It is very important to remember that raising support will be of little benefit if it is not maintained. Keeping your supporters informed is essential to keeping them interested and involved in your work. A monthly or bi-monthly written report should be sent to each supporter and perhaps other interested parties. Putting together a well-written report can be very time consuming, but the time is well spent if it enables you to remain supported on the field. Some supporters understand and appreciate the time constraints and are therefore content with a bi-monthly report. However, if a monthly report is expected, a monthly report should be sent. Unless reports are sent electronically, if your sponsoring congregation agrees to reproduce and mail your reports, this will save you an enormous amount of time and expense.
If at all possible, a personal visit1 with your supporters should be planned for every two or three years. This will not only allow you to boost their enthusiasm and answer their questions, it will also give you a much needed break from the work. Although the “furlough” is meant to be restful, it seldom is because of the busy schedule of traveling, visiting, speaking, reporting, etc. However, the change of activities and environment offers a distraction from the normal routine and therefore provides a needed break.
The Fund-Raising Procedure2
· Develop a strong case. What do you plan to do, why do you wish to do it, and why should anyone want to support you? Make your case biblical, informative, and motivational. Have updated statistics showing the urgent need. Prepare a résumélisting your qualifications for this work.
· Carefully prepare a budget that explains precisely how much money is needed and exactly how the money will be used. Make sure these figures are carefully researched, up-to-date, accurate, and reasonable.
· Assign a specific timetable to what you hope to accomplish. When do you intend to be there, what are you doing in the meantime, and what short-term and long-term goals do you have? Rather than waiting to get full support before you set your departure date, step out in faith, set the date, and then work toward that goal.
· Prepare a list of potential supporters, including churches and individuals. Those who are acquainted with you or your family and those who may already be involved in the geographical area you are targeting will be your best prospects. Even if you know just one person in a congregation who can vouch for you, this is usually better than the “cold turkey” approach. Nevertheless, even if there is no preliminary association, the more names you have on your list, the better.
· Seek appointments with individuals, elderships, missions committees, and/or congregations. Try to begin your support-raising at the time of year congregations are considering the preparation of their budgets. Write letters to as many prospective supporters as you can come up with, followed by emails, phone calls, and personal visits. Expect a lot of non-responses, a lot of “no” responses, and a lot of excuses. It can be very disheartening to learn how little money is made available for missions because pews are being padded and parking lots are being paved; but bear in mind that every “no” puts you closer to a potential “yes”! You will likely go through a number of refusals in order to get a few good appointments. Even when no support is offered, you can still ask to speak to the congregation anyway and possibly prick the hearts of some who are prepared to contribute individually.
· Make a brief, well-organized, enthusiastic presentation. Be prepared to answer any number of questions: To whom are you accountable? What do you want to do, how do you intend to do it, and when? Why is this particular request so important? Where is this place and what are the needs? Who else is supporting this work and how much are they giving? Who all recommends this project? Who will be working with you? Leave an attractive printed piece of material that answers these questions and tells how you can be reached.
· Do careful follow-up. Send thank you letters with additional information. If you haven’t heard anything in a couple of weeks, make phone calls to see if a decision has been made. Often your request is just one of many they are considering, and it may get postponed, misplaced, or forgotten unless you take the initiative to remind them. Maintaining contact is critical.
· Be accountable for you use of time and money. If you are lax and unreliable on the fundraising trail, don’t expect to generate much confidence in prospective supporters. Paul was very sensitive about how others perceived his handling of funds and his use of time (2 Cor. 8:20-21; 1 Thess. 2:8-10). Remember that you are ultimately answerable to God.
· Remain calm and collected. Seeking to raise support can be very stressful, but there is no excuse for getting impatient or losing your temper (cf. Gal. 5:22-23). Humility, patience, and kindness during these times of great disappointment can open other doors of opportunity in the future. If you truly believe that God will provide the support you need, the rejection won’t matter very much as you eagerly anticipate the positive responses to come. If a congregation cannot support you because their budget is already stretched to the limit supporting other mission efforts, be thankful!
· Persevere. To be a successful missionary you can’t be one who easily gives up. You don’t necessarily have to be a good fund-raiser to be a good missionary, but you do have to possess a certain amount of tenacity, endurance, and perseverance. The challenges of raising support can develop and strengthen these qualities and thus make you a better missionary. “Praise God for young men and women who dream of lives dedicated to missions and then endure hardships as good soldiers in order to make their dreams come true” (Howard Norton).
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Acts 14:26-28; 15:3-4; 18:22; 21:19-20; cf. Mark 6:31.
2 These points are adapted from Howard Norton’s, “How to be a successful fundraiser for missions programs,” in The Christian Chronicle (July 1993): 16.
Related Posts: Raising and Maintaining Missionary Support Part 1
Image credit: Adapted from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323704
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