Just coming in with a quick idea / thought. I got a postcard from a worker I have coached over the years in the mail today. As soon as we saw it, my husband and I commented on how simple and effective it was – making us both feel like we were cared for and thought of. Notice that this one isn’t even handwritten but the wording is SO INTENTIONAL and drives home the point of gratefulness.
What could you do to show your partnership team that they matter to you? How could you show them that you are grateful for sending you? That you are thankful for making it possible for your population to be ministered to? How could you show them that you care? Could you incorporate postcards with your support raising journey? Showing your thankfulness and reaching out to your team truly makes all the difference. So let this be a reminder / a push — find ways to connect and say thank you to your team!!
I’ll tell you a little secret: being proactive is the sauce in support raising. Being proactive to me means putting the ball in your court. Always. A few tools I’d like to highlight in the world of proactive support raising are connect cards and QR codes. Both are geared toward giving individuals an immediate ability to respond as well as capture vital contact information to continue engagement and foster relationships.
Think about it – have you ever given someone a prayer card PRAYING that they will remember you AND remember to give? Have you ever spoken at a church, small group, or event and been caught in conversation with a chatty individual – leaving you with a great conversation but not a lot of personal connections with others from the congregation leading to support? Have you ever wanted more engagement and haven’t known how to go about it? Or have you wanted to expand your network and not known how?
Connect cards and QR codes can be part of the answer. Below I will explain both, give you ideas on how to utilize them, and provide you with a few examples.
CONNECT CARDS
Connect Cards are a lovely way to capture contact information from individuals interested in following along with your ministry whether that’s in prayer support, financial support, or getting your communication pieces (newsletter, social media, etc.). Think of them as individual index cards that are on your display table after a church service, or even on the chairs of an event you are speaking at. These printed cards give you the ability to follow up with interested people after a service or event is over, and can be an effective tool in facilitating more face-to-face appointments and building relationships with the body of Christ. Connect cards can serve as a way to “keep the ball in your court” by grabbing interested people’s contact information instead of just giving them a prayer card and hoping they remember to contact you. It’s better than a newsletter sign up sheet because it doesn’t create a bottle neck effect, and can be a bit more customizable. It’s also helpful that it’s printed, in that sometimes you loose people who won’t scan a QR code for whatever reason. I personally like to offer digital and printed opportunities to respond.
Now, I know this super duper fancy example I made on Canva in 10 minutes is tempting you to go off immediately and make your own. BUT…don’t. Yet. Keep reading. I want to explain something important first: keep in mind that connect cards are only appropriate in certain circumstances.
“Connect cards are only meant for events, services, and small groups where you have gotten permission to connect personally with individuals about giving.”
Connect cards should only be used when they fall in accordance with a pastor / leader’s protocol on giving. Do not make the mistake of assuming that these cards can be placed on chairs of a congregation without communication prior. Connect cards are only meant for events, services, and small groups where you have gotten permission to connect personally with individuals about giving (or if you are hosting a fundraising event that you are hosting on your own).
Why is this so important? A lot of churches do their missions / ministry giving by collecting offerings and disbursing where the church leadership collectively decides. That means if you were to come into that congregation and ask all the people inside to give to you personally, it may mess up what the pastor, board, and leadership of the congregation has decided to give to. You DO NOT want to be that person.
If you do use connect cards, try to explain them from the platform in which you are speaking from – letting everyone know how to fill them out and what they are for. The whole point is to contact the individual who filled it out afterward personally. I would shoot for contacting them within 24 hours of getting the card back, usually with a quick text message telling them how you are responding to them. If they checked they are interested in getting your newsletter, respond by telling them where to expect it and when. If they checked they are interested in giving, provide immediate information such as your giving link and ask if they may be available for a face to face (if appropriate) or would like any additional information.
QR CODES
QR Codes can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some that I have witnessed:
On a printed piece on a display table (see below) with multiple scans for various information
On a Powerpoint Slide behind a speaker that links to a fill out form (Google forms are great for this!) for a newsletter or more information.
Printed on connect cards themselves so that if the individual wants to sign up electronically that is also an option. Or perhaps with additional information.
QR Codes on print pieces that lead to the worker’s ministry page or link tree.
So many others!
QR Codes can have many purposes, but my main thought in mentioning them is to get you thinking about ways in which you can provide a way to immediately respond to you and your ministry. Think proactively. Think of ways to maximize on every opportunity you are given, and how to foster relationship with the church and individuals you come in contact with. Whether the QR code sends them to your giving link, or additional information on a ministry page, or some where else, I suggest making it easy for them to navigate once they land and the least amount of work possible to lead them there (think fewer clicks).
Below are just a couple of examples of QR codes from workers. I hope this post gets your wheels turning on ways in which to facilitate pathways for the body of Christ to be involved and moving forward in the great commission (that’s what it’s all about!).
Hey guys, I’ve posted this several times over the years with some tweaks ,and thought I would again. I think this is one of the most important topics in the area of support raising there is and thus — here it is again! Easy ways to stay connected with your partners while you are busy in full time ministry! – JF
Here’s a statistic that Bill Dillon, a guru in the support raising world and author of People Raising, has that I think you’ll find potent:
For every 100 people that stop supporting you:
66% of people stop giving because they think you don’t care about them
15% are unhappy with your organization
15% transfer their giving somewhere else
4% move away or die
Woah.
When I train missionaries on how to raise their support I tend to stay away from the word “fundraising” for many reasons, and when I really think about it — this statistic is at the heart of all of my reasons. Basically, no one wants to invest in something that yields no return. If an individual gives a worker monthly support and feels as though the worker could care less about their giving, they will likely go somewhere else with their giving dollars.
And in my opinion, they should.
Ouch! Why you ask? Because the reason donors are investing in the Great Commission is because they are called to be a vital part of the Great Commission too. And if they are called to be a part of the Great Commission, why should they be made to feel as though their “vital part” is on the sidelines and forgotten?
I believe that one reason we forget to invest in the relationships we have with our financial partners is because we forget (or perhaps don’t have the paradigm) that they are as vital to the work that we are doing as we (as ministers) are. That being said, many christian workers on financial support struggle in the area of continually connecting with their financial partners even if they have a high value for their relationships with them.
It makes sense. We are all busy. Ministers are typically very busy. I totally get it.
As much as I understand, I also believe it isn’t a valid excuse. There are so many easy ways to connect across continents in our world. As such, I would like to offer up 10 suggestions on how workers on financial support can continually, quickly, and easily connect with churches and individuals who financially invest in the kingdom work they are doing.
10 Ways to Connect
1. The Quarterly Newsletter
Here’s a no-brainer: Send your newsletters. You should do a minimum of four a year, but it’s probably better to do one every other month. Keep them short and talk way more about ministry than personal things. Include pictures of active ministry (no vacation spots). Think through ways to make Newsletters interesting and stand out. Elements such as videos, video messaging, QR codes to fun things like Spotify playlists, book recommendations, or sending out in a unique way goes a long way!
