From American Idol to Support Raising: Scott MacIntyre’s Story

By on June 29, 2022   /   Basics, Communication and Relationships   /   Leave a comment

As my brother guided me through the dark scaffolding behind the American Idol stage for the last time and my white cane tapped against a metal fixture, I heard Kara DioGuardi’s voice say, “All of this – it doesn’t matter, because you inspire people.”  Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, and Simon Cowell had all spoken words of encouragement to me that I would never forget, but it was Kara who understood the calling on my life, better than I understood it myself. Over the years that followed, I had the opportunity to share large stages with musicians I grew up listening […]

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A Roadmap to Navigate the Pitfall of Getting Overwhelmed

By on June 10, 2022   /   Biblical Encouragement, Fear and Perspective, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

We have all been there, haven’t we? We start our support-raising journey full of faith, motivation, momentum, and eager anticipation. And then a couple of prospective partners say “No” and others don’t respond to our calls. Even worse, our closest friends and family express doubt about the Lord’s call to mission in our lives. Suddenly, we find ourselves discouraged and unmotivated, with our faith wavering. We feel stuck, fearful, and overwhelmed. During all this, even the most experienced missionary can lose confidence and may begin to lose hope and feel tempted to despair. But this is normal! Every missionary, in […]

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How to Help Underfunded Staff

By on April 30, 2022   /   Basics, Helpful Tips, Preparation and Tools   /   Leave a comment

For whatever reason, support-raising brings so many emotional extremes to our lives. From the highs of seeing God provide in seemingly impossible ways to the lows of underfunded ministers with few options left, a life of support-raising is susceptible to big mood swings. Why is this? Why is ministry partner development the one area that can cripple an otherwise effective missionary? There are a few good reasons; however, the one I see most often isn’t because of how bad a support-raiser is. Rather it is the good intentions of the minister that are often the beginning of issues. After all, why did we […]

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Building a Solid Foundation in MPD

By on February 1, 2022   /   Appointments and Asking, Preparation and Tools, Strategy and Planning   /   Leave a comment

Look, I get it. You have finally wrapped your mind around the idea that you will be raising monthly support in order to get your ongoing paychecks. You are compelled by the ministry, and are taking a step of faith because God is great, able, and good. But then they tell you that you also need to raise a giant lump sum to pay for the training! The same training where they teach you to raise the support! Like, before they tell you how! This moment, right here, puts that new resolve to trust God with your finances in ministry […]

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How to Coach Around Limiting Beliefs

By on January 18, 2022   /   Coaching, Follow-Through/Obstacles   /   Leave a comment

When was the last time you were coaching someone and they just wanted to give up? What was the reason they gave you? If it was anything other than “I did my best and learned a lesson–and I will do better next time,” then they were letting limiting beliefs get in the way of achieving their goals. Limiting beliefs are often deeply ingrained into people–so much so that they are not even aware of them. As a coach, how can we help people to overcome their limiting beliefs?  First we need to understand what limiting beliefs are. Simply, they are […]

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My Support Raising Journey: All for God’s Purposes

By on January 4, 2022   /   Appointments and Asking   /   Leave a comment

“This isn’t about you.” After my first week of support raising, I was pretty burnt out. Over five days I had met with ten people and didn’t receive a firm commitment from anyone. I had a lot of “Let me get back to you” and a couple of noes. I was tired from the many phone calls, text messages, and conversations I had from my support meetings. I was thinking to myself, “What have I signed myself up for? Is this going to take longer than I had planned? I thought I did everything right. Why isn’t God holding his […]

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4 Myths About Giving

By on September 1, 2021   /   Appointments and Asking, Basics, Biblical Encouragement, Family and Finances   /   Leave a comment

What the Bible really says-and doesn’t say-about giving  When it comes to giving, we all have our beliefs and opinions. But it’s time to turn some sacred cows about giv­ing out to pasture. As we become more and more inundated with appeals for finances, we must separate truth from myth. Let’s examine what Scripture actually says and doesn’t say about giving. MYTH #1: You must give 10 percent.  Don’t get me wrong! I’m not suggesting we water down our giving. Instead, let’s discover the New Testament’s tough-yet-fair standard for giving.  I used to believe that everyone should give 10 percent. […]

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Pain and the Minority Experience in MPD

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

This is part one of a two part article series. This first article shares the support raisers experience. The second article shares a bigger vision and perspective from that of a coach and can be found here. As an immigrant woman on staff, there have been parts of my “staff life” that I have experienced, very differently than my majority culture peers, particularly when it comes to MPD. Most majority culture staff don’t have to think and worry about the same things I do. The pain I experience surfaces from the unique doubts, challenges, and struggles I face as an […]

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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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