Shining Light on the Lies

By on June 18, 2019   /   Leaders, Training   /   Leave a comment

If you are doing God’s work, the devil will try to get you to not do it, using whatever tactics he can. And one of his favorite tactics is lies. Just look at Genesis 3:1-5 to see how he tempts Adam and Eve using lies. His tactics haven’t changed much since then. Lies love to show up along with the other challenges of support raising. If we aren’t diligent in fighting them and training our staff to fight them, these lies can sideline the staff we are leading. Here’s a battle plan for fighting the lies that show up to […]

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Funding Principles Go Beyond Borders

By on June 4, 2019   /   Non-Westerners   /   Leave a comment

The perception exists in some Non-Westerners that the West are “rich,” and so it is easy for them to support Non-Western missionaries. This perception is fed in part by a misconception of financial realities in both cultures and currency values relative to local economies. Just as it is not true that all Westerners are rich, it is not true that there are no resources in Non-Western countries. People work and generate wealth and can give towards the work of advancing the gospel. In any culture, people have to be presented with a clear vision and a clear invitation to give. […]

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Mobilize More: More Prayer, More Partners, More Praise

By on May 30, 2019   /   Leaders   /   Leave a comment

Are your staff people raising money…or are they mobilizing? Most Christian workers drudge through personal support raising as a “have to”, a necessary evil, a painful and unpleasant pathway to get to their ministry assignment. What if, as one of their ministry leaders, you could help your staff see the ministry of personal support raising (aka Ministry Partnership Development) as not about money, but about mobilization? You see, there’s an eternal reason the Lord has given each of your staff an ever growing network of friends, family, and churches. The bigger purpose behind it all is that He desires to […]

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Burden vs. Load: Living in the Tension as a Coach

By on May 21, 2019   /   Coaching, Leaders   /   Leave a comment

In Galatians 6:2 Paul says, “Carry each other’s burdens and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This makes sense to our idea of biblical community. But a few short verses later in Galatians 6:5, he says, “Each one should carry his own load.” So, what’s the deal? Are we to help each other, or is each person supposed to take care of his own stuff? Looking at the Greek meaning helps us find the distinction. In verse 2, “burden” refers to that which someone cannot take care of on their own. The word translated “load” in […]

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Where Are the African-American Missionaries?

By on May 7, 2019   /   Ethnic and Gender   /   Leave a comment

There are some unique barriers many African-Americans face as it relates to fundraising. Shortage of resources, limited network of relationships, pressure from family, not understanding the traditional fundraising practices and how those practices translate in their cultural context, scarcity of models or mentors, just to name a few. How about not being enlightened by the history of African-Americans engaged in missions? Could this impact the ability for an African-American to raise sustainable funding? Absolutely! If there are others who have gone before you who are similar to you or of the same ethnicity, having shared comparable experience, this can provide […]

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Coaching S.M.A.R.T. Support Raisers

By on April 16, 2019   /   Coaching, Leaders   /   Leave a comment

You may have previously heard that I was a failed support raiser for a few years before I attended an SRS bootcamp. I wasn’t even able to raise 25% of our need, and I felt like a terrible failure. There were many reasons for this, but a big one was that I didn’t have any plans for how to use my time, and how to chart my success outside of actual money given. I hadn’t built a good list of contacts, I didn’t know how to ask for referrals, I made too few calls and averaged too few appointments, among […]

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The 5 Worst Questions You May Be Asked During a Support Appointment

By on April 2, 2019   /   Appointments and Asking, Follow-Through/Obstacles   /   Leave a comment

When starting a Q and A time with a group I always seem to say, “There are no bad questions, only bad answers.” But as it relates to our support appointments, I’m not so sure. I certainly want to give every person I meet with the chance to ask whatever they want to, but occasionally those questions can be quite gut-wrenching! Here’s a sampling of some of the real “doozies” you might be presented with on the support trail with a suggested script that might aid you as you prayerfully think of a good response. Here we go. Buckle up! […]

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Could Floating Underfunded Staff Ultimately Sink Them?

By on March 19, 2019   /   Infrastructure   /   Leave a comment

Imagine if Christian organizations, whose staff raise their support, operated their finances as banks do and gave their staff “overdraft protection.” Wikipedia defines overdraft protection as, An overdraft occurs when money is withdrawn from a bank account and the available balance goes below zero. In this situation the account is said to be “overdrawn.” If there is a prior agreement with the account provider for an overdraft, and the amount overdrawn is within the authorized overdraft limit, then interest is normally charged at the agreed rate. Bank customers can arrange overdraft protection for their checking accounts. If they write a […]

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Color Outside the Lines: Successful Support Raising for People of (any) Color

By on March 5, 2019   /   Ethnic and Gender   /   Leave a comment

No matter the state of your partnership development efforts, you have my sincere admiration. The level of conviction and active faith it takes to live as a ministering fundraiser is worthy of cheers and thunderous applause. Thank you for honoring God by saying “yes” to His calling and launching into the “great adventure” to make an eternal difference in the lives of many. In this same spirit of reverence and as a person of color (POC) who has successfully developed and maintained a culturally diverse financial and prayer team, I’m writing to offer some tips and reminders about partnership development […]

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The Great Prerequisite for Support Raising Success

By on February 19, 2019   /   Leaders, Training   /   Leave a comment

Arrogance can keep us ignorant. I should know. I have spent most of my life thinking I knew everything there was to know, and if I didn’t, I could fake my way through. My test preparation strategy in college was to start studying at midnight before the test, then stumble into class with bleary eyes, a caffeine headache and a fried brain. It’s a miracle I even graduated! As a younger man, I thought I had all the answers. Now much older, all I have are questions. Life has a way of making us a little more humble and teachable, […]

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