2. Short Email or Letter
When you get on the field, pick 10-15 financial partners each month and email them (or DM) a QUICK and SHORT personal hello/touch base. For example:
“Hi Sally, just wanted to touch base with you and see how you have been doing. You and Chuck are on our prayer list for this month and we are wondering if you have any updates or requests? Things here are going wonderful. We just finished with our building project and couldn’t be more excited to receive students this coming fall. There will be 10! Would you pray specifically for the students with us this month as we launch? Hope you all are well and let us know how we can be in prayer for you.” – Jenn
See…how painful is that? It took me all of two minutes to write that… You may be saying, but what happens when they write back? If they do, take another minute of your day to promptly reply to those who responded to your email. If all 10 respond it will take you around 15-20 minutes to respond to everyone. Then, take the time to mention them in your prayers and follow up with that as you have time and God leads. Keep a simple notebook. Write them down. It will make all of the difference and mean so much to the people spending so much time praying for you.
Once you have gone through your 10-15 partners each month, circle back around your list. Put these on some sort of white board in your room or house to remind you, or put it into a calendar each month. Whatever you do, calendarize it in some way.
3. Postcards and Presents
Send small gifts or postcards to your financial partners. Tell them thank you for their continuing support.
I recently received a postcard from a friend vacationing in Costa Rica. That postcard remained on my fridge for 2 months for two reasons: (1) My friend thought of me from a far off destination and it made my day getting that postcard! (2) It was beautiful! Personally, I’m a sucker for a pretty print of any far off destination.
If you have children, enlist their help and artistic skills! Taking it a step further, what would it look like for your kids to work on some personalized paintings or drawings to give to partners?! (Bunny trail thought)
Small gifts do not have to cost much to mean a lot. Pins, stickers, Christmas ornaments, gift cards for a cup of coffee…all of it can make a huge impact.
4. Stay Active on Social Media
If you don’t already have one, create a Facebook page or hidden group. Stay active on it while you are on the field. Pictures, prayer updates, short videos, scripture verses, and praise reports are all fantastic. *If you are somewhere sensitive keep that in mind while posting and follow the rules of your organization.
Consider getting onto Instagram, Twitter, TikTok (or whatever is up and coming as you read this!) as well! This is not for everyone, and typically I say to start with one social media outlet (probably Facebook – yes, it’s still relevant somehow!) and do it well. However if you have the time and know-how try one or both of these. I love posting on Twitter and have a personal Instagram page as a creative outlet. Both have been effective in communicating with friends and helping me to network on a larger scale.
5. I’m Thinking Of You
Sometimes as I listen to audio sermons, worship sets, podcasts, or scriptures, I’ll check in with God and ask if He would like me to share any of those with my friends, family, or financial partners. If I feel prompted, I’ll send that sermon or verse to a friend on Facebook with a little message. These have to make sense and the sermons probably shouldn’t be overly convicting on major sins or anything. (Don’t imply that your friend has a problem). Use common sense of course! All that to say — just letting someone know you are thinking about them can really show you care.
6. The Church Letter or Video
Write a short letter to the churches that financially partner with you. Put a note in to the pastor to please read where he feels it appropriate to the congregation (small groups, prayer groups, Sunday school). If you don’t have time for a letter, create a quick video on your smart phone or computer and email it to the pastor. Ask the pastor to share that with his congregation or prayer group if possible.
7. Events
When you come back home, hold an event in key areas where your financial partners are. During the event provide desserts and coffee. Share stories from the field, answer any questions, tell them about your future plans, and thank them, thank them, and thank them.
These events can be as elaborate or simple as you want to make them. I would of course error on the side of taking care of your important guests by providing refreshments and some sort of dessert or snack – these also provide an incentive for your guests to come.
8. Face to Face
In addition to the church event, when you come home set up one-on-one coffee times with pastors and friends and family that have supported you. Thank them and catch up on their lives while you were gone. Be relational and intentional. Really, this shouldn’t be optional!
9. FaceTime / Zoom
Are you spending some time on FaceTime/ Zoom with your far away family and friends? Why not pick 6-12 financial partners per year to FaceTime / Zoom while on the field? This is particularly good practice with financial partners that are giving sizable amounts or with churches and small groups that are partnering financially. Give them a real-time live update on where and how you are. Take them into an actual ministry event via Zoom / FaceTime on your phone if you can. They will be floored at your thoughtfulness and most likely continue to financially partner you throughout assignments to come.
10. Text them!
There are multiple programs available that will allow you to set up video and picture messaging while on the field. If you have a urgent prayer request, why not send a group text message out to your financial and prayer partners with a picture detailing your prayer need? If you have a praise report, send a text and allow them to celebrate with you (of course, keep in mind time zone differences so that you are not texting them at 2:00am)!
In Closing
If you are a worker on financial support, I hope that these simple ideas to connect with your partnership base help you. Let’s remind our financial partners that they are important to us and to the Great Commission! Let’s keep our attrition rates up with our financial partners by spending just a little time letting them know that we care. Let’s value them! Let’s realize that they are vital part of what we do. Amen? Amen.
2023 is coming to a close and it’s time to talk about your Year End Giving strategy.
I say this every year – but November and December are statistically the best two months of the year for giving. In fact, around 17-30% of ALL GIVING in the United States occurs in the month of December alone. Here are a few more interesting statistics from 2022 (sources: tithe.ly, M+R Benchmark):
Monthly giving has gone up by 11%
Nonprofits raised 3.1 billion on Giving Tuesday in 2022
Around 11% of charitable giving happens on the last 3 days of the year.
Around 46.2% of nonprofits start their year end giving campaigns in November.
Maybe you aren’t singing the Jingle Bell Rock just yet but here are some things to think about ahead of time to get your strategy in place NOW.
First off, in October, and early November, it’s great to focus one’s efforts on face to face appointments. If you can, kick it into overdrive and set goals for more appointments and initial contacts than usual! Why? Well, typically speaking it’s one of the easiest times of year to schedule appointments. Summer is over and people are into routine, school is back, people are checking their calendars and not overwhelmed with plans. After Thanksgiving is when things should shift from business as usual face to face appointments to Year End Giving mode. Toward the holidays there are additional touches you can create to show your existing team you care as well as generate some excitement and cash gifts. (see below for the ideas!)
Thirdly, October is an excellent month of the year to reach out to churches. Churches typically schedule services months in advance so calling in September or October may get you service in January or February 2021. If you wait to reach out to a pastor/church until November or December, you may have a bit of a tougher time until January due to the church’s busy holiday schedule.
Lastly, consider creating a specific goal for all of your Year End Giving and try a multichannel approach that all work together to support that specific goal. Maybe you want to raise $3,000 for your language learning costs, get $200 in new monthly support, or reach 75% funded. Just make sure it is reasonable and attainable.
With all of that being said, here’s a break down on some specific ideas for your Year End Giving strategy.
1. GIVING TUESDAY
Giving Tuesday, which occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is a day for non-profits and others raising funds to solicit donations. It is a GREAT DAY to post something online asking friends and family to give. Giving Tuesday donations has risen 143% in the last 7 years.
The first example below is from a family who was going to a sensitive location. For Giving Tuesday they set a specific goal of $1,000 to go to pre-school and language learning. They promoted throughout the day (and prior!) by posting multiple times it on their Secret Facebook Group, which was comprised of people who were already a part of their team either in prayer and/or finances. They also created a post prior to Giving Tuesday on their regular Facebook page, asking if anyone was interested in hearing more about their journey. Then they added those interested parties to their Secret Facebook Group so that they could see the posts. BRILLIANT.
