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A special note to pastors and mission teams
It is my hope to spur you on to understand that your actions must have meaning and purpose if it is to be significant. Such meaning and purpose comes not only from the value, but also from the relationship it has to who we are and what we are about as disciples of Jesus and…
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A special note for organisational leaders
Maybe what is needed is an understanding that we need to create a purpose-driven organisation. Maybe it is about get the team to bring their smarts and energy to the table. Maybe it is about scoring their engagement and finding a way to increase it. Note to self: When my team is disengaged and underperforming,…
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Engaging those who give
I approach those who give as if they will give and keep giving for the rest of their lives. It may start with them attending an event and it may very well end with a special gift in their Estate as a legacy or testimony to their family of their love for their special ministry.…
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Appeal writing tips…
When writing appeals for gifts, it is what we call a mass appeal. With a mass appeal you are writing to an wide audience in your donorbase and in that donorbase there are mulitple reasons why they give. How can you address all of their needs? The strategy, all along, has been to build a…
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The Giving Church Community
I have read that when one is looking for financial resources through a fundraising strategy, it is best to leave the churches out of the plan and focus more on individuals. When I encountered it at a board meeting, in a fund development committee meeting of the board, I was stunned. Thankfully a board member…
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Appeal and grow major donors
I think, from time to time, those involved in fund development, if they are good at what they do, will be called many things. I have been called a professional beggar, some have said that I am a used car salesman even though there is something different about me, and others say that I can…
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Face-to-Face Fundraising
Face-to-face fundraising is the most productive and least expensive manner in which to raise funds. It has to be the easiest source of large sums of money. It works well in the short term and is a huge assest when it is coupled with the planning and cultivation of prospects. What I find amazing is…
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Face-to-face Appointment
I am just beginning to engage in making appointments with key monthly and major donors in my current consultancy role. I sometimes forget just how difficult this was in my early years. Now I am asking volunteers to secure their own appointments with prospective donors so I had better remember well for I have yet…
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Reflections on how to ask
I actually do not start looking at the ask until I find what the donor has joy in giving towards. I believe there are donors, most donors (even if they do not realise it at the time) who are prepared to be givers. How much they will give depends on how much value has been placed…