Support Raising 101: "I've not heard from a donor for a while, what now?"

Thursday, January 7, 2010

"I've not heard from a donor for a while, what now?"

So what do you do when a regular supporter seemingly drops off the planet?

I don't know what you do, but let me give an example from late last week...

I am not a numbers guy, but I keep a paper monthly record of support that works for me, and I periodically check it...and was surprised that I had not received a gift from a long-time supporter (like 25 years!) for over two months.

What to do?

I sent him the following email, with the subject "Awkward Question"

Hey there! I recognize you have more than a few things on your plate, but have noticed you guys have not sent support for last two months; and thus need to ask if that is a permanent thing, an oversight, or what? Just trying to budget for the move and so forth...obviously (I hope!) this is not a "bill" or a nag, but just seeking clarification...let me know when you can.
No bites on the house yet. God has a timing to coincide with His will...so am trying to be patient

A couple days later I got this response:

Hi Jack,

Not sure if you got the message through Jane, but it is my oversight. After all these years you would think that wouldn't happen, but it did.

I must've displaced some envelopes. I usually sort through at various times of the month, separate and schedule bills from ministries. I realized about three weeks ago that I hadn't sent anything out to you, nor had seen the mailing envelope. It has been a blur since the beginning of May. I hope to catch-up with the "stack of stuff" this week.

Praying for your move, direction and patience!

And today I got the "make up" check...plus a "bonus" so to speak.

Communication...maybe you'd do it with a phone call, or, if geographically possible, a visit. This guy lives a few states away, so I did the email thing.

Again, my basic premise regarding support - "There is no "way" to raise/maintain support"...you need to find and tweak what works' for you.

But I hope this example is a reminder to you that communication is vital!

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My Support Journey

My formal schooling was crawling to a halt. I was chomping at the proverbial bit to get into ministry. Though scared spitless in some ways, I was confident the Lord had called me to vocational ministry, and I was weeks away from finishing the schooling that, at the time, I thought prepared me for the transition from student to “minister of the Gospel.”
Several “parachurch” (how I hate that term!) ministries had expressed an interest in me serving with them. Yet all had one minor quirk…they wanted me to raise my own salary…to subsist on deputation…to raise support.
Yuck! I had only been a follower of Christ for a few years, and all but one of those years had been spent incarcerated. I was, prior to Jesus invading my life, a thief! I had stolen from friends, enemies, companies, stores…I could not now go out are mooch money from other people!
But, gladly, the Spirit of God kept me from being hasty; I prayed, I sought counsel from the Word, I asked advice from others; and got to the point where I recognized, realized, and resolved that support raising was Biblical and was for me.
That was early summer, 1978. I have subsisted on deputation/support since that time. The early years were, well, not exactly overwhelming successes as far as support went. But I was single…for a couple years I preached three or four times a week all over the Kansas City area…without a car. I lived in a succession of small apartments and houses with lots of roommates. I ate a lot of macaroni and cheese.
As time evolved I connected with more and more people that seemed genuinely interested in my ministry and my life; and more and more became financial partners.
In 1982 I married Jane, and the Lord has blessed us with four children. We’ve not had to worry too much about what to do with extra income, but neither have we starved. Any financial struggles have been self-induced rather than consequences of being “on support.”
I am confident the Lord called me to Himself. I am equally certain the Lord called me into vocational ministry (though I’ve no idea why…but if He can use a donkey I shouldn’t marvel that He can use me!). And I am absolutely convinced the “Giver of all good gifts” has called others alongside us to “support us in the work” to which the Lord has called us.
Even after all these years I am still amazed with every gift given to our support account. I marvel at how many of these folks have been with me since those early days, and how the Lord uses a relatively small number of people, and portions of their resources, to allow me to serve full-time and thus impact thousands upon thousands of lives over the years.
I am also amazed at the confusion, attitude, and general misconception of support held by most Christians…both those that are trying to “raise” support and those who are current or potential supporters.
Thus I set off to put my thoughts, experiences, and ideas on paper, with a fervent prayer the Lord would be pleased to use these efforts to, in part, provide more workers for the ever-whitening fields.