Do you want to know if they made their goal? Screen shots of their posts and progress are below. For security purposes I am not sharing the totality of their ADORABLE video, however, I did write down their script and have it below. It’s a great example of how you can raise over $1,000 in cash in ONE SINGLE DAY with a little bit of effort and excitement. By the way, the Smiths were EXCELLENT at face to face appointments and had a solid team in place by the time Giving Tuesday came. You may think Giving Tuesday wouldn’t work for an already established team…but see below for the results!
The second example is a couple who did a matching goal for Giving Tuesday. Spoiler: it went great! See the results just below.
VIDEO SCREEN SHOTS:
VIDEO SCRIPT:
Jason: “Hi guys, we are the Smith family. This is baby Justin, my wife Sara, and I’m Jason. Justin just turned 1 year old yesterday (all: YAY!) We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!”
Sara: “After Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday if there is anything left in your bank account today is what is called “Giving Tuesday”. It’s an opportunity to bless people who are in the process of raising money. Many of you know that we are moving to X in the spring and we have been in the process of raising our monthly budget. But we also have to raise a cash budget up front. We are asking our friends and family on Facebook to consider giving us a cash gift of $25. Our goal is to raise $500 for Justin’s school and $500 for our language learning training for a total of $1,000 in just 1 DAY! You can give towards Justin’s school which will give him the opportunity to learn language, learn the culture, and make friends. Or today you could choose to give to our language training which will give us the opportunity to learn X and connect with people in their language.”
Jason: “Now it’s super easy to give, all you have to do is click the link and it will take you straight to the page where you can give. Then if you would send us a Facebook Message telling us which of these two things you gave towards – that way we can keep a running tally. Otherwise we won’t know for a couple of days, and that’s way less exciting.”
Sara: “Thank you friends for your generosity we appreciate you more than words can say.”
Both: “Happy Giving Tuesday!”
*funny bloopers with Justin and family at the end
*graphics displayed on video about link with arrows, Giving Tuesday, and Thank You.
*fun music in the background – light and airy.
POSTS:
EXAMPLE 2
2. NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
Send out a regular newsletter at the beginning of November, even if you have done one recently.
Keep it to 1 page – be brief.
Keep it ministry focused with specific stories.
Use it to promote any Facebook Live or Giving Tuesday efforts you will be doing.
Say a very hearty thank you!
Don’t do any asks on this newsletter.
3. CHRISTMAS CARD / YEAR END LETTER
Do Christmas cards along with a year end letter sometime before December 31st (think about sticking it in the mail the day after Thanksgiving). I think it’s a good idea in some circumstances (see below for more on this) to bundle these two and stick them in the mail together, the card of course being Christmasy with the year end letter inside. Send these out to your existing financial and prayer partner list.
Include the following components:
Merry Christmas greeting.
Express your authentic thankfulness for your support team. Emphasize and focus your letter on the impact your partners are having.
Percentage update of where you are at raising your funds.
A gift-wrappy-Christmasy-wonderful-snowy graphic that has your organization’s giving website / ways to give. (Make it pretty – I made the one to the right in 5 minutes using Canva.com)
An actual ask in the letter for finances (yep, this is the only time of year I say go for it on a letter!). Consider making it about one story of a life changed or need.
Try to stay away from “I” language and use “we” language instead. Example: “I need $500 more in monthly support” to “In order to keep this ministry to the United School in South Africa and impact people like Miles, we are looking for $500 more in monthly support.” Answer the question “What difference will this make in someone’s life?”
Do a nice handwritten PS.
Tips for year end letter:
Switch this up from a regular newsletter. Use a slightly different template than a regular newsletter and make it more like a letter.
Don’t send an ask year end letter to anyone who recently started giving, just gave one time recently, or just increased their giving. (probably within the past 6 months). Just send them Christmas cards instead. You don’t want to overwhelm them with too many asks.
Consider creating a different version of your year end letter to those who haven’t started giving yet or didn’t give when asked. Change particulars as needed for the audience.
Perhaps for people who have said that they can’t give- give them a soft opportunity to give. Change the thankfulness for being on your support team and instead thank them for their prayers and involvement in your life.
For those you haven’t yet met with, change the particulars to reflect your desire to meet with them soon and thank them for the involvement in your life. You may want to include a soft ask but not as bold as to those you send it to who you’ve already met with.
Snail mail your year end letter.
Keep it to 1 page make it look really nice!
4. SMALL GIFTS
Send your members of your partnership team small gifts. December is a great time of year to express your thankfulness to your support team. Go above and beyond that newsletter!
5. FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN
A well crafted, intentional, relational Facebook Campaign can be helpful during these months of giving. Consider creating a Facebook Campaign in October, November, or December if you haven’t done one recently. Here are. afew things to keep in mind as you craft yours:
A wonderful time to start a campaign is around or on Giving Tuesday!
Keep in mind, this is advisable only if you have gotten far enough in your financial partnership (75-80%) to start one.
GET SILLY. (this applies to Giving Tuesdays as well!) Shave a head if you reach your goal! Do a weird dance! Eat something weird! Write a song! Don’t discount the lure of silly rewards. Here’s a screen shot of a worker who jumped into freezing waters on the last day of their Campaign (they reached their goal of $1,000 in monthly support in 10 days):
The below screen shots are from a Year End Facebook Campaign that incorporated Giving Tuesday and shows you ways their campaigners changed the wording of the copy to make it unique to them.
6. EMAIL AFTER CHRISTMAS
Send out an email on December 29th or 30th. Include the following:
Greeting of Happy New Year for your partners
Remind them of your ministry as they execute their giving.
Use that christmasy-graphic and update it to be new-years-y with a clickable link on giving online.
Don’t include a formal ask. Just thank yous’ and the graphic on how to give online.
OTHER TIPS:
Stay consistent with your goals and shoot for a multi-channel approach. The secret sauce for creating a successful year end strategy is all about sequence. What does that mean? Essentially, sequence is you creating a goal and using that message/goal consistently to create a multi-channel integrated approach. Your goal should be consistent across any blogs or websites, social media, email, and written mail.
Have your strategy in place and communication pieces written BEFORE November.
Sequence maximizes the return on your effort and time investment. Stay consistent.
Try to get a hook when creating your goals. Maybe an image, theme, tagline, story.
Try to be eye-catching. Be compelling.
Less is more. The fewer words the better. Keep videos as short, fun, and informative as possible.
Don’t send a year end letter to anyone who just started giving, gave a special gift, or increased their giving in the last six months. Just send them a Christmas card.
Customize two different letters: one for on-going financial partners, one for non-givers.
In your wording, focus on the partner. Example: “There is hope, and that hope is you.” Talk about how your partners make the world better with their gift: “You gave 50 kids the gift of Jesus last year with your donation, and now you can do more.” The partner and the partnership between you becomes the hero of this story. Acknowledge their important role in your mission.
Get creative! These aren’t the only ways to utilize this season, just some ideas I’ve seen work very well.
Don’t let your partners only hear “asks” from you. Be sure you stay on top of personal communication. The routine newsletter that arrives in early November will be helpful – 1 page with pictures, ministry focused with specific stories. But get beyond that and reach out in micro relational ways to your team.
BONUS:
Here’s posts from a couple who did both a Facebook Live Q&A and Giving Tuesday:
Notice just a few short days after their Live they went into Giving Tuesday
When it comes to raising support, relationships can have tricky nuances that come in wide variety. One potential partner you may see every day and have a strong relationship with, and another you may not have talked for years. In most every circumstance, the best practice of asking for financial support of an individual remains tried and true – face to face appointments. However, at times you may find yourself in a circumstance that is not so cut and dry on how to get the appointment.
