What You Miss if You Don’t Call“Hey (potential partner), I am excited about my new role with XYZ ministry! I’d love to get together with you to share about how God is using this ministry to change lives. Could we maybe grab coffee next Thursday morning?”
You hit send and wait for their reply.
Crickets.
Before you blame the phrasing of your text or think, “but you don’t know MY friends…” I want you to refocus on the purpose. You need to get a hold of people and get an answer from them in the most efficient way possible and with the highest chance of success. I’m not talking
Callie Davis
January 02, 2024
3 MINUTE READ
Referrals Aren’t About What You NeedLook at your list of people you will ask to partner with you. What if support raising wasn’t about going down the list of people you know, but instead finding the people God had called? What if God called people who weren’t on your list? How do you find them?
When my friend, Michael, was first raising support, his dad connected him to a business friend, Charlie. Michael set up the appointment, prepared, showed up at Charlie’s office, and everything went great. Only, Charlie didn’t partner with him, but he did connect Michael to one of his associates, Steve. Michael met
Callie Davis
December 20, 2023
3 MINUTE READ
Plateaus Don’t Last ForeverWe hope you are well on your way to being fully funded. The training and resources you’ve received were designed to help you to succeed and be encouraged as you grow deeper in your relationship with God and your partners in ministry.
Though some people are fully funded in 100 days, it can sometimes take a little–or a lot–longer. Unfortunately, it is easy to find yourself stuck somewhere between where you were, and where you ultimately need to be. You may be feeling like you are lost somewhere on a lonely plateau.
However, there is encouraging truth you should know. If you h
Via Generosity
May 10, 2023
2 MINUTE READ
Seek out People Who Spur You OnYou have likely been very focused on the hard work of setting up appointments, inviting others to partner with you, and finding your most effective routine for tracking all of the moving parts as you raise support. It’s very possible you could use a dose of encouragement right about now!
Via Generosity
January 12, 2023
6 MINUTE READ
Why We Need to Give Deeply Personal InvitationsImagine Paul getting to Europe the first time around. His expedition was altered by the Holy Spirit, taking him from Asia Minor and into Greece, not as he had planned. Upon arriving in Philippi, Paul had no starting point in the synagogue. “On the sabbath day he went outside the city gate to the river, where he expected to find a place of prayer. He sat down and began to speak to the women there.” (Act 16:13) The first act of response is the generosity of Lydia, housing Paul. Next up, a demon-possessed, fortune-telling girl follows Paul and Silas for many days shouting, “The
Leendert de Jong
December 20, 2022
3 MINUTE READ
Your Part vs. God's PartEach member of any partnership or collaboration is vital to the end result. That’s something all successful people can agree upon. If everyone does their part, the plans have better results. In Steve Shadrach’s book, The God Ask, chapter 11 highlights the important distinction between the role you play as the support raiser and the role God plays in the vision you have for funding your ministry. You will be bolder and more assured when you know that this plan doesn’t rest entirely on your shoulders!
Via Generosity
December 02, 2022
3 MINUTE READ
How to Ask With ConfidenceWe have learned quite a bit about defining and refining the process for success in support raising. You’ve written and practiced, called and invited, documented referrals, and learned about the important follow-up that’s needed. But how are you doing with your actual Ask? Are you inviting potential supporters to join you in something even bigger than your (hopefully) contagious enthusiasm?
As you read in The God Ask, the real power behind the Ask isn’t yours. The confidence comes from knowing you are giving others the opportunity to invest in something big, unique, and excit
Via Generosity
December 01, 2022
3 MINUTE READ
A Well-Crafted Newsletter Is ImportantYour ministry partners are an essential part of your team! “Of course,” you say. But have you taken the opportunity to send a quality update so they can see what their investment is growing?
Via Generosity
November 16, 2022
3 MINUTE READ
Don't Let Progress Slow You DownYou have worked toward becoming organized. You have prioritized your schedule. You have started making regular phone calls, and have even had some appointments. There seems to be a ripple effect, and the waves might have started overlapping. Yes! You are starting to see the effects of the Big Mo’!
The temptation here is to let up, but now is precisely when you need to make good use of your time and tools. Press into the process and let it work to help you be spiritually healthy, vision-driven and fully funded!
Via Generosity
November 04, 2022
5 MINUTE READ
How Might God Call Me to Be Part of Someone Else’s MPD Journey?A number of years ago, Izzy* chose to follow God’s calling to our team. She was a missionary force to be reckoned with. As a student, she regularly would see students from her shared Latino heritage come to know Jesus. However, she came from a low-income family and background, was first generation college, and had very few MPD resources. She spent the whole summer sitting at our dining room table, making call after call, faithfully trusting the Lord to provide for her support. Although advocacy was a relatively new concept, my husband and I wanted to come alongside her in her journey. E
Corey Park
October 27, 2022
6 MINUTE READ
Are You a Cheerful Receiver?You probably know the verse, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). You probably also know that any of us become cheerful givers to the cause of Christ when we really understand what Jesus did for us on the cross. When I really experience the grace of Jesus, I give gladly out of my heartfelt gratitude for what Jesus has done for me. As support raisers, you get all of that! Your question is “how do I get people to give cheerfully to the ministry I lead?” To answer that question, let me ask you a question: What percentage of your donors are cheerful givers?
