Biblical generosity – the desire to use what God has entrusted to you and put it to work for someone else – is a great calling. Along the generosity journey, you discover charitable organizations doing meaningful work, and you want to be a part of it. But how do you know which projects to fund? How do you know if your gift will accomplish what you hoped?
In The Eternity Portfolio: Illuminated, author and investor Alan Gotthardt offers five practical questions you can ask to help ensure your generosity makes the intended impact. Because sometimes, without the right due diligence, important details can be overlooked.
A field that looked promising
Well along on their giving journey, the Huntes were asked to fund an agricultural project in Uganda. They’d partnered with this ministry before. They trusted its leadership. Previous projects had gone well. So when they heard the proposal to purchase land that surrounding communities could farm and harvest together, the Huntes were excited to help.
The mission was clear, the relationship with the ministry was strong, and the timing even seemed providential. The Huntes’ philanthropy advisor had already planned a trip to Uganda. But, while there, she visited the proposed property with a trusted Ugandan friend – who also happened to be an agronomist familiar with local soil patterns and seasonal weather, and she discovered something.
At first glance, the land looked ideal: open, fertile, expansive. But as they walked the perimeter, her Ugandan friend pointed out the two hillsides surrounding the field and explained what those slopes meant during a rainy season. Every six months, the rains would come hard and fast. Water would rush down from the hillside and settle in that low-lying field.
The philanthropy advisor reported back to the Huntes that the land they were hoping to purchase was a floodplain. Crops planted there would be washed away twice every year. The project intended to stabilize families’ incomes would instead destabilize them. Seeds would be lost. Labor would be wasted. The harvest would be washed away. The community would bear the cost.
The Huntes weren’t careless. They were a generous, trusting family who had good reason to believe in this ministry. But without someone on the ground who knew the right questions to ask, their gift could have harmed the families they hoped to serve.
The discipline of evaluation
The Huntes’ story is a reminder that the way we give matters. Being a good steward means doing your due diligence when making a sizeable gift.
Gotthardt suggests that the time you spend evaluating a project should be proportional to the resources you’re going to invest. For larger gifts, he suggests five ways to assess an organization or project before you invest.
Looking through these five lenses helps ensure your generosity does what you intend it to do.
1. Purpose: Why does this organization exist?
Every organization exists for a reason. But clarity matters. Is the mission clear and focused, or vague and broad? What problem is this ministry actually trying to solve? Is that problem clearly defined? Is it addressing root causes, or is it treating symptoms?
For the Huntes, the purpose was clear: to provide sustainable agricultural income for surrounding communities. That is a compelling and worthy goal. But even the clearest purpose must be supported by wise execution.
2. People: Who is leading this work?
Organizations are ultimately shaped by people. Are the leaders humble and teachable? Do they welcome hard questions? Are they close to the communities they serve? Do they demonstrate integrity not only in public, but in the quiet, uncelebrated details?
Healthy ministries are often marked by leaders who are passionate about their calling and open about their limitations. They invite expertise. They collaborate with local voices. They’re willing to adjust course when new information emerges.
In Uganda, it was a local agronomist who recognized the flood risk immediately. That kind of local knowledge is not a peripheral detail; it’s essential. Wise leaders listen closely to the people on the ground.
3. Philosophy: How do they think about their work?
Every organization operates from a set of underlying beliefs. How does this ministry view the people it serves? As recipients? As partners? As image-bearers with dignity and agency?
How does the ministry approach fundraising – as a partnership or a sales pitch? Is there a spirit of transparency and accountability? How are decisions made? Who has a voice? The organizations that welcome your questions are usually the ones worth investing in.
4. Process: How does the work actually happen?
This is often where evaluation reveals what your heart wants to overlook. How does the organization actually carry out its mission? What safeguards are in place? How are risks identified and mitigated? How are local experts consulted?
In the Huntes’ story, “process” was the critical question. Had someone with agricultural expertise assessed the land? Had seasonal flooding patterns been mapped? Was there a mechanism for local input before funds were committed?
Process may not be glamorous. It rarely makes the highlight reel. But it determines whether a project can endure beyond that first wave of enthusiasm and serve people well over time.
5. Performance: What has the organization accomplished?
Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, but it does offer insight. How has this organization handled previous projects? Have they measured outcomes honestly? Are they transparent about failures as well as successes? Do they adapt and improve?
Performance isn’t about perfection. It’s about learning. “Allow proven leaders the latitude to take risks,” Gotthardt writes. “As long as those in leadership are accountable, they should not be prohibited from exploring new territory.”
The Huntes’ trust in the ministry was built on past experience. That history mattered. But wise givers resist the temptation to assume that past success eliminates the need for present evaluation.
Every project deserves fresh attention.
Back to the floodplain
In the end, the Huntes did not fund that particular land purchase. The ministry regrouped. Additional evaluation took place. A different property – better suited for sustainable farming – was eventually identified.
Seeds planted there did not wash away.
Had the family skipped the questions, skipped the due diligence, the outcome would have been different. The crops would have flooded. The families would have paid the price. And the givers might never have known why the project failed.
Not every gift requires this level of evaluation. But significant investments deserve careful attention. Your generosity is a reflection of God’s love and care for his people. It deserves the same thoughtfulness, curiosity, and diligence you bring to other big decisions in your life.
And asking good questions is a part of biblical generosity and good stewardship. It’s also an act of love for the people God calls you to serve.
Adapted with permission from The Eternity Portfolio by Alan Gotthardt
Names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.
