You’re at coffee with that potential donor of yours. You even ironed your shirt.
And then, right over a matcha latte, they launch the one question you didn’t prepare for.
Like, “So–why are you going with an agency and not on your own?”
Category: financial support/fundraising/finances
Bonus! 6 Side Benefits to Fundraising
1. Continued maintenance of relationships.
Let’s be honest. Support-raising propels you to still cultivate relationships with that friend from high school; that relative you usually only see once a year; that couple you’ve talked with only a few times at church, but you know they love the country you’re going to.
At times, this may feel false to you: I wouldn’t be pursuing this if there wasn’t money involved.
But you realize this is about more than money–and that the mission is greater than your discomfort. You also realize you’ve gotta persist in asking until the goal is reached.
“Is Support-Raising More Efficient if I Present to a Large Group?”
Say you’ve got a fundraising trip scheduled to an area with lots of personal contacts–but not that much time. Would it be better to have a large dinner or dessert? You could present to a church and ask them for members to support. You could present to a Sunday School class. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Done.
What’s the best option?
FREE PRINTABLE Infographic: 5+ Ways to Pray for Your Support-Raising
We know: Sometimes you want so badly to be DONE with support-raising, for the love of Mike, that your prayers are confined to some version of ohpleaseohpleaseohplease help me find the money.
Don’t hate us for this? There’s a lot of richness to be found in this crazy, so-tired-I-could-sleep-on-an-African-bus journey.
So we want to give you something to hang your hat on–something to anchor your soul. We’ve given you 6 printable verses to encourage your support raising, so we’re taking the next natural step.
FREE PRINTABLE: 6 Verses to Encourage Your Support Raising
PRINT 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24-27 HERE.
We know: The road can feel long in support raising, the discouragement real. Sometimes you might even wonder whose bright idea this was to go there this way.
We’re impressed by Support Raising Solutions’ top five verses for fundraising (a passage from Nehemiah? Who knew?). If you’re wanting to sink your teeth into the biblical basis for raising support, this page and this page could give you a rousing start, and here’s a longer one for all you theological (or seriously skeptical) types here.
So…we loved your enthusiasm for our 5 [Printable] Missions Scriptures to Memorize (*That You Probably Don’t Know Yet) for your Journey. Ready for more?
#BESTOFTHEBESTFRIDAYS: Business as Mission; free online discipleship; fundraising bootcamp
Business as Mission Infographic
The BAM Review has published a pretty sweet summary of need-to-knows for Business as Mission–all in a tidy infographic. And please, click here for 50+ BAM job openings around the world!
Totally into BAM? From their think tank, BAM Global has produced a series of 19 Issue- and Region-focused reports on business as mission.
New Book, Becoming Whole, from the author of When Helping Hurts
#BestoftheBestFridays: Reaching Muslims; Good from ISIS?; Corrupt Countries; Tech in Missions
Upcoming MISSIONS Events CALENDAR
Missions Catalyst has put together an impressive calendar of upcoming missions events you just might not want to miss. Dealing with discouragement, isolation, fear, or feelings of inadequacy as you head overseas? This could be a great chance to get together with your tribe.
What catches our eye:
- taking the Perspectives on World Missions class online
- a second-language acquisition course
- Creating an Annual Fundraising Plan–a webinar from MissioNexus!–and Support-raising Bootcamp
- IMPACT gathering for those hoping to see Jesus among Unreached People Groups (UPG’s) of Southeast Asia (see here for our free printable prayer guide for UPG’s, and here and here or specific posts on the two largest UPG’s…both in Asia)
P.S. Did you know Johnson University offers a totally online Intercultural Studies course?
Building Friendships with Muslims: A $10 DVD Course
COMMA, the Coalition of Ministries to Muslims in North America, put this together–and from the feedback, it sounds like Journey to Jesus: Building Christ-Centered Friendships with Muslims will help you feel equipped and less offensive to those to whom you long to reach out. (Or wish you did.)
Snapshots of North American Missions: Urbana 2019
Go. Serve. Love and its parent organization, Mission Data International, showed up a week and a half ago at Urbana 2019.
Urbana’s an Intervarsity-sponsored “catalytic event bringing together a diverse mix of college and graduate students, faculty, recent graduates, pastors, church and ministry leaders, missions organizations and schools.”
Raising Support: The Fear of Rejection
Go. Serve. Love is giddy to welcome back Jenn Fortner, blogger at Financial Partner Development. She’s helped over 300 people get fully-funded for the ministries they’re passionate about. We’re lovin’ her expertise and doable tips.
A subject that comes up regularly in the hearts and minds of ministry workers raising their finances is that of rejection. Eeew. I know, I’m going there. We are talking about it…
Facing rejection can be daunting to even think about in the context of raising funds. Will I damage the relationship? Will they say no? Will I be awkward? Will they be awkward? Will they answer the phone? Are they screening my phone calls? Do they not like me now that I’ve asked them for an appointment? Am I annoying? Did I ask for too much? If I call them and ask to get their commitment in what will they think? I’ve absolutely had these thoughts myself and have talked with other workers about on a regular basis.
Raising Support: 2 Commandments of Sharing Budget Needs
Go. Serve. Love is doing a happy little jig today: We’re welcoming Jenn Fortner, blogger at Financial Partner Development. She’s helped over 300 people get fully-funded for the ministries that make their hearts beat. We’re keen on her expertise and practical advice that gets real.
Two questions I get on a regular basis:
Should I share the specifics of my budget with individuals?
And–