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Archive for the ‘mission support’ Category

Donation Letters: “Do I use Color or Black and White?”

That’s what the missionary candidate wanted to know, as he was preparing to send out 100 very nicely prepared donation letters.  He said that the local copy place was asking fifty cents per copy more, to do it in color.  His original was in color and looked great. It spoke of competency, confidence, and clarity.

“Let’s do the math on this thing,”  I said.  You’re in the middle of mission support, for a short term mission project (actually it is for two years) so the stakes here are big.   You’ve got 100 prime prospects, with whom you will follow up by phone or personal visit.  The cost of the postage is the same, whether you use color or B/W.  The extra cost for color is $50, for the 100 letters.

Suppose that only ONE person more responds positively, because of the high quality and strong appeal of the full color letter.   That one person contributes $50/ mo for 24months, and you reap a return on investment of 23 times your cost going in — that’s like 2,300% return.  If you can find me that for my retirement funds, I’m “all in,” so to speak.

Jim Walters

Jim@JimWaltersOnline.com

Winter to Spring; Layperson to Missionary

The transition from Winter to Spring is not always pleasant. Here in Colorado, while much of the country is experiencing warm and sunny weather, we are being pummeled with scores of inches of snow in the mountains, and a very wet and heavy snow here in the plains and foothills.

The transition for you, as you move from being a layperson to a full or short term missionary, or even a church planter, can be just as traumatic. You have to deal with humans (who may be opposing you), transitioning from a steady paycheck to inconsistent financial support, and perhaps your own doubts.

Be encouraged! God loves to see you persist. It’s the sluggard who says “there’s a lion in the street”-Prov 26:13; it’s the double-minded person who is unstable-James 1:8; but you, you’re different! You’re like a tree, planted by the waters, and you bear the required fruit!

Persistence matters to God! It’s those who “endure to the end”, not those who get scared and bury whatever they have so that they don’t “lose” it, or don’t take the necessary “risks.”

Be bold! Be persistent! Be watchful! And see what marvelous things He will do for you.

Gary Skrobot

Now is the time for great fundraising letters!

In these hard times of economy, some churches and many missions-minded Christians are thinking, we must back off and do less. No!  We must advance and do more.  History shows that giving to churches doesn’t necessarily have to go down during recession times, although that will be the tendancy unless we step up and take action to raise mission support.   
 
Now is the time for great fundraising letters!  Now is the time for upgrading missionary support systems, through more effective communication. More effective doesn’t mean more often, and it certainly doesn’t mean begging or panic messages.  Rather, it means laser-focused messages that communicate the vision of the mission. Write donation letters that expound upon what God is doing in the field, through short-term missions, through nationals who are stepping up, through prayer.  Tell the story in a way that communications the vision, not the shortfall.  People give to vision, not to need. People will rally to you if you are caught up and passionate about what God is doing through your work.

Jim Walters

A Better Donation Letter

As the senior pastor of a large church, I read a lot of donation letters. Plus, I once served in full-time missions and raised mission support for several years. I did it all wrong, of course, and now looking back, from the perspective of one who reads twenty or thirty of these letters every month, I see that clearly now.

Too many fundraising letters look like “letters to Grandma” and highlight mostly what the family has been up to, how the kids are doing in school, and where recent travels have taken them. But the people who are supporting this mission aren’t especially concerned with family news — they want to know what God has been doing through this ministry! When committees at church meet to discuss church fundraising or to ponder missionary support issues, they are not concentrating on whose family is having the most fun out there, or whose kids are winning the most awards in schools or sports. The question they are asking is, “Where is God at work, and how can we support that?”

Jim Walters

15 Steps to More Productivity in Your Fundraising Efforts

You need to understand that even though you’re pursuing your “call”, you still need to be organized and productive. Many scriptures talk against being lazy, but instead promote “activity.” As you work toward your short term mission trip, or your church fundraising goals, keep these steps in mind.

This is a reprint from another website. You can find the complete article here.

  1. Have a Task List for the Day
  2. Prioritize Tasks
  3. Place More Emphasis on Finishing Tasks Rather than Starting New Ones
  4. Know the Strongest Times of Your Work Day
  5. Give Yourself Some Flexibility
  6. Have a Specified Ending Time for Work
  7. Bulk Process
  8. Track Your Time
  9. Recognize Your Distractions
  10. Have Realistic Expectations
  11. Plan Your Next Day at the End of Each
  12. Get Enough Sleep the Night Before
  13. Eat Healthy
  14. Get Fresh Air
  15. Work in a Comfortable Environment

Hope this helps.

gvs

 

Economic “virus”

So the economy sneezes and church fundraising catches a cold.  Missionaries and church planters are getting pneumonia.  But it shouldn’t be this way.  The vast majority of Americans who had jobs last year are still working hard at those jobs this year, and being paid as much or more.   Forget about the folks who are out looking for work. There’s more than enough people still earning full pay who can finance the work of God on this earth.
 
The real problem with church fundraising is that too many of our leaders are afraid to “make an ask” because we are afraid we’ll turn them off, and worse than that, lose them.  I say “we” because I am one of them, but after thirty years of ministry, I have figured out that people are just as likely to rise to a financial challenge as they are to run from it. Besides, as John Maxwell has famously said, “You choose who you lose.”   And James said, “you have not because you ask not.”  Now there’s a creed for fundraising in a tight economy.
Jim Walters

Be Consistent with your Mission Support Efforts

Because fundraising for mission support can seem to be daunting at times, it’s very important that you remain steadfast and consistent in your pursuit. One of the best ways to keep yourself consistent is to always remember the goal: going on that mission trip you’ve been looking forward to for so long.

You must strive to be consistent in the following areas:

Letter writing: while you are in the fundraising stage you need to send out letters to your potential and current supporters at least monthly. Give them updates, let them know where you stand, what you’re hoping to accomplish, and any deadlines of which you are aware.
Phone calls: whether we like this or not, you are “marketing” yourself. You will need to conduct “follow-up.” Hearing your voice, and your tone, does a lot more to make your quest real than a mere letter can.
Networking: let people you know, in a face-to-face setting, what you’re doing, and why. Always ask people to remember you in prayer, and give them something in writing that shows them where and how to give.

Don’t give up. We all have had to do this. You can do it, too.

Gary Skrobot

The World is Waiting

The opportunities for short term mission trip work are better than ever.  A good friend of mine is heading out with a team of 12 to Aizerbaijan, to preach and teach the Russian-speaking residents in the capital city of Bakur.  It turns out that it is legal, in this mostly Muslim country, to preach/teach within a home of a non-Muslim ethnic Russian. So the Russian speakers, like the Macedonian of old, have invited these guys “to come over and help them.”
 
The catch is, travel costs are higher and everyone’s savings are lower.  The answer to that is not to cancel the trip, rather, it is to work “smarter” and enlist a broader circle of friends to help underwrite the trip.  This will get more people involved (and thus praying) in the work. Also, it’s the purest form of missionary work, since the term “missionary” comes from the Latin “misseo” (I send) and is a direct translation of the Greek “apostello” (”I send out for a purpose”).
 
Jim Walters

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