What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Development Professional

By on July 20, 2021   /   Leaders   /   Leave a comment

I am not so dissimilar to other fundraising professionals of my baby boomer generation. Most of us fell into our fundraising positions because we had a huge heart for our organization’s mission, a deep call to serve God, and frankly, we did not have the heart to say no. When I look back at my progressive fundraising and marketing career, I can honestly say I would have been ahead of the game if I had known several fundamental realities before jumping in. I wish I knew . . . 1.     A biblical mandate exists for fundraising activities.  “Command […]

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Seeing Ministry Partners as People – or Targets?

By on July 6, 2021   /   Communication and Relationships, Ethnic and Gender   /   Leave a comment

A few years ago, a prayer formed in my head and heart, ”Lord Jesus, help me see the person, not the package! You always did that when you were here on earth!”  I was facing a challenging circumstance where I desperately needed God’s perspective to form my attitude, my responses, my words.  I was about to attend a gathering of people, including many with different perspectives than my own…those in the LGBTQ community.  I wanted to engage with people, to see their intrinsic value through God’s eyes, and not to react to their lifestyle which collided with my Christian values.  […]

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How We Train Our People for Ministry Partnership Matters

By on June 14, 2021   /   Leaders, Training   /   Leave a comment

As we seek to help our new and veteran ministry workers become and remain spiritually healthy, vision-driven, and fully funded, how we train our people for ministry partnership matters. Every year, organizations of all kinds spend millions of dollars on training experiences for their personnel. Sadly, research suggests that the results of much of that training fail to live up to what was hoped for from the investment of such time and money. So what makes for effective training? Carissa Potter’s blog article, Learning that Connects, from March 15th makes three important points about adult learning: Adult Learners are motivated […]

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Growing a Heart Filled With Gratitude

By on June 8, 2021   /   Biblical Encouragement   /   Leave a comment

“The joy of the Lord is my strength!” (Nehemiah 8:10). This was my mantra as a teen and young adult.  I always thought it was my job to keep striving for the joy of the Lord.  Joy was something I had to work at, make a habit of, keep believing in and just keep smiling.  Keep going! After all, wasn’t joy visible in my countenance?  I learned fairly quickly that the joy of the Lord does not come from within myself, but in the restorative work Jesus did on the cross on my behalf. My salvation in Jesus Christ is […]

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MPD and Non-MPD Staff: A Clear Call and United Front

By on May 18, 2021   /   Culture, Leaders   /   Leave a comment

This is us! Not only is this a popular TV show but it also depicts the unity within a family in who they are and what they do. We all want a “this is us” mentality among staff. But when it comes to staff funding among those on MPD, those who aren’t, and some sort of hybrid of the two, the atmosphere of our organizations can easily turn from “this is us” to “us vs them.” In a mixed funding model, it takes intentionality and care to cultivate a healthy culture that produces a united front in fulfilling your organization’s […]

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What Are You Looking for in a Coach?

By on May 3, 2021   /   Basics, Follow-Through/Obstacles   /   Leave a comment

When I started support raising, I had no clue what I was doing. I knew that God was calling me into full-time ministry. I knew I would be serving with the same college ministry that had changed my life. I started reading The God Ask hoping for an instruction manual on how to raise my support. If someone had asked me, “Would you like to receive coaching for your MPD?” I wouldn’t have known what to say. I had an idea in my head of what I needed to do, but HOW I was going to do it was a […]

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It’s All About Perspective

By on April 20, 2021   /   Basics, Communication and Relationships, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

When talking about support raising, I try whenever possible to stay away from the words “fundraising” and “donor“when describing support raising as a ministry worker. Instead I use the phrases “partnership development” and “financial partner“. Why you ask? The nuance lies within the overall perspective of raising one’s budget. The word “donor” denotes someone who gives blood, gives one time, or is involved in a limited transaction. “Fundraising” denotes car washes, bake sales, golf tournaments, and transactional events. Right? Right. Of course fundraising and donors are in and of themselves not bad. OF COURSE. However, neither indicate an ongoing relationship […]

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INVITING is UNITING: Partnership with the Local Church

By on April 5, 2021   /   Communication and Relationships, Helpful Tips   /   Leave a comment

When I was a child and my parents would go away on a trip, I was always a bit anxious for their return and was always so glad to see them when they got home. Looking back now at those times, I can honestly say that I was mostly just selfish in wanting to see the gift they got me while they were away! This is a tradition our family started years ago and still practices when we travel. We typically grab something small to simply say ‘I was thinking about you”.  I can’t help but think of my family’s […]

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Learning that Connects

By on March 15, 2021   /   Communication and Relationships, Training   /   Leave a comment

As children, we are expected to learn. Our parents, teachers, and coaches dictate the things we need to know, often with a “you’ll need this in the future” caveat. We observed and listened. After all, learning was our primary responsibility as children.  All of that changes in adulthood. Learning becomes a choice, and with that choice comes the authority to dictate what we will learn, when we will learn it, and whom we want to learn it from. Adult education includes unique factors that impact the learning experience.  As support-raising trainers, we want to effectively equip staff within our organization […]

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Five Pits Support Raisers Fall Into: And How to Get Out!

By on March 1, 2021   /   Follow-Through/Obstacles, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

Pits are known to be dangerous places. The utter darkness combined with the fear of the unknown of what’s down there can produce heart-pounding terror. Normally, it’s wise to steer clear of pits unless, of course, you are Benaiah. In between killing huge warriors from Moab and Egypt in 2 Samuel 23:21, the Scriptures matter-of-factly slip in a little-known feat. Benaiah “chases a lion down into a pit on a snowy day and killed him.”   Now, for most of us, we don’t purposely jump into a pit, we accidentally fall into one! The lion in that pit with Benaiah could […]

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