Three Fears?

The folks at PEOPLE RAISING are dogmatic that the "only" way to raise support is to make face-to-face appeals. I don't concur (I have never made a face-to-face...which is NOT to say that is "the" way; but it is how I've been directed)...but the points made in the following are worth considering:

1. The Fear Of Asking For An Appointment.

If we were to choose our fund raising strategies based purely on convenience, many of us would be very comfortable just sending letters asking for funds; however, the most effective way you can communicate your passion and vision is to be in front of people. It is easy to identify all the reasons why meeting people face to face is valuable, but let’s focus on why it is difficult for people to ask for the appointment. It’s the fear factor the fear of not knowing what to say or how to respond to peoples objections, the fear of getting a ”no”, or the fear of offending people. Part of the solution is practicing making those calls. Practice responding to objections that you will tend to hear. Keep in mind that confidence comes from experience and the more experience you have the easier it will be in dealing with this fear factor.  

2. The Fear Of Asking For A Gift.

Here again negative thinking really tends to promote fear back within our hearts and minds. We are fearful that by asking for a gift it will turn people off, they will feel offended, they will never talk to us again, and the mind can run wild. If you want to be fully funded in your ministry, it’s important that you engage with people, challenge people and ask for the gift. Here again your confidence can be built up through experience and the more you can do to practice your presentation and role play it will make a huge difference in overcoming the fear of asking for a gift. 

3. The Fear Of Placing A Follow Up Call.

Here again negative thinking comes into play. We think that if we follow people up it will turn them off. Negative thinking tells that us that the prospect certainly knows about our ministry and about our need and then we rationalize that there is no need to follow them up. In my over 35 plus years of fund raising experience follow up, follow up, follow up, is one of the keys if you are to be successful in raise funds. 

With each of these three fears the good news is that they can be overcome. On your part it’s going to call for preparation, prayer and the willingness to go for it.