Throughout your process there will most likely asks that take some additional thought to navigate correctly, and thus here are several helpful rules of thumb that could help navigate those more nuanced circumstances:
1. Always default to the most relational means possible when making the ask.
At times you’ll question how to best approach a potential partner and ask for a face to face appointment. Say you see someone on your contact list at church on a regular basis and you are wondering if you should send them an invitation letter in the mail first, go up and talk to them to ask for an appointment, or phone call them? Maybe text? How do you know what is best? My general rule of thumb: go for what is most relational! The most relational may mean walking up to them after church and asking for a appointment.
When deciding how to approach it – it may help to see the roles as reversed – think about how you would want to be approached for an appointment if your potential partner was the one asking you.
2. Check your motivation if you aren’t reaching for a face to face appointment following the basic process.
Are you veering away from calling an individual asking for a appointment because there is a more logical way (such as talking to them in person), or is your motivation to get out of making a phone call because it feels scary and awkward to you? If there’s a more logical and relational way in a special circumstance, that may be okay, however stick to the process for the bulk of your asks. If your motivation for doing something like DMing instead of calling someone is off (ie. your trying to cut corners due to lack of time or because you just don’t want to make phone calls), please be honest with yourself about that and go back to the basic process (invitation letter or phone call + appointment).
3. If it feels awkward to send an invitation letter, call first. If it feels awkward to call first, send the invitation letter first. I believe at times sending a invitation letter before making a phone call can be an helpful way to start a conversation of potential support.
What is an invitation letter?
A simple one page letter with a brief (very brief!) summary of what you’ll be doing in ministry and that you need to raise 100% of your finances.
A good invitation letter mentions that YOU will be contacting them soon (within a week) to connect with them further about your assignment, it does NOT say that they should get in touch with you. Always seek to keep the ball in your court!
Should be followed up with a phone call (or the most relational means to approach – see number 1!) asking for an appointment, as invitation letters are a invitation (hence the name!) to further conversation.
Invitation letters DO NOT give a lengthy dissertation of your future assignment or calling, but briefly outline the basic details.
Invitation letters DO NOT ask for finances. Ever.
Includes a catchy (but brief) intro.
Always includes a handwritten ps. (that will be the first thing they see and read!).
Includes your basic contact information.
Invitation letters can be helpful when you want to break the ice before making a phone call and to give your potential partner time to pray and consider support before you call.
A great rule of thumb is if it feels awkward to make a phone call first, then send an invitation letter first. If it feels awkward to send an invitation letter first, you skip that step and go straight for the phone call.
4. If someone lives too far away for a face to face appointment, either set up a FaceTime / Zoom Appointment or wait until you will see them.
Sometimes setting up an appointment isn’t cut and dry due to the proximity of your potential partner. Say I live in Missouri and a friend I want to ask for financial support lives in Alaska, and I have no reason to travel to Alaska nor them come to Missouri. In that type of circumstance it is likely that I will be connecting with them in another way other than face to face.
A great rule of thumb here is to try first to seek out a virtual meeting using your their preferred method. Simply call them up like you would if you were asking for a face to face appointment, but instead schedule a virtual meeting time. (It’s always going to be better to actually see someone when you make an ask, as the connection overall will be richer!)
Of course, there will be circumstances in which someone is not able to meet virtually. Say for instance my friend in Alaska has never used FaceTime or Skype and wouldn’t know the first thing about accepting that type of call. I would then divert to making the ask via phone with that individual. When doing this, check to make sure they have time for a lengthier phone call, if not, schedule the phone call for another time (but don’t just say I’ll give you a phone call another time – truly schedule it with a date and time). I would then proceed to do the shortened version of my appointment over the phone live or at the scheduled time.
In another variance, it may be that your potential partner in Alaska will be visiting Missouri at some point in the future while you are raising support. Simply wait until closer to the time they are coming in town to phone call for an appointment or send an invitation letter.
In yet another variance, it may be that you will be visiting Alaska but not for several months. In that circumstance it may be better to hold off on contacting that individual until about a month (you want to give plenty of time for a heads up that you are coming so that you can schedule an appointment) prior to your scheduled trip.
5. Remain confident in your calling.
Whatever curve balls a potential partner is throwing at you during an appointment or prior to the appointment, try to focus on remaining confident in your calling! By following the call of God on your life, I promise you are super inspiring to those around you! Remind yourself on the daily why you are raising up a team and how God has called you. And of course praying and asking for God’s guidance will always help when those curve balls come.
Do you have a special circumstance you have questions on? Shoot me your questions in the comments!
Several years back I did a blog post on Pre-Itineration for anyone who was about to come off of a ministry assignment into a new season of support raising. I get questions all of the time as to where to start if you have existing support and are coming into a season of raising additional support. Usually additional questions follow, such as:
How much time should I spend on engaging existing supporters and asking for increases?
How much time reaching out to pastors and churches is appropriate?
What do I say to those who have supported me when I come home? What’s the best way to communicate with them?
What should my newsletter reflect?
Where do I start again?!?!
To expound on the old blog post, I wanted to create something particularly helpful for a worker who has raised a full budget and is coming home from being overseas to raise additional support. However, this post isn’t only for the overseas worker, and there of course can be multiple reasons for raising more support. Whatever the case it is for you, I think you will find this blog post helpful to think through your strategy or at least for tucking away for when it’s you find yourself in this situation.
To communicate some ideas on the subject, I chatted with two AMAZING overseas workers (thank you so much to both of you!!!) who have recently come back to the States to raise additional support. First, we will start with my friend Emily* (yup — named changed for security). She has lived overseas on assignment for multiple years and recently came back to raise support as a career worker. When she came back to the States she knew she had an increased budget and that she would like to return to country as soon as possible. I asked Emily some questions about her overall strategy such as where did she begin and what did she specifically do? Keep in mind, within our organization Emily is allowed and encouraged to ask a lot of churches in our denomination, and her answers reflect that ability. Below are her responses.
Question 1: Emily, where did you start with your support raising as you made the transition from first term to second?
“I will give you the whole timeline! Just a note, A and B are where I started with the initial announcement to my supporters of what was next as far as my assignment goes, but it was really what I did later on the bore the most fruit.
A: About six months before the end of my ministry term, I started by reaching out to my District Director (our denomination gathering of sectional / local churches) to let him know I was returning to the States soon. I did this specifically to ask him if I could begin getting on calendars of churches before my official approval as a worker going from associate to fully appointed. Every district is different, and he gave me the green light to start calling those I had relationship with to get on their calendars for services and to inform them of my transition.
B. I sent out two emails initially. One to churches partnering with me and another to individuals currently partnering with me. I informed them of my next steps without getting too detailed about things that would confuse them–and focused on the fact that my budget was increasing. I thanked them for their faithful partnership. I asked them to consider increasing or even doubling their partnership. (Some fruit came from this -those who wanted to increase, did).
C. THIS was super fruitful: I posted a social request asking people to connect me with their pastors. I had a lot of response from this! I made sure to cast vision that they were multiplying my effectiveness by getting me into their churches. (I have attached this post)
D. I did several Facebook Lives leading up to Giving Tuesday. What was effective from this, was that is seemed to make people want me to speak at their church. I didn’t get a lot of gifts but got a lot of invitations which then led to pledges.
