GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Generis Donor Services & Generosity Glossary
This glossary synthesizes terminology used throughout the Generis website, fundraising best practices, and common CFRE-aligned advancement language. It is designed for church leaders, nonprofit executives, advancement teams, school administrators, pastors, board members, and donors seeking to better understand donor development and generosity consulting.
A
Advancement
A comprehensive approach to fundraising, donor relationships, communications, stewardship, and institutional growth. In Christian schools and nonprofits, advancement often includes annual giving, campaigns, alumni relations, and major gifts.
Annual Fund / Annual Giving
Recurring yearly fundraising efforts designed to support ongoing operational needs rather than one-time capital projects. Annual giving creates predictable support and strengthens donor participation habits.
Assessment
A diagnostic process evaluating an organization’s financial health, donor culture, campaign readiness, leadership alignment, or generosity potential. Generis offers several assessment tools for churches and nonprofits.
B
Biblical Stewardship
The theological belief that all resources belong to God and are entrusted to people for faithful management. Generis consistently frames generosity as discipleship and stewardship before fundraising.
Board Development
The process of strengthening a board’s governance, leadership engagement, fundraising participation, and strategic alignment with mission goals.
Burn Rate
The pace at which an organization spends its available funds. In nonprofit leadership, understanding burn rate helps determine sustainability and campaign urgency.
C
Campaign
A concentrated fundraising initiative designed to raise a significant amount of money within a defined timeframe for a specific vision or project.
Campaign Readiness
An organization’s preparedness for a capital or major fundraising campaign, including leadership alignment, donor capacity, systems, communication, and trust.
Capital Campaign
A strategic fundraising effort focused on raising large gifts for long-term assets such as buildings, campuses, debt reduction, or major expansion initiatives.
Case Statement
A compelling narrative explaining why an organization exists, what it hopes to accomplish, and why donors should invest financially in the vision.
CFRE (Certified Fund Raising Executive)
A globally recognized professional certification for fundraising practitioners demonstrating ethics, competency, and experience in philanthropy and donor development. Multiple Generis consultants hold CFRE credentials.
Coaching
Ongoing strategic guidance and accountability provided to leaders or organizations to strengthen generosity culture, donor engagement, leadership effectiveness, and fundraising execution.
Culture of Generosity
An environment where giving becomes a normal expression of discipleship, mission ownership, gratitude, and spiritual growth—not merely transactional fundraising. This is a central Generis philosophy.
Cultivation
The intentional process of building relationships with prospective or existing donors before asking for financial support.
D
Development Program
An organized system for fundraising, donor communication, stewardship, campaign planning, and advancement strategy.
Development Assessment
A formal evaluation of an organization’s fundraising structure, donor engagement, staffing, communication, and growth opportunities.
Digital Giving
Online and mobile methods of charitable giving, including text-to-give, recurring online gifts, digital wallets, and web-based donation platforms.
Digital Strategies
Technology-enabled approaches to donor engagement, communication, giving experiences, and fundraising systems optimization.
Discovery Session
An initial consultation process where a generosity consultant helps clarify vision, evaluate obstacles, and identify strategic opportunities.
Donor Journey
The progression of a donor’s relationship with an organization—from awareness to first gift, recurring support, major giving, and legacy generosity.
Donor Retention
The ability of an organization to keep donors engaged and giving year after year.
Donor Stewardship
The practice of thanking, communicating with, honoring, and caring for donors after a gift is made.
E
Engagement
Meaningful interaction and involvement between donors and the mission of an organization. High engagement often leads to increased generosity and loyalty.
Endowment
A permanently invested fund where earnings support an organization’s long-term mission and sustainability.
Equipping
Training leaders, staff, and volunteers to confidently communicate vision, generosity, and stewardship principles.
F
Feasibility Study
A confidential assessment conducted before a major campaign to determine donor willingness, campaign capacity, leadership credibility, and achievable fundraising goals.
First-Time Giver
A donor making their initial contribution to an organization. Generis emphasizes recognizing and stewarding this spiritual milestone carefully.
Funding Gap
The difference between an organization’s vision and currently available financial resources.
G
Generosity Potential
The unrealized giving capacity within a church or organization’s existing community.
Generosity Pulse Report
A Generis assessment tool that evaluates the health of an organization’s generosity culture and financial giving trends.
Generosity Strategist
A Generis consultant specializing in stewardship, donor engagement, campaigns, and generosity culture development.
Grant Writing
The process of preparing proposals requesting funding from foundations, corporations, or grant-making organizations.
I
Interim Leadership
Temporary executive or advancement leadership support provided during staffing transitions or organizational restructuring.
Integrated Generosity
Embedding generosity principles into all aspects of church or nonprofit life rather than limiting fundraising to special campaigns.
L
Leadership Alignment
Unified understanding and support among staff, pastors, boards, and ministry leaders regarding mission, vision, and funding priorities.
Legacy Giving
Planned gifts designed to leave a lasting impact beyond a donor’s lifetime, often through estates, wills, trusts, or beneficiary designations.
Lapsed Donor
A donor who previously gave but has stopped contributing for a significant period of time.
M
Major Gift
A significant financial contribution requiring intentional relationship-building, personalized communication, and strategic cultivation.
Major Gift Development
The systems and strategies used to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward high-capacity donors.
Mission Alignment
Ensuring organizational strategy, communication, staffing, and fundraising consistently support the core mission and vision.
Ministry Strategy
A consulting engagement focused on solving organizational challenges, clarifying direction, and improving execution effectiveness.
O
Offering Moment
A strategically planned church giving experience designed to inspire generosity during worship gatherings. Generis emphasizes treating this as a meaningful discipleship moment rather than a routine announcement.
One Fund
A generosity strategy that consolidates multiple giving asks into one unified vision fund to simplify communication and deepen generosity culture.
P
Passionate Generosity
A Generis phrase describing joyful, spiritually motivated giving driven by mission conviction rather than obligation.
Philanthropy
The intentional giving of time, talent, influence, or money for charitable and mission-driven purposes.
Planned Giving
Structured charitable giving arrangements prepared during a donor’s lifetime that often benefit the organization after death.
Pledge
A donor’s stated commitment to contribute a specified amount over time.
Portfolio Management
The strategic organization and oversight of donor relationships by advancement officers or fundraising teams.
R
Recurring Giving
Automated, ongoing donations made monthly, quarterly, or annually through digital giving systems.
Relationship-Based Fundraising
A fundraising philosophy prioritizing trust, pastoral care, and long-term partnership over transactional solicitation.
Return on Mission (ROM)
An evaluation framework emphasizing spiritual, relational, and missional outcomes alongside financial results.
S
Stewardship
The process of responsibly managing financial resources, donor relationships, and organizational mission. In Christian fundraising, stewardship carries strong theological meaning.
Strategic Planning
A structured process helping organizations clarify goals, priorities, obstacles, and execution pathways.
Sustainability
The ability of an organization to maintain healthy operations, staffing, and mission effectiveness over time.
T
Transformational Giving
Giving that changes both the donor and the organization through spiritual engagement, sacrifice, and mission ownership.
Transparency
Open communication regarding finances, mission outcomes, leadership decisions, and donor impact.
V
Vision Funding
Financial support aligned directly with an organization’s mission, future goals, and strategic initiatives.
Vision Gap
The distance between what leaders believe God is calling them to accomplish and the resources currently available.
Y
Year-End Giving
Strategic fundraising efforts conducted during the final months of the calendar year when charitable giving historically increases significantly.