Survival Guide to Raising Support During the Coronavirus – Part 3
(pulled from Steve Shadrach’s article, “Successful Support Raising in a Suffering Economy”. This is part 3 in our series as we look at heart postures and strategies for connecting with ministry partners during the coronavirus pandemic.)
First, remember again that God is in control.
Keep the ministry vision central
Scott Morton with the Navigators says, “We must remember we are inviting supporters to advance the Kingdom, not merely to meet our personal needs.” YWAM’s John Ray adds: “Let’s help our supporters process what is really valuable and how their investments cannot be affected by the stock market or economy.” We don’t ask people to give for our sake, but for what God is calling them to. Elijah asked the starving widow as God directed Him to. We don’t withhold inviting people to participate in the work of God based on whether WE think they are able to give or not. Step out in faith and be bold in casting a bigger vision. Knowing your partners want their tightly-squeezed giving dollars to be the most strategic possible, you may want to look at your mission statement and be intentional in communicating the most compelling case for support possible.
Diversify your ministry partners
A few heavy hitters that cover your need might be nice, but might not be realistic, nor all that stable actually. Seek to add a steady flow of new givers, even if they’re just $50, $75, or $100 a month gifts. Creating a broader base of 100 monthly donors provides so much more long-term stability than hanging your hopes on five big fish promising to tithe from their end-of-the-year real estate deals! Studies show people are less likely to cut back on a monthly commitment they have made to an individual Christian worker than they are a general gift to a church or charity.
Reprioritize Your Time
You may have extra time on your hands with school closings or trips canceled. Use that time to clean up your MPD organizational system (such as MPDX) and do MPD admin work. Over the next few weeks it may be easier to reach people as trips and vacations are canceled and more people are working from home. People are also more likely to be on social media.
Survival Guide to Raising Support During the Coronavirus – Part 1
Should I Even Be Raising Support Right Now? – Part 2
How Do I Raise Support Right Now? – Part 3