E. Sent Pastor Packet > Follow up call > Follow up email> Repeat. This can seem so extremely monotonous and time consuming…BUT
I sent out packets with a case document,prayer card, and a handwritten note. I included in the correspondence that I would be calling them soon.
I diligently called through my district twice.
I emailed every pastor I could find an email address for directly following the phone call/message.
That three point of communication was a winner for me. I had conversations with many people, not on the initial phone call (leaving the message is what is valuable there if they don’t pick up, so you can even do this on weekends), but usually on follow-up. On each mode of communication, I mentioned the others (I’ll be following up next week with a call … ) to let them know I was planning on a conversation and not just sending them information.
F. OK, the magic here for this last one was connecting with pastors at District Council towards the end of my itineration journey getting my final percentages. I walked into general council at 85%. I emailed our District Director to ask him if they could highlight me on stage and finish me up (you never know unless you ask!) and he gave me a two-minute window that got me in front of everyone I had been having conversations with. This led to the final commitments I needed and many conversations. I believe District Council (again, our denomination gathering of sectional / local churches), if done well and preferably later in your itineration journey, can be very effective. THIS was when I looked back at all my calls, emails and mail-outs and really saw that they had been fruitful and worth the time because everyone in that room knew who I was from previous communication–even if I hadn’t heard from them.
Question 2: Emily, what did you focus your time on and how?
I spent the majority of my time making phone calls, emailing, and keeping up records (an ongoing spreadsheet of communication), and this will come as a surprise, but also writing thank-you cards, even when people said no. Those phone calls, emails, records and thank-you cards took the most time. However, it was also the most fruitful times as those phone calls and email led to appointments and services, which led to partnership.
A phone call tip: If you have a reference, use it! Ask your District Director if you can use their name. Something I routinely started with was “Pastor ____ told me to reach out to you as I itinerate”. It may sound pushy but it just lets them know that someone they respect is pulling for you and they should too.
Below are some screen shots of posts and copy I have referenced! – Emily
I also made this and used it recently in an email. I modeled it after an update another worker couple I admire recently did.
Okay, that’s Emily’s wonderful strategy! The second worker couple I’d like to highlight are the Smiths. They are currently raising support for a longer assignment as career workers and have developed some excellent materials to give to pastors and individuals I’d like to highlight.
First, I’d like to highlight the Smith’s pastor packets. The Smiths are emailing these to pastors whom they have not met with a handwritten note that says they would love to connect with them and will be calling within the week. Notice the packet information is several pages long as opposed to a shorter Case Document. (Case Documents are also super effective – but a longer version could be helpful in some circumstances like this!) Here’s a few snapshots of the packets.
The Smiths are taking this same packet and tailoring it for individuals (which by the way is such a cool idea!). They have made changes to the packet that include the levels of giving chart below (instead of full budget details that are given in the pastor / church packet). They have also changed the individual packet to include individual friendly language and change the size to be a mini packet.
Included with the mini packet is a handwritten card. (see below)
I hope these ideas help as you begin to craft your strategy for entering into a new season of support raising! For other ideas on how to get started: check out this post I mentioned in the beginning. Have any great ideas that have worked for you? Share them in the comments!
Ghosting. You all know the scenario, chances are you’ve been there…
You reach out to a friend via phone and try to set up an appointment. No answer. You text them and ask if they have time for a quick phone call. Nope, nothing. Then you call again and leave a voicemail. Crickets. Then the process gets a little weird because you call again a couple of days later and still: NADA. Maybe you send another text several weeks after beginning the process, but you don’t know what to say. So you send something but don’t love it, bite your nails and then…na that wasn’t them that texted back…it was just MORE CRICKETS. And you’re wondering…did I just damage a relationship? What if I see them at Target? Do they shop at that one? Maybe I’ll drive to the one on the other side of town that’s farther away from their house. AWKWARD.
So what do we do with this whole ghosting MONSTER lurking under the bed? How do we appropriately handle the FEAR that rejection is happening before our eyes? I’ve got some ideas to combat the SCARY scenarios. Don’t SCREAM, let’s dive in (and okay, I’ll stop using the puns). There are 3 main things to keep in mind when you think you are being ghosted – let’s talk about them.
1. Don’t Jump to Conclusions
When you feel you are being ghosted don’t jump to conclusions. People are busy with their own lives, and your top priority is almost always NOT their top priority. They’ve got their own world swirling around them, so recognize that we have to meet people where they are at and contacting you back may not be at the top of their list. Don’t jump to the conclusion that if they aren’t Johny-On-The-Spot with getting back to you it doesn’t mean they aren’t interested. It could mean a variety of things such as one or some of the following:
they are bad with returning phone calls / messages / insert media you used
they are busy
it’s a hard week
it’s a hard year.
they are out of town / country
they intend to but just haven’t gotten there yet
they are distracted
their phone broke?
they have a new number
they are potty training their toddler and are laser focused unto getting rid of cloth diapers for ever and ever amen (wait… just me?!)
Thus before making the conclusion you are being ghosted, here are ask some important questions of yourself. If you answer “no” to any of these things – then try that thing before jumping to conclusions:
Am I using the right contact method to reach them? Have I tried multiple ways to get in touch?
Are they actually receiving my phone call / message?
Have I tried enough times over a period of time, and given them long enough to respond?
Have they already expressed interest in giving but have had trouble responding recently?
2. The Final Contact
If you have have sufficiently tried to reach out to someone but are getting no response (see list above) then you may consider making The Final Contact. The Final Contact essentially is communication that attempts to honor the relationship when someone isn’t responding, and lets that person know you will not be contacting them again about support. Now, that being said I have some pretty strong thoughts about The Final Contact and how it works / doesn’t work that I need to share before proceeding further:
Consider all of the questions above carefully before doing The Final Contact.
You should NOT be doing The Final Contact if you’ve only tried calling a person twice or even 3 times. It should be after you’ve made several attempts, tried several communication methods, and given them time to respond. Many people make the mistake of believing someone’s silence is rejection and give up too quickly due to fear. Be confident, and remember you don’t have to apologize for inviting someone to be a part of the Great Commission.
If a Final Contact is given too early you run the risk of offending cherished relationships.
If you move to the Final Contact too early you also run the risk of no support from them.
It’s likely that after you make The Final Contact, you will hear from the person who has ghosted you. It happens often.
In wording your Final Contact, keep the door open a smidge that you may have a future assignment / time you raise support, and perhaps you will reach out again in the future (see example below – this doesn’t need to be emphasized, just accommodated for).
You don’t make The Final Contact if someone has answered your calls and methods of communication, only if they don’t (unless it’s a nuanced situation). Don’t make The Final Contact you’re out for any circumstance that gets awkward that you don’t want to follow up on. No no.
So HUGE WARNING HERE: Don’t do it too early. However, well timed Final Contacts can help in putting the relationship in good standing. So what does a good Final Contact look like? This example of a Final Contact is written by my friend Grant Hoel who is a support raising coach and in full time ministry with Chi Alpha.
