Embracing Your Community in Ministry Partner Development

By on January 4, 2021   /   Communication and Relationships, Ethnic and Gender, Helpful Tips, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

Diwali. Lunar New Year. Cinco de Mayo. Eid al-Fitr. Passover. Christmas. Depending on your personal background and the community in which you were raised or currently reside, some of these words immediately bring to mind joyous gatherings filled with family, friends, and of course mountains of great food. These rich cultural celebrations bring out the best in their communities: a sense of connectedness, inclusion, deep familial relationships, honoring of others, and a recognition of something greater than the individuals who join these festivities. It is from – and into – these communities that we are beginning to see God draw […]

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Is There a Roadmap for Making Support Raising Sustainable?

By on December 14, 2020   /   Preparation and Tools, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

Three years ago our organization started with this question: How can personal support raising be sustainable for everyone? Several of our staff were severely underfunded, others barely made a full paycheck, and most recruits dropped out during on-boarding. However, we had a handful of staff members thriving, fully supported, and a generous rainy-day fund in the bank. Was it possible to provide a roadmap that worked for our entire staff? After ten years of personal support raising, I attended my first SRS Bootcamp eager to learn and answer this question. I walked away with this conviction about support raising that […]

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I Attended SRS Bootcamp, But Now I’m Stuck!

By on December 1, 2020   /   Follow-Through/Obstacles, Preparation and Tools   /   Leave a comment

“I loved the SRS Bootcamp and learned a lot. I read the book, studied the scripture, and invested financially into all of the expenses necessary for attendance. I did everything right. But I’ve plateaued on my support-raising journey, and I’m only at 40% of my fully-funded goal. Help!”.    We occasionally receive variations of that statement, and it often leads to questions like these: Should I attend Bootcamp again?  What else should I do to get unstuck from my support raising plateau?  Ouch. From personal experience, I can relate to the frustration and anxiety that comes with needing fresh support […]

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Millennials and MPD: What I Have Learned Coaching New Staff in Support Raising

By on November 17, 2020   /   Appointments and Asking, Communication and Relationships, Culture, Follow-Through/Obstacles, Leadership, Preparation and Tools, Special Asks, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

Lysa, a young capable woman who loves Jesus and wants to serve Him overseas, joined our staff several years ago after college. She had never raised support, but was trained well. She plodded along among her college friends and home church with 3-5 appointments per week for several months, but was still only at about 10% of her goal. We had a deadline coming up in less than two weeks that required her to be at 80% of her actual (not pledged) support goal. If she did not make this, none of the rest of the team would launch and […]

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Support Raising and the Art of Storytelling

By on November 2, 2020   /   Communication and Relationships, Contacts and Referrals   /   Leave a comment

We all have stories worth telling. Be it our testimony for Jesus, the gospel story, or the awesome time we had with our friends last weekend, our stories help people walk in the shoes of others. It’s fairly easy for us all to share about a fun time we had, or a current struggle we’re experiencing in daily conversations, but writing them well is a different story! To help guide your writing and to help you create compelling stories, there are three words to remember: Inspire, Educate, and Navigate. Let’s take a look at how these three work together to […]

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Ethnic Minority Support Raising is an Untapped Goldmine for Your MPD!

By on October 20, 2020   /   Communication and Relationships, Ethnic and Gender, Fear and Perspective, Non-Westerners, Training   /   Leave a comment

Support Raising for ethnic minorities usually conjures up words like shame and honor. But no longer are these terms relegated to ethnic minorities. Honor and shame categories are more relevant than ever and apply to all missionaries regardless of ethnic or cultural background. Consider the shame dynamics brought on by the onslaught of social media, articles like Christianity Today’s “The Return of Shame” and the popularity of best-selling author and shame researcher Brené Brown. Smartphones and Facebook have put honor-shame dynamics into everyone’s pocket, especially Gen Z, the first digitally native generation and the incoming missionary force. This current pandemic […]

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What Makes The Difference?

By on October 13, 2020   /   Helpful Tips, Preparation and Tools   /   Leave a comment

When first appointed as a missionary it can feel like everyone has an opinion about the best beliefs and practices for raising your support. There’s a plethora of opinions on methodology and some people can be quite dogmatic about which one you use. Often, their advice comes from their personal experience and observation. For the rookie fundraiser it can feel overwhelming and confusing.  What really matters? What truly makes a difference? Many of us have heard the anecdotal statements: “It’s so much easier to raise if you’re going to the 10-40 window”, “people only want to give to social justice […]

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Finding Your People—How Friendship Contributes to Sanctification

By on October 9, 2020   /   Biblical Encouragement, Communication and Relationships   /   Leave a comment

One afternoon, I was coaching a small group as we did a team-building ropes course, and everyone (including me!) was frustrated. “Keep going, everyone. I am sure you are almost there!” I cheered half-heartedly. I was sure there was a point to our current challenge and believed onestaff member when he said it was possible to solve, but my patience had worn out along with my bug spray, and my cheering was waning in the afternoon sun.  The goal was to have two people, connected by their hands, balancing on two separate thin wires about a foot off the ground. […]

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When to Say “No” to Raising Support

By on September 15, 2020   /   Infrastructure, Leaders, Leadership, Preparation and Tools   /   Leave a comment

When I met Jessie, everything indicated he would be a star in his ministry. The ministry he was aiming for was at the center of his passions.  It was in worship and his creativity came alive in the church context. His church body loved his contribution and his family was all for it.  It wasn’t long before Jessie was avoiding me and donor phone calls; paralysis had set in.  The situation surprised me. Each coaching call increased my own sense of anxiety as I perceived the situation was eroding his well-being rather than building him for the future. Ultimately, Jessie […]

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How to Get the Most Out of Your Coaching Experience

By on September 1, 2020   /   Coaching   /   Leave a comment

Since 2010 I have trained hundreds of missionaries in partnership development and during this time there has not been a week that I was not in a coaching relationship. Having personally coached over 200 missionaries, here are a few things that I have learned which can help you get the most out of your coaching relationship and partnership development (PD) season. Decide that you are going to work with a coach. Our records indicate that missionaries who use a coach raise approximately 33% more funding than those who do not in the same amount of time. This means that of […]

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Support Raising Solutions
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