Rick Dunham
Rick Dunham is an American author and fundraising and marketing executive who works primarily with Christian nonprofit organizations. He founded a Christian marketing and fundraising company based in Plano, Texas.
Early Life and Education
Rick Dunham holds a BA from Biola University and a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. His theology background provides a unique biblical perspective on fundraising. Dunham is the author of If God Will Provide Why Do We Have to Ask for Money, which establishes a biblical philosophy of fundraising.
Personal
Dunham has been married to his wife, Judi, since 1973 and has 3 children and 8 grandchildren.
Career
Rick began his fundraising career in 1978 at Dallas Theological Seminary. Over the next 11 years, he was Director of Operations at Insight for Living (a Christian radio ministry); Vice President for Public Affairs at Campus Crusade for Christ, International School of Theology; and Vice President for Advancement at Biola University. In 1989, Rick joined KMA Direct Communications where he served for 14 years, the last five years as President And Co-owner of the company.
In 2002, Dunham founded Dunham+Company, which has become a top global marketing and communication consulting firm in the Christian nonprofit marketplace.
Dunham+Company established a new consulting model to serve ministries, a model which seeks to integrate the variety of organizational and marketing components that must work in concert in order to optimize income generation and impact long-term organizational effectiveness.
Dunham+Company assists over 50 nonprofit organizations globally to provide strategic development disciplines and execution that is both scalable and sustainable. The company works with such organizations as Open Doors, Daily Hope with Rick Warren, Feed The Hungry, PowerPoint Ministries with Jack Graham, The Urban Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, Samaritan’s Purse Australia, Premier Christian Radio, United Kingdom, and World Vision US.
Dunham is a member of the National Religious Broadcasters and the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), where he serves annually as a judge for the International ECHO Awards and is also a member of the DMA's Nonprofit Coalition. He serves on the board of The Giving Institute and is a member of the Editorial Review Board for Giving USA. He also serves on advisory council for the Christian Leadership Alliance.
Media
Rick is a speaker and writer whose perspectives on giving and philanthropy have been published in the ‘’Dallas Morning News’’, for his editorial article on the reduction and possible elimination of the charitable tax donation, and quoted in The Nonprofit Times for his insights on the charitable tax deduction. Dunham's insights have appeared on FoxNews.com on the same subject regarding the importance of preserving the tax deduction, stating “... it encourages individuals to give away a portion of their income to those in need. It rewards a selfless act, and it encourages taxpayers to give more funds to charities than they would otherwise have given. Data suggests that for every dollar a donor gets in tax relief for his or her donation, the public typically receives three dollars of benefit. No other tax provision generates that kind of positive public impact.”
Dunham has been published in ‘’The Washington Post’’ regarding the tax increases on wealthy Americans and how that impacts charitable giving and provided biblical insight to refute President Obama’s claim at the National Prayer Breakfast that “Jesus would favor his plan to increase taxes on the rich” in ‘’The Philadelphia Inquirer.’’ He has also served as a Fox Business News commentator on the impact the charitable tax deduction has on giving in the United States.
Books
Secure
Dunham's book Secure: Discovering True Financial Freedom was originally released in 2011, with a new edition published in 2013. In the book, he writes how real security is not found in one's paycheck, one's possessions, or the size of your one's portfolio. He explains how one can experience the financial freedom, personal peace, and genuine security God desires for one's life. Dunham discusses the book in a live interview on LeSea Broadcasting’s Harvest Show where LeSea President & CEO, Pete Sumrall describes Secure saying it is a “terrific, terrific book that will bless you.”
According to Rich Stearns, President, World Vision US, “this may be the most important book you read this year. . . in fact, I plan to read it once a year.”
Dr. Jack Graham, Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church, Plano, Texas, summarized the book in this way “Rick Dunham has written Secure to help us find our spiritual balance again. To assist all who want to rise out of the pit of recent meltdowns and find the way to true financial freedom.”
If God Will Provide Why Do We Have to Ask For Money
Dunham's first book, If God Will Provide Why Do We Have to Ask for Money was released in 2007 and takes readers to the bible to show them what God has to say on the issue of fundraising.