“Hi [Name], I hope everything is going well for you. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you recently to share about my upcoming ministry assignment to [City or Country] but I have been having trouble. It is possible that this is not the best method of communication for you or that you’ve been extremely busy and unable to get back to me. Or maybe you’re just not interested, and that’s okay. In any case, I wanted to let you know that this will be my last attempt to reach you in regards to this assignment. Also know that I really value your friendship and would love to catch up or hear how I can be praying for you at any time. If you are interested in talking about the ministry and how you could be involved, feel free to give me a call: (555) 555-5555. Either way, I look forward to catching up the next time I see you. Have a great week and God Bless.“
Some thoughts straight from Grant on what a well-crafted Final Contact does:
It provides the person the most charitable excuse for not returning your call.
“I know you’re probably super busy…”
“I understand that now may not be the best time for you…”
“You may not be able to give right now…” “And that’s OK!”
Let’s them know that you will not be contacting them regarding support/financial partnership for this assignment. You won’t bring it up unless they initiate it.
“So I just want to let you know that I won’t be contacting you again about this unless you bring it up. If I’m wrong and you just haven’t been able to get back to me, just give me a call and we’ll pick up the conversation from there.”
Affirms your relationship with them.
“I just want you to know that I absolutely appreciate your friendship…”
“Let me know if there is anything I can do for you or any way to pray for you…”
“I look forward to the next time we get to see each other…”
3. Don’t be Timid: Its The Great Commission (See Rejection post)
I get it, it can be SCARY to reach out to friends and family for support, and when that friend ghosts you in the process, it doesn’t feel good. But I think alongside having the Final Contact in our pocket, remembering that we are all called to the Great Commission as either goers or senders is one of the most important things to remember in the midst of asking for finances. Asking someone for financial support is okay and it’s even biblical. (If you doubt that to be true, here are some verses to check out) Also, what you are doing is downright cool and inspiring. Seriously. You don’t have to be ashamed about telling people about Jesus and you certainly aren’t the only one since the days of Moses who raised finances to do it. You can be bold. You can be confident (and it actually helps). You don’t have to apologize for following God’s path, and you actually get to be an inspiration for those you connect with to follow their own paths with God! He’s actually the one that set it up for the christian worker to live off of support. If someone doesn’t join maybe someone else is supposed to. I can be as simple as that, if you let it be.
It’s hard to know what to do when a person isn’t responding to you, I hope some of these thoughts help in the process. Below is a song to help inspire you. As Grant put it to me when explaining his process on The Final Contact “Now may you confidently and effectively raise the funds you need to do the work in which God has called you. May you have even deeper and more meaningful relationships as a result of your support raising efforts.”
Happy 2023 everyone! Guys, I love January. There’s nothing like a fresh start. Did anyone out there do New Years resolutions or spend some of the last few weeks goal setting? I personally love taking time in the new year to look over my vision statement and goal set for the year. If you did, I would challenge you to find something to add to those goals as it relates to partnership development. Novel idea right?! If you are in full time ministry and live off of support, working on your financial partnership development is a VITAL part of your life. How you view it and treat it are fundamental to your success and longevity as a minister.
That being said, are you slipping into any bad habits? Is your communication strong with your partnership base, or has it slipped to the dusty corners of your to-do wishlist? When was the last time you wrote a newsletter? When was the last time you reached out to an old friend or prayed for them just because? Could you do anything new to stand out? Try something new? Could your vision statement or your print pieces use a little refinement? How’s your attitude as it concerns raising support? Do you love and nurture your support team or tend to neglect involving them in your ministry?
My intention is not to overwhelm you if you have slipped into a few bad habits, but maybe adopting a few of these small changes (or coming up with ideas of your own) could make 2023 and beyond easier and more enjoyable as it relates to ministry and your partnership development. Here are a few ideas to consider:
1. In 2023, PERSONALLY connect with everyone on your partnership team on a quarterly basis.
Consider bumping up your communications with your partnership team. Perhaps create a goal to reach out directly to every partner (churches and individuals) on a quarterly basis. Here are some ways to consider reaching out:
Direct Message on your social media app of choice
Emails
Short video from your phone
Text message or WhatsApp
postcard
Written letters
Reaching out to a supporter personally doesn’t have to be lengthy to be effective. Some ideas:
Just say hi. Let them know you were thinking of them
Ask how they are doing and how you can pray for them
Share a podcast or a sermon if they come to mind
Share a verse you love and are studying
Say happy birthday
text a picture of a ministry event with a quick thank you.
These little habits of regular communication make a big difference!
Here’s an idea, if you’ve never sent postcards from your city or country maybe 2023 is the time to do it! Chunk your list and make a goal of sending 10-20 postcards out a month.
2. In 2023, learn how to close your appointments well and do great follow up to make your life easier.
Are you going to be doing a lot of public speaking while on itineration? Mark it as a chance to develop or refine your skills by studying the subject and applying a few new tips. Here’s a short list of some quick reads on the subject:
“As you ask remember that you are asking on behalf of the lost, so with that in mind BE BOLD, and walk forward in faith. It’s not for you but for His glory. Don’t let rejections stop or discourage you…because ultimately it is all for the lost. It will come in from a different source! Keep praying, fasting, and sabbath-ing throughout it all!” – Anonymous Overseas Worker
4. In 2023, keep the sabbath.
Dunno who needs to hear this but — keep that sabbath day holy! Okay? Okay.
5. In 2023, refine your vision statement.
Knowing who you are, how you were called, and what you want to do in ministry is important, right? Right.
“A mission statement is not something you write overnight… But fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values. It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.” Stephen Covey
We know mission statements are important, but it can be challenging to find the time and energy to sit down and refine one’s mission statement. I would argue though, taking that time to blow the dust off of your mission statement (whether that’s a personal or a team missions statement) is crucial to success.
“People are working harder than ever, but because they lack clarity and vision, they aren’t getting very far. They, in essence, are pushing a rope with all of their might.” Stephen Covey
Even businesses struggle to maintain their vision statements, and recent research has showed that over half of employees (52%) cannot recite their business’s vision. All the while, a recent report shows that “sense of purpose” in work is the second most important criteria for millennials considering a job. Interesting.
If you want more information on vision statements and why they are so important to success, I’d recommend picking up a copy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. (Personally it is one of my favorite books EVER and goes in depth on the subject.)
6. In 2023, rebrand.
Have you been thinking for awhile it’s time to take your “brand” to the next level? Maybe it’s reordering new prayer cards that feature your newest child, or taking your Case Document and Connect Cards to the next level. Or maybe it’s thinking through a new newsletter template or features that align with your Facebook Group posts and website.
I’d say anything you can do to stand out, look professional, and raise the bar with quality communication and materials really does make a difference! Make 2023 the year to do it! The picture below is an example of a packet given to pastors that really stands out. Notice the fancy envelope and the beautiful graphics.
I hope these help spark some ideas for you! Happy 2023! -JF
Yesterday I was working with a guy I coach on crafting the perfect text for follow up. As we worked together, Erik of Take The Hill commented that “this is art!” I definitely laughed as we were putting a lot of time into the perfect text, but he has a point, it’s absolutely art! Crafting the perfect text for follow up after someone has verbally committed to support can be a real challenge, am I right?!
Thus, with Erik’s permission I’d like to share with you the sample text we came up with. (Thanks Erik!) Before I do, a few things to mention:
When we wrote this we were specifically thinking of partners that Erik had already reached out to for follow up. Essentially, Erik had face to face appointments with each of the recipients within the last month or two, and followed up with each after to get the partner to start their giving. However, for whatever reason the partner had not responded / was dragging their feet getting the commitment in. I believe that in most cases, if a financial partner says they are going to give, they most likely will, it’s just a matter of communicating effectively and time.
