Fundraising Shekalim

Rosh Chodesh Adar is the day Beis Din would announce the collection of Shekalim. This past shabbos we read parshas shekalim and the Haftora we read presented us with two different ways of fundraising.

King Yoash has decided to make repairs to the Bais Hamikdash. This is a tremendous maneuver on his part, the Beis Hamikdash having fallen into disarray after his father and grandmother, King Achazya and Queen Attalia, worshiped the Baal and allowed the Mikdash to deteriorate. In order to raise the capital needed for these repairs King Yoash decides to send the Kohanim out
as meshulachim for the Mikdash. He instructs them to go to every town and collect funds for the mikdash. The Kohanim are not pleased with this arrangement and they do not collect as much money as the king envisioned.

Yehoyada, the Kohen Gadol, then presents the king with an alternative method of fund raising. He places a chest in the mikdash, beside the mizbeach, and as people are serviced by the kohanim, the kohanim tell them they can make a donation into the chest. The chest is soon filled many times over, and the King’s improvements to the Mikdash are paid for.

It appears that Yoash and Yehoyada present us with two different modes of fundraising, dues and donations. Yoash has the kohanim collect dues from the nation. The result, the people are upset by the taxes, the kohanim are upset they have become tax collectors, and insufficient funds are raised. Yehoyada has the people make donations. The kohanim are to service the people, and as the people experience the mikdash they are moved to donate. The result, people donate sufficient funds for the repairs.

I think we are stuck in a Yoash model, our communal institutions charging dues and requiring community members to make additional building campaign and membership contributions. I am not sure how to switch to a Yehoyada model, but it has to start with servicing people. When people feel that an institution is vital and adds value to their lives they will donate, no dues required. If we have reached a point when we will not support institutions we feel are important we have truly fallen as a nation. If we have not, perhaps the best thing we can for our fundraising efforts is to make our services more relevant and vital to the lives of our constituents.