“Bahá’u’lláh has written that, ‘… He who is the Eternal Truth—exalted be His glory—hath made the fulfillment of every undertaking on earth dependent on material means.’ The community of the Greatest Name is in this day embarked upon the mightiest of undertakings destined to give rise to the spiritualization of mankind and the transformation of human society. Its needs should not, and indeed will not, be met only by the contributions from believers resident in those countries now enjoying a relatively high standard of living; rather should every follower of Bahá’u’lláh, undeterred by the meagerness of his material resources, resolve to offer his share for the work of the Faith.”

The Universal House of Justice, September 17, 1992

“To give and to be generous are attributes of Mine; well is it with him that adorneth himself with My virtues.”

Bahá’u’lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá’u’lláh, #49

Bahá’u’lláh has written that God “hath made the fulfillment of every undertaking on earth dependent on material means.”

“... our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the system of Baha’u’llah Divine in origin that the world can be gotten on its feet and want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá’ís cannot contribute to our work or do it for us; so really our first obligation is to support our own teaching work as this will lead to the healing of the nations.” Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated December 8, 1947, to an individual believer, in Lights of Guidance, par. 413 “The more we study the present condition of the world, the more deeply we become convinced that there just cannot be any way out of its problems except the way of God, as given by Him, through Bahá’u’lláh. The early Persian Bahá’ís gave their lives for the Cause; the Western believers have been spared this necessity, but their comfort, to some extent; they must sacrifice if they are going to discharge their moral obligation to a tortured humanity, and bring to it the message of the Father. Once the friends start out to win the goals set in their Plan, they will find the Divine confirmation sustaining them and hastening its consummation.”

Shoghi Effendi, Unfolding Destiny, pp. 177–178

“The backbone of the Fund must be the regular contributions of every believer. Even though such contributions may be small because of the poverty of the donors, large numbers of small sums combine into a mighty river that can carry along the work of the Cause. Moreover the unity of the friends in sacrifice draws upon them the confirmations of the Blessed Beauty. The universal participation of the believers in every aspect of the Faith - in contributing to the Fund, in teaching, deepening, living the Bahá’í life, administering the affairs of the community, and, above all, in the life of prayer and devotion to God - will endow the Bahá’í community with such strength that it can overcome the forces of spiritual disintegration which are engulfing the non-Bahá’í world, and can become an ocean of oneness that will cover the face of the planet.”

The Universal House of Justice, Messages 1963 to 1986, p. 178 in 1974

“Giving to the Fund, therefore, is a spiritual privilege, not open to those who have not accepted Bahá’u’lláh, of which no believer should deny himself. It is both a responsibility and a source of bounty. This is an aspect of the Cause which, we feel, is an essential part of the basic teaching and deepening of new believers. The importance of contributing resides in the degree of sacrifice of the giver, the spirit of devotion with which the contribution is made and the unity of the friends in this Stewardship and Development 7 service; these attract the confirmations of God and enhance the dignity and self-respect of the individuals and the community.” Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated August 7, 1985, to all National Spiritual Assemblies “Contributing to the Bahá’í fund constitutes an act of spiritual discipline which is an intrinsic element of the devotional life of the individual. No believer should be unaware of the privilege of contributing to the advancement of the Cause of God, irrespective of his material circumstances. The practice of giving to the Fund strengthens the connection between the believer and the Cause and enhances his sense of identification with it. Divine confirmations redound upon those who offer a portion of their material resources in a spirit of sacrifice, motivated by their love of the Faith and their desire to assist in its progress.”

The Universal House of Justice, September 17, 1992

“In addition to teaching, every believer can pray. Every believer can strive to make his ‘own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh.’ Every believer can contribute to the Fund. Not all believers can give public talks, not all are called upon to serve on administrative institutions. But all can pray, fight their own spiritual battles, and contribute to the Fund. If every believer will carry out these sacred duties, we shall be astonished at the accession of power which will result to the whole body, and which in its turn will give rise to further growth and the showering of greater blessings on all of us.”

Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated September 1964, to the Bahá’ís of the World

“All the friends of God . . . should contribute to the extent possible, however modest their offering may be. God doth not burden a soul beyond its capacity . . . O Friends of God! Be ye assured that in place of these contributions, your agriculture, your industry, and your commerce will be blessed by manifold increases, with goodly gifts and bestowals. He who cometh with one goodly deed will receive a tenfold reward.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Prayers

“... Every Bahá’í, no matter how poor, must realize what a grave responsibility he has to shoulder in this connection, and should have confidence that his spiritual progress as a believer in the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh will largely depend upon the measure in which he proves, in deeds, his readiness to support materially the Divine institutions of his Faith.”

Shoghi Effendi, Dawn of a New Day, p. 68

“Contributing to the Fund is a service that every believer can render, be he poor or wealthy; for this is a spiritual responsibility in which the amount given is not important. It is the degree of the sacrifice of the giver, the love with which he makes his gift, and the unity of all the friends in this service which bring spiritual confirmations. …” Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated December 18, 1963, to the Bahá’ís of East and West “The overwhelming majority of the Bahá’ís in the world are poor people, but it is to the believers, and to the believers alone, that Bahá’u’lláh has given the bounty of contributing the material things of this world for the progress of His Faith. It is not the amount of the contribution which is important, but the degree of self-sacrifice that it entails—for it is this that attracts the confirmations of God.”

Letter from the Universal House of Justice, dated April 13, 1975, to all National Spiritual Assemblies receiving assistance from the Bahá’í International Fund, in Lights of Guidance, par. 841

“... God does not ask from any soul except according to his ability. This contribution must come from all cities and villages from all the believers of God ... whosoever comes with one good act, God will give him tenfold. There is no doubt that the living Lord shall assist and confirm the generous soul.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the Friends of the East and the West, Star of the West, Vol. VI, No. 17, p. 139, in Lights of Guidance, par. 840

“Even though Shoghi Effendi would urge every believer to sacrifice as much as possible for the sake of contributing towards the fund of the National Assembly, yet he would discourage the friends to incur debts for that purpose. We are asked to give what we have, not what we do not possess, especially if such an act causes suffering to others. In such matters we should use judgment and wisdom and take into our confidence other devoted Bahá’ís.”

Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated May 4, 1932, to an individual believer, in Lights of Guidance, par. 842

“... Since only those who have openly proclaimed their recognition of Bahá’u’lláh are permitted to contribute financially to the establishment of His world order, it is apparent that more, much more, is required from the few now so privileged. Our responsibilities in this field are very great, commensurate indeed with the bounty of being the bearers of the Name of God in this Day.”

Message from the Universal House of Justice, dated Ridván 1966, to the Bahá’ís of the World

“Concerning your question whether a person is to contribute to the Bahá’í Fund when he obtains his means of livelihood through public charity. Practically this is impossible, for a person who is so dependent upon the community cannot be of much help to others. Generally he does not have sufficient even for himself alone. In principle however, this is a secondary issue. Donations to the Cause are free. It is for every person to judge for himself whether he is in a position to contribute and whether he desires to do it; how he has obtained that sum is immaterial. A poor person may be readier than a rich man in sharing with others, and if he does, his sacrifice would be greater. A rich man’s gift may not be a sacrifice, but a poor man’s is sure to be.”

Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated March 9, 1932, to an individual believer, in Lights of Guidance, par. 856

“Regarding your question about contributions: it is up to the individual to decide; if he wishes to donate a sum for a specific purpose, he is free to do so; but the friends should recognize that too much labeling of contributions will tie the hands of the Assembly and prevent it from meeting its many obligations in various fields of Bahá’í activity.”