That being said, this text is not an example for the first follow up bid, but more like the 2nd or 3rd.
The text assumes that the financial partner has said a definite yes to partnership. At the end you will want to change the wording for those who were a little unsure during an appointment.
This is not an ask for someone you have not met with personally and made an ask to! It may go without saying, but just in case: texting in general should not be used for an ask for monthly partnership – that’s reserved for face to face (or Zoom if you have to) appointments.
This text is a great example of creating what I call a “short percentage goal” as outlined in this blog post. To distill that blog post quickly – a short percentage goal provides the new financial partner of a goal that is a few weeks away, creating a sense of timing and communicates that you will benefit by having them turn in their commitment soon. Essentially, a potential financial partner does not know that turning in their gift sooner rather than later greatly benefits you unless you tell them. A good time to do that is during the appointment close, and this text reinforces it.
Okay, with no further ado – here’s the sample text for you to help craft your own:
Hey X, just checking in. As we approach the end of the month I’m trying to dot my I’s and cross my T’s. If everyone who’s verbally committed will complete the giving process or pledge — we’ll be at 50% by November 1, which would be a HUGE win for X ministry!
(the paragraph below maybe separate text or separate paragraph)
Just for reference, here’s the link if needed (include link). If you can, it would be so helpful to us to fill it out. If you’re not able to right now, no worries, just let us(me) know if you can what you’re thinking. Either way, we(I) love you (guys) and we(I) are(am) honored to have you on our(my) team ((or we’d love to have you on our team— if not sure of their commitment).
BONUS! If this is the 2nd or 3rd bid, what do you do if they don’t respond to this text? Well, in that case you would still have room to circle back around to the subject. Let’s suggest we try texting again 2-4 weeks later with something like the following (this will be a little dependent on how your organization does giving – but you can fill in the blanks):
Hey X. Dunno if you saw my text a couple of weeks ago? I’ll try and call you soon if that works better. Are you all still wanting to give monthly? I am currently at 75% and am excited to get to 100% quickly – aiming for the first of the year. If you’re still wanting to give, but don’t want to start your giving until I get to 100%, that’s absolutely fine! Just let me know if I can go ahead and fill out a pledge form on your behalf – that will help me get that percentage closer to 100% – and I’ll let you know when to start. If you want to start now – that’s great too! Either way, if you can, let me know what you are thinking. Sorry to bog you down with a request – I know life is busy! Hope you and X are doing great. Let me know if you have any questions!
I hope this helps! Searching for more thoughts on wielding texting in the support raising process? You can find more here.
2022 is coming to a close and it’s already time to start talking about your Year End Giving strategy. It may feel early and still be 90 degrees outside, but grab a PSL and lets get into it.
I say this every year – but November and December are statistically the best two months of the year for giving. Around 30% of ALL GIVING in the United States occurs in the month of December. 12-13% of giving occurs in the last three days of the year. And maybe you aren’t singing the Jingle Bell Rock just yet but here are some things to think about ahead of time to get your strategy in place NOW.
First off, in September, October, and early November, it’s great to focus one’s efforts on face to face appointments. If you can, kick it into overdrive and set goals for more appointments and initial contacts than usual! Why? Well, typically speaking it’s one of the easiest times of year to schedule appointments. Summer is over and people are into routine, school is back, people are checking their calendars and not overwhelmed with plans. After Thanksgiving is when things should shift from business as usual face to face appointments to Year End Giving mode. Toward the holidays there are additional touches you can create to show your existing team you care as well as generate some excitement and cash gifts. (see below for the ideas!)
Thirdly, September and October are also excellent months of the year to reach out to churches. Churches typically schedule services months in advance so calling in September or October may get you service in January or February 2021. If you wait to reach out to a pastor/church until November or December, you may get radio silence until January due to the church’s busy holiday schedule.
Lastly, consider creating a specific goal for all of your Year End Giving and try a multichannel approach that all work together to support that specific goal. Maybe you want to raise $3,000 for your language learning costs, get $200 in new monthly support, or reach 75% funded. Just make sure it is reasonable and attainable.
With all of that being said, here’s a break down on some specific ideas for your Year End Giving strategy.
1. GO LIVE
Facebook or Instagram Lives / Q&As could be a great way to generate some excitement and cohesion with your team. The main content of a FB Live (or Instagram if that’s where the bulk of your supporters are) Q&A should be comprised of giveaways, trivia and information on your assignment, and questions from the audience. When you do yours, I think it’s important to stay simple and fun, and promote it however you can before hand. Lives can be great for a deeper dive on you – as people following you can hop in after and watch the recording if they cannot make the specific time. That being said, I think doing multiple Lives during the months leading up to Jan 1 are a good idea, but if you were only going to do one I would consider doing one somewhere towards the beginning-ish of November. Here are some thoughts on a Facebook Live from a worker who did one:
REFLECTIONS ON A FACEBOOK LIVE Q&A:
“I used my iPhone because it has a better camera than my Chrome book. If your laptop has a good camera though, I’d recommend using that because I think it’s easier to the comments that come in. I basically had my computer off to the side reading comments from there. Also FYI if you start the live on your phone vertically you have to keep it that way-it won’t switch over if you turn your phone. I’d recommend starting horizontal.”
“I did giveaways of books. They were just what I had on hand as I thought of giveaways last minute. I had a prayer book for XX as well as some of the books from my ministry.”
“My trivia was how I did the giveaways. Some was about me and my testimony and others were about the country.”
“I announced it a couple days ahead of time, and went Live the day before just for a few minutes to make sure everything worked well. You can also practice going Live on your own feed by setting your security settings to “only me”. I did that just to set up the lighting, and to make sure my background was not too distracting. I also think it would be helpful, if you had somebody reading the comments to you. As a single gal, I was wishing that I had asked somebody to do that for me in the midst of it. Also, my parents had come up with quite a few questions that I had on hand just in case people were not engaging, or the questions lagged for a minute.”
Facebook Live is a fun way for people to hear more about your assignment, get information, build up some hype. Think of them more as a space to get people interested or hear more, but not for asks. I think it’s fine during a Facebook Live to mention you are raising up a team of supporters and to tell them to please DM or comment if interested in joining some aspect of your team, provide the giving information needed, etc. It may also be a great way to kick off or end a Facebook Campaign– but typically Lives are not the place to push direct asks.
Pro tip: There are ways to go Live without ruining any security risks. Think through ways to keep things safe such as using your closed group only to host the Live, or use a safe account. Whatever you do make sure to touch base with your leadership to follow protocols.
Here’s a quick example of an announcement of a FB Live. You’ll likely want to do 2-3 posts to generate buzz and get the word out prior to going Live.
2. GIVING TUESDAY
Giving Tuesday, which occurs the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is a day for non-profits and others raising funds to solicit donations. It is a GREAT DAY to post something online asking friends and family to give. Giving Tuesday donations has risen 143% in the last 7 years.
