When appeal letters, donations, and prayer weren't growing donations at Cincinnati Christian University, they put their faith in mission-based fundraising. When they found and told the Essential Story^™ that symbolized the essence of their work—the story of a young man named Jeremy—they discovered that it had a powerful effect on donors...

Cincinnati Christian University was founded in 1924 to provide preachers for Christian churches. The university's roots are part of the independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, known as the "Restoration Movement," and their mission is to build Christian leaders one person at a time to serve the church and shape the world. The school has many moving stories about how they have changed the lives of their students, but they never really knew how to convey those stories to potential donors.

Currently, there are 1,100 students in the three schools that make up the university—undergraduate, graduate, and adult education. The school has a $16 million annual budget with a large fundraising gap because they subsidize about $3,200 of tuition per student. But as long-time donors were getting older, new donors were not picking up the slack, and the school was worried about losing their accreditation because of their financial status.

After attending a Benevon 101 Workshop in February of 2005, Cincinnati Christian University did something that few, if any, of Benevon's groups have attempted—they held five Ask Events^™ in seven months in four cities to reach their alumni and donors. The first of these Ask Events was just three months after their initial workshop training.

Would they hold so many events again? Probably not. Nor is it advised. But during these seven months, they had 840 guests at their Ask Events and raised more than $868,000 in gifts and pledges.

These Ask Events were very powerful events that from start to finish inspired guests and gave them a clear understanding of the positive impact the school has on its students. There was a sense of excitement as friendly students greeted guests and parked their cars. There were banners that read, "Just Ask Jeremy." Jeremy, a former troubled youth, attended all five of the Ask Events—in Lexington, Louisville, Indianapolis, and two in Cincinnati.

Jeremy's story, as told in the school's video, is that he was a troubled youth who came from a broken home and fell into drug and alcohol abuse. When he got in a car accident, he received $90,000, which he quickly wasted. A friend told him he needed to go to a Bible college and suggested Cincinnati Christian University. Jeremy went, but he did not stop his drug use, and the staff found out.

Instead of kicking Jeremy out of school, however, the staff members talked to him and learned about his background. They then offered him another chance and gave him a contract to turn his life around. The school motivated and supported Jeremy as he overcame his addiction and got his life on track.

Jeremy is now working at the school, and he is a role model for others and a strong supporter of the school.

"At every event, he was the most sought-after person," said Fran Anderson, vice president of marketing relations.

One of the Ask Event guests had never been to the school before, but he was so moved by Jeremy's story that he ended up pledging $10,000 a year for five years. Today, Cincinnati Christian University is part of Benevon's Five-Year Sustainable Funding Program^™ and has a plan to grow its individual giving program from 2–3% to 20–25%.

"This system has changed our whole fundraising focus," said Brenda Faust, the director of the annual fund. "People are in love with us because of what we do, and we are better at telling our story because of [Benevon]."

Click here to listen to a brief audioclip about Cincinnati Christian University's experience with the Benevon Model.