What happened when Cynthia Barnes finally invoiced her church? It became a masterclass in pricing purpose, honuoring one’s gifts, and transforming “service” into sustainable impact. Here’s how it unfolded, in her words:
“Yes, I invoiced my church $10K.
The pastor’s jaw dropped. “But we’re doing God’s work.”
“So am I,” I said. “And God’s work deserves proper funding.”
See, they’d been running community programs for 15 years. Free financial literacy. Free job training. Free business coaching. All led by Black women who tithed, served, and subsidized.
The youth minister was teaching coding bootcamps after her 9-to-5.
The deacon’s wife ran entrepreneurship workshops on Saturdays.
Sister Johnson’s grant-writing saved them $2M.
All for “the glory.”
None for the invoice.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡:
The coding bootcamp they gave away? Worth $5K per student.
The entrepreneurship program? Corporations pay $25K for that.
Sister Johnson’s grant expertise? Consultants charge $10K per proposal.
They were sitting on $500K in annual program revenue.
Giving it away while Black women burned out.
Calling it ministry while we subsidized their mission.
I didn’t just invoice them. I taught them to invoice everyone else.
Started charging corporations for diversity training they’d been doing free.
Created certification programs that companies paid to send employees to.
Turned “community service” into community revenue.
Six months later:
• $500K in program fees generated
• 12 Black women instructors now paid $150/hour
• Zero burnout, maximum impact
The pastor called it a miracle.
I called it pricing our gifts properly.
Because even in sacred spaces, Black women’s contributions have value. Our expertise doesn’t become free because we’re in the sanctuary. Our brilliance doesn’t get discounted at the church door.
That $10K invoice? It was for the framework that generated the $500K.
They paid it. In full. On time.
Because transformation costs. Whether it’s in boardrooms or church basements.
To every Black woman giving away her genius for “the cause”:
Your cause needs funding.
Your gifts deserve compensation.
Your service has a price tag.
Even Jesus said the worker deserves their wages.
Start invoicing. Even your church.
Especially your church.
Because we can’t pour from empty cups.
But we can invoice for the pitcher.
Thank You; It’s True™
P.S. Three other churches just hired me to implement the same framework. $15K each. Turns out, sacred spaces everywhere need to learn how to value Black women’s work. I’m teaching them. At market rate.“
©Cynthia Barnes 2025