FACE-TO-FACE FELLOWSHIP WITH MINISTRY PARTNERS

By on March 3, 2015   /   Communication and Relationships   /   10 Comments

“One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours.” (Romans 1:10-12, NLT). Recently, I was reminded of this amazing gift God gives us through visits with ministry partners. I drove from Colorado Springs to San Diego to see many people, including those at my home […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

HOW YOU SAY IT IS JUST AS IMPORTANT AS WHAT YOU SAY

By on February 3, 2015   /   Appointments and Asking, Communication and Relationships   /   14 Comments

Men, do you remember what it was like to ask that young woman out on your first date? How did it feel—terrifying, heart-thudding, and pulse-pounding? If you could go back in time to watch a video of what you said and how it sounded, would you want a “redo”? To ask someone out on a date may not be the same as asking someone to support your ministry, but there is a principle to learn. How you say is just as important as what you say. “Jim” (not his real name), a ministry leader, asked some friends if he could […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

FIVE WORLDWIDE SUPPORT-RAISING PRINCIPLES THAT TRANSCEND CULTURE

By on December 31, 2014   /   Communication and Relationships, Ethnic and Gender   /   19 Comments

I can’t tell you how many times Christian workers have rolled their eyes and blurted out to me, “Steve, you just don’t understand why we can’t raise support in our culture!” If I had a dollar for every time, I could easily buy that Cabela’s trout fishing rod and reel I had been eyeing for Christmas! For more than 15 years now, I’ve had the privilege of training thousands of Christian workers from all over the world, as well as every ethnicity within the U.S. I’ve observed there is a single common denominator with virtually everyone we interact with: In […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

SIX HAZARDOUS PHRASES TO AVOID DURING THE ASK

By on October 31, 2014   /   Appointments and Asking, Communication and Relationships   /   14 Comments

In the nervousness of a fundraising appointment, do un-helpful words pop out of your mouth? At the risk of being legalistic, may I be painfully specific? The guideline: “Be sensitive yet bold in your financial presentation!” sounds great. But what does that mean? Here are six phrases to avoid. Fasten your seatbelt! 1. “Will you give to me?” “Give to me” is a first cousin of begging. Help donors understand they give to the Kingdom—vertically—not to bail you out horizontally. Ask your friends to support the Kingdom of God—specifically the Kingdom work God has assigned you. Find your own words, […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

TAKE YOURSELF OUT OF THE PICTURE

By on October 1, 2014   /   Communication and Relationships   /   9 Comments

“If only I could take me out of support raising and have someone else do it for me!” Maybe you’ve thought that before, but that’s not what I mean by taking yourself out of the support raising picture. For many support-based missionaries, the subject of “me” and support raising are inextricably linked together. Although most fellow missionaries I have known and met throughout the years are very humble and self-effacing in this area, they have a tendency to fall headlong into the trap of the enemy: feeling and acting, as though support raising is both all about themselves and totally […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

HONORING PARENTS AND FAMILY WHILE RAISING SUPPORT

By on July 25, 2014   /   Family and Finances   /   9 Comments

“You’re an embarrassment to the family – you shouldn’t be begging, looking for a handout!” I was stunned by my aunt’s exclamation as we ate lunch at a restaurant near her retirement community. Clearly, she didn’t understand my lifestyle of missionary support raising, nor did she agree. She made it plain that she would not participate in my financial support. I was taken aback by her negative response to my recent decision to do missions work and depend upon church, friends, and family for financial support. I went to the Lord after this painful interaction and sensed that He understood […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

LESSONS I LEARNED FROM MY JEWISH FATHER AND MOTHER

By on June 30, 2014   /   Family and Finances   /   4 Comments

At 7:30 a.m. on May 14, I got one of those dreaded calls. It was my brother, Steve, “Mom was taken to the hospital at 2:30 this morning and is very ill.” My 90-year-old mother, Ida, passed away at 11 that evening. I was in Orlando training 44 new staff members. I quickly packed my car and drove through the night. Steve and I got on our phones to take care of the things you have to do when someone passes away. When you experience loss, you reflect on life. Mom’s parents, Morris and Bessie, immigrated to the U.S. in […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

FIVE KEYS TO CASTING A CLEAR VISION

By on April 1, 2014   /   Communication and Relationships   /   2 Comments

How clear is your ministry vision? Is it 20:20? Or is it closer to 20:200?! The most important piece of our support raising is the crystal clear sharing of our ministry vision with our prospective donors. Here are five keys that will bring much needed clarity to your primary role in support raising—that of being a vision caster: Results, not strategies, speak to people’s hearts! It is easy to talk about all our grand ministry schemes and ideas, but lose sight of actual results. Changed lives are what really matter to our prospective partners! Yes, vision casting is about painting […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

REPENTANCE AND FUNDRAISING

By on March 1, 2014   /   Biblical Encouragement   /   7 Comments

The season of Lent begins this month. These forty days before Easter were set aside by the early church as a time of reflection and repentance. It is a period when we as Christ-followers acknowledge our brokenness and journey with Him to the Cross, where we are made whole again. Engaging in the ancient spiritual discipline of repentance over the next six weeks can significantly impact not just our souls, but also our support raising. As I coach folks in fundraising, I’ve become convinced there are two pervasive attitudes from which we as North Americans need to repent if we […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

MY TOP FIVE LIST OF “SPECIAL ASKS”

By on January 1, 2014   /   Special Asks   /   8 Comments

Howard owns a successful real estate company buying and managing office buildings. Consequently, he has a steady stream of individuals laying out for him “can’t miss” investment opportunities, attempting to convince him to lay down the big bucks to help finance their ten story condo project. The answer is almost always “no”. But Julia, a 30 year old single girl heading into missions, presented a different kind of project to Howard—and he was fascinated. Julia had met him at church and called for an appointment. When she shared her presentation with Howard, asking for his investment dollars, it had a […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top
GET CONNECTED
Blog
Podcast
Twitter
Facebook

Latest SRS Blog Post

CONTACT US
Support Raising Solutions
PO BOX 3556
Fayetteville, AR, 72702
1(800) 595-4881
info@supportraisingsolutions.org