Raising Support from 1000 Miles Away

By on January 2, 2018   /   Strategy and Planning   /   3 Comments

For many of us, support raising is enough of a challenge in and of itself. Often, adding the obstacles of raising additional funds from the field just compounds the challenge. Now imagine you serve overseas, far from your primary support base, and the task can seem almost insurmountable. Believe me, I know. I serve 8000 miles away from my main support base! How can we most effectively maintain full support funding while serving on a faraway international assignment? First, develop good support raising habits so that you don’t find yourself in a big bind while on international assignment. Are your […]

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Creating a Culture of Thankfulness

By on December 19, 2017   /   Culture   /   1 Comment

As a leader, are you confident your staff and ministry demonstrate timely thankfulness to giving partners? Perhaps you have not given this question much thought, but as a leader I’m sure you realize that both thanklessness and thankfulness are contagious. Here are three benchmarks to help you lead: Do you (and your organization) say thank you immediately? Recently my wife, Alma, and I received an appeal from a mid-career friend who was joining a ministry. We gladly agreed to support her monthly and sent our first gift, then a second, and a third. But neither our friend nor her organization […]

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Five Reasons “Poor Talk” is Killing Your Ministry

By on December 5, 2017   /   Fear and Perspective   /   3 Comments

I recently interacted with a ministry leader who is also a friend. He was sharing about a very real issue that can affect Great Commission work. It’s something he has been seeing a lot of first hand. With his permission, I took some of his thoughts to create this article. We’ve all had those times when we are networking with another ministry leader and poor talk rears its ugly head and finds its way into the conversation. This acts like a disease and has a far-reaching impact not only on you personally, but also on those around you. Consider these […]

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Debunking Myths about Ethnic Minority Support Raising

By on November 21, 2017   /   Coaching   /   3 Comments

As a fully funded ethnic minority Navigator staff and Ministry Partnership Development (MPD) coach, I want to challenge a few common myths that I encounter: Myth: “Ethnic minority staff can’t raise money.” That’s a bold statement based on many assumptions. The last time I looked in the mirror, I was still an ethnic minority person, and God has taught me how to raise money and become fully funded. It has been a journey of deepening my intimacy with Christ as He exposed lies I had believed about money. Funds didn’t pour in when I started on this journey. In fact, […]

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Strategically Seeking Referrals

By on November 7, 2017   /   Contacts and Referrals   /   1 Comment

In the support raising world, a referral is much more than just contact information. There is depth to it, as someone trusts you and your ministry vision enough to purposely encourage contact between you and their friends, associates, etc. They also understand that you have a goal of inviting that person to join your prayer and financial support team. If you think about it, that is a lot of trust! When seeking referrals, I’ve experienced several different types of reactions: Some wouldn’t help at all – I’ve heard a few variations of “I’m never comfortable sharing other people’s information, not […]

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Coaching New Staff For The First 100 Days

By on October 17, 2017   /   Coaching   /   Leave a comment

It’s a wonderful day when someone new joins your staff. Perhaps they are a recent college graduate. Maybe it’s someone more seasoned in life, who recently left a successful marketplace job because of God’s clear calling to share in your vital vision as their full-time vocation. At some point there is a crystallized moment where the IRS W-4 has been completed, all other proper paperwork is in order, and they are officially part of ministry staff. It’s really happening! Enthusiasm is high while you praise the Lord for these exciting times! However, as an executive and/or support raising coach in […]

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Getting a Head Start on Year-End Giving

By on October 3, 2017   /   Appointments and Asking   /   Leave a comment

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 […]

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Finding Your Guiding Light: How Do I Identify Potential MPD Coaches and Trainers in My Organization?

By on September 19, 2017   /   Infrastructure   /   Leave a comment

World-class Ministry Partnership Development (MPD) training is not enough to move your staff to full funding. You need to develop a cadre of coaches to come alongside your staff members. How do you identify, recruit, and train potential coaches in your organization? Who are the ones who possess the gifting and ability to train and coach your staff in MPD? The following are core competencies, personal qualifications, and people skills and abilities coaches either need to possess or can grow in. We don’t expect our new coaches to be fully mature in their abilities when we choose them to become […]

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Does Jesus Contradict Himself on Fundraising?

By on September 5, 2017   /   Biblical Encouragement   /   Leave a comment

Have you noticed that Jesus gave two different sets of instructions for funding ministry? Early in His ministry Jesus sent both the twelve disciples and seventy others on mission trips. He instructed them to “take nothing for your journey” but to be supported by “worthy men” to whom they ministered (Matt 10, Mark 6, Luke 9, 10). By contrast, just before He was crucified Jesus asked His disciples a penetrating question: “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you? They said, ‘No, nothing.’ And He said to them, ‘But […]

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Women in Ministry

By on August 21, 2017   /   Communication and Relationships, Family and Finances   /   Leave a comment

I recently read an article No One Wants to Bag Leaves Alone: The Vital Role Wives Play in Support Raising and absolutely loved it! The sacrificial and vital role of wives in the adventure of MPD (support raising) is part of the blessed teamwork of marriage. I cheer on the valiant hard work of those wives across the world! Listen ladies, the world is better because of you and wouldn’t be the same without you. The aforementioned article is a definite must-read for all wives whose husbands are the primary support raisers. I would, however, like to draw attention to […]

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Support Raising Solutions
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