George Kenworthy
October 26, 2022
7 MINUTE READ
A Story of God At Work in AfricaMy name is Victor Mushimbami and I am from Zambia. My wife’s name is Dorcas Mushimbami and my daughter’s name is Nuru Mushimbami. Both my wife and I come from poor family backgrounds.
Victor Mushimbami
October 04, 2022
3 MINUTE READ
Coaching Cross-CulturallyDoes culture affect coaching? You bet it does! I've noticed that most coaching training originated from cultures that could be described as individualistic and egalitarian - countries like Australia, Britain, and the United States. However, much of the world is group-oriented and hierarchical in their cultural ways of behaving. The peoples of Arab-speaking countries, China, Greece, Indonesia, India, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, Turkey, West Africa, in fact, the majority of the world's population follow these cultural tendencies.
Keith Webb
September 20, 2022
6 MINUTE READ
The Spirituality of (Year-End) FundraisingMy favorite book related to support raising is Henri Nouwen’s The Spirituality of Fundraising. I read it at least once a year to be refreshed in a biblical perspective of giving, receiving and asking. I will admit, though, that perspective is most tested when it is time for my year-end appeal to ministry partners. It is no secret in the nonprofit world that year-end giving makes a significant impact on annual budgets, sometimes up to 50%. It also is no secret to the gospel worker. With such a great opportunity — and for some, such “high stakes” — it is easy for t
Dave Dickens
September 01, 2022
5 MINUTE READ
What Is the Minimum Training Needed to Be Effective at Support Raising?What can I get by with? This is a question worth asking. Maybe a better rewording: what is the minimum needed to still be effective? This is the question I want to ask and re-ask when looking at the various support raising training needs of my staff. If you have a robust partnership development training, such as SRS Bootcamp or something similar, then it’s tempting to use that one training for every situation. You know it’s effective! But what about the small needs? I’m thinking about semester interns instead of career salary. Maybe it’s staff that will have suppleme
Callie Davis
August 16, 2022
5 MINUTE READ
How to Be Spiritually Healthy, Vision-Driven and Fully Funded“Spiritually Healthy, Vision-Driven, and Fully funded” – You have heard these words numerous times, but what do they mean? What do they look like as qualities of a God-Asker? My husband and I moved from Monterrey, Mexico, to our Jos, Nigeria site. By the time we arrived in Nigeria, we had depleted our staff account to move our family, establish housing, etc. We had two very different perspectives: mine believed God could supply our needs, and in faith, we trust Him to that end as I know He called us to serve there. My husband was full of doubt as he struggled with the lies o
Corrie Guckenberger
August 02, 2022
5 MINUTE READ
The Power Behind "Wonder" in CoachingWe all know asking good questions is key to great coaching. Do you ever let yourself wander down the lane of questioning? Do you ever wonder about why? Or think about the “what ifs” in a good way? Especially on behalf of the people you are coaching. For example: What if this obstacle went away? What if they didn’t have to do X? As coaches and leaders of others, we can wonder our way to some discoveries and find answers to struggles, even struggles that are not ours. We can help the people we coach by wondering things on their behalf or si
Janice Hickman
July 18, 2022
5 MINUTE READ
From American Idol to Support Raising: Scott MacIntyre's StoryAs my brother guided me through the dark scaffolding behind the American Idol stage for the last time and my white cane tapped against a metal fixture, I heard Kara DioGuardi’s voice say, “All of this – it doesn’t matter, because you inspire people.” Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell had all spoken words of encouragement to me that I would never forget, but it was Kara who understood the calling on my life, better than I understood it myself. Over the years that followed, I had the opportunity to share large stages with musicians I grew up listening t
Scott MacIntyre
June 29, 2022
6 MINUTE READ
A Roadmap to Navigate the Pitfall of Getting OverwhelmedWe have all been there, haven’t we? We start our support-raising journey full of faith, motivation, momentum, and eager anticipation. And then a couple of prospective partners say “No” and others don’t respond to our calls. Even worse, our closest friends and family express doubt about the Lord’s call to mission in our lives. Suddenly, we find ourselves discouraged and unmotivated, with our faith wavering. We feel stuck, fearful, and overwhelmed. During all this, even the most experienced missionary can lose confidence and may begin to lose hope and feel tempted
Charles Wesley
June 10, 2022
5 MINUTE READ
How to Remain Spiritually Healthy for the Long HaulCan you remember the last hard thing that you accomplished? When we hear this question we often think of finishing things like marathons, a degree or licensure. For some it may mean paying off debt or as my wife reminds me, pregnancy… yeah that’s hard! Several of us have been through surgery recovery or overcoming a disease (many still in process). Maybe it was something a little less serious, but still hard — a house remodel! I wish I was friends with Joanna and Chip. Here’s the point. You have done really hard things. And you will do hard things again. Genesis tell