We’ve advocated for more inclusive conference scheduling, as we have been booked for some of holiest days in the Muslim calendar two years in a row. One conference rescheduled to avoid Passover, which we greatly appreciated. We also ask about halal food and prayer rooms and am happy to report that conference organizers are becoming more inclusive.
Scriptures
We drove 500 km to Ottawa to speak earlier this year.
Ann brought a commentary on the Psalms, as a conversation-starter in case we ran out of things to talk about.
We didn’t get to it (I believe Irshad asked if it was alright to talk about death) but we do love to discuss the Scriptures. I am shameless in leaning on my friends when I’m preaching. I’ll throw the texts into our WhatsApp chat and invite their responses. My absolute favourite thread is our discussion of Joseph. Joseph doesn’t seek revenge on his brothers when they arrive in Egypt looking for food. Instead, he extends mercy and forgiveness.
While we continue to try to make talking about hard things easier, this year was particularly difficult. We asked conference organizers what their security plans were in case our session was disrupted by protesters. No disruptions occurred but it reminded me again of the tremendous privileges afforded to white Christians.
We always finish our sessions by sharing our belief that more unites us than separates us. This year we began our session with a grounding statement, which I’ll share here in closing.
We are a trio of Jewish, Christian and Muslim fundraisers. We started speaking together in 2019 and have become close friends. Our work has become more difficult and more important in this current moment.
Our faith traditions all trace back to Abraham.
Our pasts, our present and our future are intertwined.
We affirm our common humanity and our shared values of respect for all.
We reject hatred and intolerance, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.
We asked that you maintain an environment of inclusion and respect during our presentation.
May the G-d of Abraham cover us with a canopy of peace.
Dr. Lori Guenther Reesor is an author, speaker and generosity coach. A Stats major who went on to study theology and ministry, she wrote “Growing a Generous Church: A Year in the Life of Peach Blossom Church” to encourage churches to talk about money. She blogs at www.lgreesor.com.
