Turning Verbal Commitments into Actual Gifts

By on June 2, 2017   /   Follow-Through/Obstacles   /   Leave a comment

It Doesn’t Have to Be Awkward! How do I best follow-up with someone who has said  they will give… but hasn’t started giving yet? My guess is you’ve probably faced this question more than once, seeing this is the dilemma I’m asked about most often as a coach. The 2nd question I get the most? “How do I keep follow-up from being awkward?” Follow-up can consist of reconnecting with those who are verbally committed, but who need time to pray/consider after an appointment, or for some reason haven’t started their giving yet. I agree, it can feel awkward to try […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Discovering Blindspots in Support Raising Leadership

By on April 26, 2017   /   Leadership   /   2 Comments

Editor’s Note: We asked Scott Morton (International Funding Coach for The Navigators)  to explain the background to his new book Blindspots—Leading Your Team and Ministry to Full Funding. Watch the webinar and read the story about how the book came about below. I stumbled into Blindspots during a rainy morning in Southern California while teaching a fundraising school for mission workers. On Day Two I got up early and returned to the vacant seminar room to meet with the Lord. I felt uneasy about the previous day’s teaching. What was missing? It hit me: examples of leaders doing fundraising! Staring at the […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Surprise, Surprise! Why Introverts Can Raise & Maintain Their Support Teams Just As Easily As Extroverts

By on April 4, 2017   /   Fear and Perspective   /   5 Comments

If you’ve attended an SRS Bootcamp, you may remember the story contrasting Lisa, an introverted woman who successfully raised and maintained her support, with Lenny, an extroverted “life of the party” guy who was unable to sustain his team. Well, I’m Lisa, and I want to share from my perspective the role and influence of personality has on support raising. When I first considered raising support, I was tempted to believe I would be unable to do so. I privately compared myself with Steve Shadrach, who was leading the Bootcamp I attended back in 2004, and I knew I was […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Success is a Planned Event: 5 Crucial Steps in Preparation to be Fully Funded

By on March 7, 2017   /   Preparation and Tools   /   8 Comments

Juma Ikangaa is a long distance runner from Tanzania who won the 1989 New York City Marathon in record time. After the victory, Juma shared, “The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” Planning and preparation are crucial to winning marathons—and getting fully funded! As a national trainer for Support Raising Solutions (SRS) and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), I’ve seen firsthand the struggles that can take place when Christian workers fail to prepare properly. To help you be successful in the raising of your support, let me share my top five steps to effective preparation. […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Our Top Two Strategies to Eliminate Support Raising Barriers for Our New Staff

By on February 7, 2017   /   Coaching   /   3 Comments

In Matthew 9:37, Jesus said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” In my 13 years of ministry experience, no statement has been truer. About the time this verse first entered my scripture memory box, Steve Shadrach shared a statistic with me at an SRS Bootcamp that I will never forget. Up to 92% of missionaries leave the mission field, mainly or in part, due to lack of support. If both of these statements are true, then we have to begin to think of how we can take every opportunity available to train workers and […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Social Media Bonanza! Five Ways I Use Facebook in Support Raising

By on January 4, 2017   /   Communication and Relationships   /   12 Comments

The phrase “social media” was virtually unknown just ten years ago, and yet today, it seems our lives revolve around it. I admit we are a society of “technology addicts”, barely able to go five minutes without checking our phone—and all the many-faceted functions it now serves. There are definitely some drawbacks to staying glued to that little screen day and night, but there a few pluses—especially in the realm of ministry and support raising. Facebook, for instance, has ended up being an incredible blessing as I seek to minister to people who are near and far. On top of […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

How Bad Do You Want It?

By on December 6, 2016   /   Fear and Perspective   /   41 Comments

“The Greatest Walk-On in the History of College Football”. That is the way Brandon Burlsworth is described in GREATER, a movie produced about his life and death. Brandon was a very slow and overweight freshman who had a lifelong dream of playing for the Arkansas Razorbacks, but instead he was relegated to be the proverbial tackling dummy at practices. In spite of the mocking and derision, he refused to give up. Over the course of three years he out-worked, out-studied, and out-improved all others, moving his way up the depth chart. He won a scholarship, started at offensive tackle, and gained […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Year-End Giving – Hype or Help?

By on November 1, 2016   /   Special Asks   /   7 Comments

The emphasis on year-end giving by non-profits in the U.S. continues to grow every year. Our mailboxes, whether physical or email, seem to be a bit more crowded with requests during the holiday season. Is year-end giving simply hype? Does it take advantage of, or manipulate people? Or, is it truly helpful? We are bombarded by appeals for money (at least I am!). Should we also make appeals? There is certainly a natural and good incentive for U.S. donors to give by midnight December 31st each year. Tax incentives are helpful. Deadlines are helpful. How do we handle that well, without […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

The Essentials of Life: How “Faith” Becomes Foolishness!

By on October 6, 2016   /   Family and Finances   /   11 Comments

“We don’t need insurance, because we trust God, and He is our provider.” “Prayer is our form of health insurance! ” “Healthcare? Nah, it’s gonna be OK, because we are ministry workers, God will take care of us! ” If you’ve ever thought, or even said, words like this, I am concerned for you. I hope it’s not too late for me to convince you to avoid a quite painful end that follows failing to prioritize the necessary steps to care for your own healthcare needs. It is true that we need faith in Him and his plan for our […]

Keep Reading →
Back to Top

Fundraising and Leadership: A Marriage Made in Heaven?

By on September 7, 2016   /   Leadership   /   12 Comments

When gifted, capable men and women step into ministry leadership they get a surprise—fundraising! Maybe they saw the fundraising line item on the job description, but it is usually glossed over in favor of more interesting leadership topics. And, like a young couple who jumps into marriage without really getting to know each other, they might be in for a rude awakening once the honeymoon is over! Or take driving for example. Out on the road, we look out the front window, the back, and side-to-side, but every car has blindspots—areas we cannot see. Similarly, fundraising blindspots in leadership are invisible and they […]

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

Latest SRS Blog Post

  • Lifetime Service Award – Betty Barnett
    During each Support Raising Leaders Conference, we recognize a life-long champion of personal support raising who has given decades to the service of others in...
CONTACT US
Support Raising Solutions
PO BOX 3556
Fayetteville, AR, 72702
1(800) 595-4881
info@supportraisingsolutions.org