Donor vs Investor

Do Terms Really Matter? Isn’t It Just About Getting the Check?

Roses may smell just as sweet by any name you choose to call them, but most often words, similar in meaning, have nuances or connotations that speak volumes! Consider the difference between “investor” and “donor.” Sure, they both do have a connection with financial giving, but they convey different expectations and intentions.

Donors donate, perhaps generously, but the donation carries no further expectation, apart from perhaps another donation in the future. The intention of the giver and the receiver was for the former to make a donation to the latter. Give the gift; get the gift.

Investors invest. Originally, investing had to do with clothing oneself. An investor makes an investment with an expectation of its “paying off.” The investor remains interested and involved, the greater the investment the greater the interest and involvement.

Donors engage in a simple process of transfering money. So do investors, but there’s more. Investors engage in a profound process of transforming one’s very being. Why? How? The investment creates a bond between the giver and the getter. The getter’s goals seize the heart of the giver and the truth—

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:21 NIV)—

comes to life. For the investor the gift is not the check. The gift is the giver’s heart. The checks follow naturally!

At Lead Like Jesus we’ll gladly receive the donor’s check, but we’d much more favor the gift being the donor’s heart.

Donor vs Investor. So, do terms really make any difference. Maybe just a world of difference, as in a world of 6.8 billion souls difference!