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 […]
Keep Reading →Finding Your Guiding Light: How Do I Identify Potential MPD Coaches and Trainers in My Organization?
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 […]
Keep Reading →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 […]
Keep Reading →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 […]
Keep Reading →In Jim Collins’ classic book “Good to Great” he says one of the keys to being a truly great organization is if the leaders are able to ask the really tough questions about the condition of their company. If they are willing to confront the “brutal facts,” especially about their own leadership, then they are on the path to finding healthy solutions. Personally, it’s not hard for me to slip into a passive posture, close my eyes, and just hope everything turns out ok. I do that under the guise of “trusting God” but in reality I think I struggle […]
Keep Reading →Each year hundreds, if not thousands, of leaves fall from the many trees in our front yard until the leaves form a blanket so deep you can no longer see the grass. To rake and bag them all is a daunting and lengthy process. When my husband puts on his outdoor clothes and pulls out the rake, big trash can, and extra-large trash bags, I know he is going to dive into this leaf bagging chore. At that moment I have a choice to make. I can think, “Well, the inside of the house is kind of my domain (laundry, […]
Keep Reading →In ministry, our supporters are like a family. We have a common Father, we interact and communicate with them, share a common vision, pray for each other, and have obligations to each other. Family reunions are a way to gather distant relatives together who are willing to come together because of a family bond and often a central person like a grandparent who is the glue to bring everyone together. Similarly, ministry partner reunions are a great way to engage with your supporter family who may not have much in common but you, and their belief and support of your […]
Keep Reading →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 to re-connect with them to get […]
Keep Reading →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. GET BLINDSPOTS FOR 20% OFF! Take 20% off your order (including eBook copies) until May 30, 2017. We have steep quantity discounts, so you can purchase them for all your team leaders and senior leadership as low as $10 each. Coupon code: 20SRS. Order at cmmpress.org/blindspots Here is Scott: I stumbled into Blindspots during a rainy morning in Southern California while […]
Keep Reading →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 […]
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