Blog / Appointments and Asking

Twenty-five to thirty percent of all donations occur at the end of the year. Did you hear that?! During November and December people give over and above. This is true for your ministry partners too. Since they are already invested in you and your ministry, it is highly likely they would prefer to give to you — where their hearts already are. There are a lot of tips, tricks, and strategies to an effective Year-End Ask (YEA). This does not mean you are turning a beautiful response to God’s calling into a mathematical formula. The goal of effective communication is […]

I asked a good friend of mine who has been one of our long-time financial partners, “When we have a financial need, how would you like us to approach you?” His response, “Just ask me.” This is profound. People do not want us to be circumspect when it comes to asking for support. If you have an “inner” resistance to asking people to give, it is critical to be honest with yourself about what is causing that resistance. Is it a fear that you are manipulating people to do something they really don’t want to do? Do you feel you […]

Besides making the phone call to set up the appointment, the toughest part of support raising for me is the actual face-to-face asking of the person to join our team. Sometimes popping the “golden question” can be a nerve-racking 30 seconds of sheer terror! Why? Because that is when we are most vulnerable to rejection. And, as much as we tell ourselves that the prospective donor is not rejecting us, but simply our proposal, isn’t our tendency to still take it personally? Some Christian workers, though, are so committed to safeguarding their fragile self-esteem they dare not venture one centimeter […]