Coaching Millennials in MPD Fundraising

Millennials, like other generations, have come to be known for the qualities which characterize them. As these 23 to 38 year olds become the majority of the workforce, many businesses and organizations have found themselves scrambling to discover the strategies that work best to harness the strengths of this generation of employees. What motivates millennials? What do they value? How can they be led well? These questions have left leaders from all sectors scratching their heads. It makes sense that coaching millennials in fundraising has also made a perplexing ripple in the world of MPD. Here are six key generational […]

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Are You Getting The Blank Stare in Your Support Appointments?

The blank stare. Have you experienced it? It’s the unsettling expression on the face of the person sitting across from you in a support appointment gone bad. You’ve passionately shared your ministry vision, financial goals, and heartfelt invitation for them to join your team, and then…nothingness. Even though it is now their turn to talk, all you get is an incredulous look, a wide open mouth, or complete silence. You’re sitting four feet from each other, but it’s as if you are in two different worlds. Your pumped up anticipation of gaining a new supporter has melted into an awkward […]

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Fully Funding Your Ministry: 5 Keys to Personal Support Raising

“I want to serve God and be obedient to His leading in my life, but I don’t want to raise support.” If you’ve said or thought these words, you’re not alone. In fact, most people living a donor-supported lifestyle will admit that, at one time or another, they’ve probably had feelings much like this. Growing up the son of a businessman, I was taught to work hard to achieve financial security on my own merits. But after coming to Christ, I felt a strong calling to full-time ministry that would require me to raise my personal support. I then faced […]

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What is Personal Support Raising? 5 Questions Every Donor Should Ask

Purchase What is Personal Support Raising Booklets BUY NOW Download What is Personal Support Raising DOWNLOAD NOW Jesus left all of His followers with the charge to make Him known to all nations. Working together as the Body of Christ, those who take the message of Christ where it is needed and those who send the messengers both receive the blessings of joining God in His work around the world. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how […]

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Leading Up: Navigating Organizational Change as a Mid-Level Manager

I remember having lunch a few years ago with Roger Hamilton, the Director of Ministry Partner Development for The Navigators in Colorado Springs. I asked Roger how he thought we could influence and change the MPD strategies of an established organization. He said one word, “grassroots.” His message to me was that change is often first proven in the field and then adopted by the majority. I’ve never forgotten that conversation because he was so right! A Case Study That is exactly what happened within FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) from 2012 -2019. In 7 years FCA grew their staff […]

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The Strategic Friendship of Financial Supporters

The first overseas missionary I remember meeting was a single woman who lived in Africa. She stayed in our home for a week and gave me a lovely necklace of polished gray seeds that came from her beloved Angola. In the evenings, she told stories that danced in my young imagination—images of African animals, villages, dusty hospitals, and exuberant worship services. She was the first of many missionaries who became our friends as my parents demonstrated the joy of giving generously, praying consistently, and joining the work of the gospel from afar. So when I raised support to work with […]

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I Thought I Didn’t Need a Coach…but I Was Wrong

I can’t say support raising has ever been easy for me, but not long ago I hit a new low in my relationship to raising personal support. By the end of last year, I had fallen below 100% fairly significantly, and even though I had seen God provide for us in some incredible ways, I was very discouraged and had even started to wonder if it was possible for me to carry on. I started asking myself whether I could do this for the long run. I’ve been at my current organization for seven years, but I began to have […]

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Are You Bulldozing Your Appointments?

As a rookie support raiser, I was somehow able to get appointments before I had received much training. I’m not sure if that was a blessing or not. Why? Because getting an appointment is not the same thing as knowing what to do once in the appointment. I didn’t have a clear cut well planned out presentation, but I wasn’t going to let a little thing like that bother me. I was like a bulldozer, driven to overwhelm a potential supporter with my vision and clarity for what God was leading me to do for His glory. I had done […]

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Three Fundraising Culs-de-sac: Extremely logical half-truths that take you in circles

Adapted from Scott’s book: Blindspots: Leading Your Team and Ministry to Full Funding Funding coaches and leaders need to be alert for three subtle fundraising “sayings.” These half-truths seem logical, but following them leads into a cul-de-sac. Let’s dive in! Cul-de-sac #1: “Money follows visibility.” Years ago a well-known Evangelical conference and radio speaker lamented: “Our funding keeps going down even though I am speaking more and sending over 1,000 newsletters.” But few people give merely because you are visible to the public eye. Your potential donors go to bed at night wondering about their text messages or how to […]

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Partnership or Handout?

My biggest struggle when I first sensed God calling me into ministry was fundraising. I just could not see myself with a degree in mining engineering passing on a job in order to ask people for handouts. I equated fundraising to begging. Is there a difference between fundraising for a gospel ministry and begging? Part of my struggle was right in front of me as I drove in my car. Every time I stop at the Manda Hill traffic lights on Great East Road in Lusaka, I can’t help but notice the different people trying to make a living at […]

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Support Raising Solutions
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