Letter from Shoghi Effendi, dated June 23, 1950, to the National Spiritual Assembly of Canada, in Messages to Canada, p. 14

“In educating the friends to be conscious of contributing to the fund as a fundamental element of Bahá’í life, the Assembly should make them aware of the individual believer’s prerogative of contributing directly to all the funds of the Faith: international, continental and national as well as local.”

Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, dated February 12, 1987, to a National Spiritual Assembly, in Lights of Guidance, par. 871

“The fixing of priorities is dependent on many factors, relating both to the Cause as a whole and to each individual in his or her own circumstances.

“As far as the Cause is concerned, all the work must be kept going; all the funds need to be supported, both directly by the believers, and also by the making of contributions by Bahá’í institutions from one fund to another, which do not take the place of contributions from individuals—the source of the life-blood of the Cause.

“At the level of the individual believer, attention to the needs of the funds of the Faith parallels the principles which govern multiple loyalties. The first loyalty of a Bahá’í is to the whole of mankind, for the benefit of the part is best achieved through the welfare of the whole. But this widest loyalty does not eliminate the lesser loyalties of love for one’s country, for the area in which one lives, or for one’s family. They all constitute a network of interdependent and mutually beneficial loyalties. So it is with the individual believer’s relationship to the International, Continental, National and Local Funds.

“Although the setting of priorities for contributing is a matter for personal judgment, the individual believer will certainly bear in mind the priorities of the work of the Cause as a whole.”

The Universal House of Justice, October 31, 1993

“An increasing number of believers around the world are creating organizations dedicated to the application of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings to the service of humanity. The House of Justice looks with keen interest on this growing phenomenon in the Bahá’í world, but cautions the friends that in establishing such organizations they should exercise care not to become a burden on the institutions or unduly divert the contributions of the believers from the essential and primary tasks of supporting the Funds of the Faith and the activities of the institutions. In addition, it expects them to conduct their affairs according to Bahá’í moral and ethical principles.”

From a letter dated 5 November 1993 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to a National Spiritual Assembly Stewardship and Development 10

“…In the first place every believer is free to follow the dictates of his own conscience as regards the manner in which to spend his own money. Secondly, we must always bear in mind that there are so few Bahá’ís in the world, relative to the world’s population, and so many people in need, that even if all of us gave all we had, it would not alleviate more than an infinitesimal amount of suffering. This does not mean we must not help the needy, we should; but our contributions to the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the System of Bahá’u’lláh—Divine in origin—that the world can be gotten on its feet, and want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá’ís cannot contribute to our work or do it for us; so really our first obligation is to support our own teaching work, as this will lead to the healing of the nations.”

Directives from the Guardian, Shoghi Effendi

“Any Bahá’í can give to the Cause’s Funds, adult or child. ... Bahá’í children have always given to the Cause, everywhere.”

Letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, dated August 18, 1949, to the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States, in The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. 1, p. 308

“The initiatives that youth can take in various fields of development, education and administration is great indeed. It is essential that, from an early age, they learn to shoulder their responsibilities, including their sacred duty to contribute generously to the funds of the Faith.”

Email written on behalf the Universal House of Justice, dated December 17, 1998, to the National Youth Committee of India

“In connection with the Institution of the National Fund and the budgetary system set forth in the minutes of the National Spiritual Assembly, I feel urged to remind you of the necessity of ever bearing in mind the cardinal principle that all contributions to the Fund are to be purely and strictly voluntary in character. It should be made clear and evident to every one that any form of compulsion, however slight and indirect, strikes at the very root principle underlying the formation of the Fund ever since its inception. While appeals of a general character, carefully worded and moving and dignified in tone are welcome under all circumstances, it should be left entirely to the discretion of every conscientious believer to decide upon the nature, the amount, and purpose of his or her contribution for the propagation of the Cause.”

Letter from Shoghi Effendi, dated January 10, 1926, to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of United States and Canada, in Bahá’í Administration: Selected Messages 1922-1932, pg. 101