Tell a good story. Captivate the audience. Make your mission and ministry come alive. If you have ever sought to be better in your profession as a fundraiser, you have likely attended a training that demonstrated the importance of good stories.  Telling stories about the work of the ministry or the organization is one of the best ways to engage current and potential partners.  Stories help us create an illustration of our “case for support”. Stories can answer “case for support” questions:  Who we are, what we do, why we do it, and why should someone give to us.  Sharing […]

Taste the fruit. My friend, Gary Hoag, says, “Inspect the fruit.” Good Idea, that. Who doesn’t flip an apple around before taking a bite? No one l know likes to sink their teeth into the squishy flesh of a rotten apple, especially when prepared for a crisp, clean, rewarding bite of heaven on a hot day.  What if Adam had averted his gaze from the comely look of his wife and really examined the apple? He was, after all, the first scientist. It was his job to, “Go differentiate- and name stuff.” (Genesis 1:28, 2:15) If he had just tested […]

Is fundraising part of your ministry’s culture? No? Perhaps this is the scenario: A new fundraiser has just started at a ministry and someone walks up to them and says, “Wow; am I glad YOU’RE here! We need you!” The new person smiles politely but can’t wait to step aside to roll their eyes because everyone is in for a sad surprise. Worse: A well-meaning fundraiser smiles and pretends that they ARE the answer to the ministry’s problem. Then they try to be what is expected – a magician – as they go through their list of contacts, get a […]