As far as I know, we fundraisers don't have a patron saint. Which is too bad, because Lord knows we need all the help we can get.
So I'd like to propose that we appropriate the patron-saintly services of St. Nicholas (more properly known as St. Nicholas of Myra the Wonderworker), whose feast day is today, December 6.
Yes, this is the St. Nicholas who gave rise to Santa Claus, but that's not why I think he's a good match for fundraisers. This 4th-century clergyman in what's now Turkey is known for a number of good deeds where he gave gifts to the poor and other in desperate situations. And unlike that publiclity-hog Santa, St. Nicholas preferred to keep his good deeds a secret. That's a lot like what good funderaisers do every day.
There's another story, in which a ship loaded with wheat bound for Constantinople visited the harbor in Myra during a terrible famine. St. Nicholas persuaded the sailors to unload some of the wheat for the people of Myra. After the sailors unloaded the wheat, they found that there was just as much on board as there had been to start with. Fundraisers create something out of nothing all the time.
Nicholas is already the patron saint of children, sailors, fishermen, merchants, broadcasters, the falsely accused, prostitutes, repentant thieves, pharmacists, archers, and pawnbrokers -- what a perfect group for fundraisers to join. We'd fit right in.
So light a candle (or whatever you prefer to do) for St. Nicholas!