The example below is from a family who was going to a sensitive location. For Giving Tuesday they set a specific goal of $1,000 to go to pre-school and language learning. They promoted throughout the day (and prior!) by posting multiple times it on their Secret Facebook Group, which was comprised of people who were already a part of their team either in prayer and/or finances. They also created a post prior to Giving Tuesday on their regular Facebook page, asking if anyone was interested in hearing more about their journey. Then they added those interested parties to their Secret Facebook Group so that they could see the posts. BRILLIANT.
Do you want to know if they made their goal? Screen shots of their posts and progress are below. For security purposes I am not sharing the totality of their ADORABLE video, however, I did write down their script and have it below. It’s a great example of how you can raise over $1,000 in cash in ONE SINGLE DAY with a little bit of effort and excitement. By the way, the Smiths were EXCELLENT at face to face appointments and had a solid team in place by the time Giving Tuesday came. You may think Giving Tuesday wouldn’t work for an already established team…but see below for the results!
VIDEO SCREEN SHOTS:
VIDEO SCRIPT:
Jason: “Hi guys, we are the Smith family. This is baby Justin, my wife Sara, and I’m Jason. Justin just turned 1 year old yesterday (all: YAY!) We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!”
Sara: “After Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday if there is anything left in your bank account today is what is called “Giving Tuesday”. It’s an opportunity to bless people who are in the process of raising money. Many of you know that we are moving to X in the spring and we have been in the process of raising our monthly budget. But we also have to raise a cash budget up front. We are asking our friends and family on Facebook to consider giving us a cash gift of $25. Our goal is to raise $500 for Justin’s school and $500 for our language learning training for a total of $1,000 in just 1 DAY! You can give towards Justin’s school which will give him the opportunity to learn language, learn the culture, and make friends. Or today you could choose to give to our language training which will give us the opportunity to learn X and connect with people in their language.”
Jason: “Now it’s super easy to give, all you have to do is click the link and it will take you straight to the page where you can give. Then if you would send us a Facebook Message telling us which of these two things you gave towards – that way we can keep a running tally. Otherwise we won’t know for a couple of days, and that’s way less exciting.”
Sara: “Thank you friends for your generosity we appreciate you more than words can say.”
Both: “Happy Giving Tuesday!”
*funny bloopers with Justin and family at the end
*graphics displayed on video about link with arrows, Giving Tuesday, and Thank You.
*fun music in the background – light and airy.
POSTS:
3. NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER
Send out a regular newsletter at the beginning of November, even if you have done one recently.
Keep it to 1 page – be brief.
Keep it ministry focused with specific stories.
Use it to promote any Facebook Live or Giving Tuesday efforts you will be doing.
Say a very hearty thank you!
Don’t do any asks on this newsletter.
4. CHRISTMAS CARD / YEAR END LETTER
Do Christmas cards along with a year end letter sometime before December 31st (think about sticking it in the mail the day after Thanksgiving). I think it’s a good idea in some circumstances (see below for more on this) to bundle these two and stick them in the mail together, the card of course being Christmasy with the year end letter inside. Send these out to your existing financial and prayer partner list.
Include the following components:
Merry Christmas greeting.
Express your authentic thankfulness for your support team. Emphasize and focus your letter on the impact your partners are having.
Percentage update of where you are at raising your funds.
A gift-wrappy-Christmasy-wonderful-snowy graphic that has your organization’s giving website / ways to give. (Make it pretty – I made the one to the right in 5 minutes using Canva.com)
An actual ask in the letter for finances (yep, this is the only time of year I say go for it on a letter!). Consider making it about one story of a life changed or need.
Try to stay away from “I” language and use “we” language instead. Example: “I need $500 more in monthly support” to “In order to keep this ministry to the United School in South Africa and impact people like Miles, we are looking for $500 more in monthly support.” Answer the question “What difference will this make in someone’s life?”
Do a nice handwritten PS.
Tips for year end letter:
Switch this up from a regular newsletter. Use a slightly different template than a regular newsletter and make it more like a letter.
Don’t send an ask year end letter to anyone who recently started giving, just gave one time recently, or just increased their giving. (probably within the past 6 months). Just send them Christmas cards instead. You don’t want to overwhelm them with too many asks.
Consider creating a different version of your year end letter to those who haven’t started giving yet or didn’t give when asked. Change particulars as needed for the audience.
Perhaps for people who have said that they can’t give- give them a soft opportunity to give. Change the thankfulness for being on your support team and instead thank them for their prayers and involvement in your life.
For those you haven’t yet met with, change the particulars to reflect your desire to meet with them soon and thank them for the involvement in your life. You may want to include a soft ask but not as bold as to those you send it to who you’ve already met with.
Snail mail your year end letter.
Keep it to 1 page make it look really nice!
5. SMALL GIFTS
Send your members of your partnership team small gifts. December is a great time of year to express your thankfulness to your support team. Go above and beyond that newsletter!
6. FACEBOOK CAMPAIGN
A well crafted, intentional, relational Facebook Campaign can be helpful during these months of giving. Consider creating a Facebook Campaign in October, November, or December if you haven’t already done one recently. Keep in mind, this is advisable only if you have gotten far enough in your financial partnership (75-80%) to start one.
Last note on Facebook Campaigns: GET SILLY. (this applies to Giving Tuesdays as well!) Shave a head if you reach your goal! Do a weird dance! Eat something weird! Write a song! Don’t discount the lure of silly rewards. Here’s a screen shot of a worker who jumped into freezing waters on the last day of their Campaign (they reached their goal of $1,000 in monthly support in 10 days):
7. EMAIL AFTER CHRISTMAS
Send out an email on December 29th or 30th. Include the following:
Greeting of Happy New Year for your partners
Remind them of your ministry as they execute their giving.
Use that christmasy-graphic and update it to be new-years-y with a clickable link on giving online.
Don’t include a formal ask. Just thank yous’ and the graphic on how to give online.
OTHER TIPS:
Stay consistent with your goals and shoot for a multi-channel approach. The secret sauce for creating a successful year end strategy is all about sequence. What does that mean? Essentially, sequence is you creating a goal and using that message/goal consistently to create a multi-channel integrated approach. Your goal should be consistent across any blogs or websites, social media, email, and written mail.
Have your strategy in place and communication pieces written BEFORE November.
Sequence maximizes the return on your effort and time investment. Stay consistent.
Try to get a hook when creating your goals. Maybe an image, theme, tagline, story.
Try to be eye-catching. Be compelling.
Less is more. The fewer words the better. Keep videos as short, fun, and informative as possible.
Don’t send a year end letter to anyone who just started giving, gave a special gift, or increased their giving in the last six months. Just send them a Christmas card.
Customize two different letters: one for on-going financial partners, one for non-givers.
In your wording, focus on the partner. Example: “There is hope, and that hope is you.” Talk about how your partners make the world better with their gift: “You gave 50 kids the gift of Jesus last year with your donation, and now you can do more.” The partner and the partnership between you becomes the hero of this story. Acknowledge their important role in your mission.
Get creative! These aren’t the only ways to utilize this season, just some ideas I’ve seen work very well.
Don’t let your partners only hear “asks” from you. Be sure you stay on top of personal communication. The routine newsletter that arrives in early November will be helpful – 1 page with pictures, ministry focused with specific stories. But get beyond that and reach out in micro relational ways to your team.
BONUS:
Here’s posts from a couple who did both a Facebook Live Q&A and Giving Tuesday:
Notice just a few short days after their Live they went into Giving Tuesday
Financial Partnership Development 