Focus on Two Skills: Relationship Building & Making an Ask
Fundraising is a funny thing; it never really ends. It's the beginning of a journey, but one that needs some very specific skills in order to succeed.
There's two main skills that will allow you to raise the funds you're hoping for: relationship building and making a clear ask.
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING
This is about more than just meeting people with dollar signs in your eyes, it's about inviting someone to impact this world with you for the Kingdom of God. You're going to places and meeting people this potential partner will never have an opportunity to meet. However, by being on your team, they are impacting that person's life just the same. You and your financial partners are on mission together.
You can learn all the technical skills of making an ask, but if you aren't genuinely interested in the person sitting in front of you, who genuinely wants to impact the world, then you're going to struggle to maintain funds long term. Jim Eliot, missionary to the Huaorani Indians once said, “Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.” Develop the skill of building relationships with others. When you're meeting with a potential partner, be fully in the conversation, get to know them and share enough that they can also get to know you.
MAKING A CLEAR ASK
It's typical that people get the most unsure of themselves as the need to actually ask for the money comes closer during an appointment. You're about to ask someone for something, and you have no control over their response while at the same time admitting you fully need their help to achieve.
So, develop the skill of clear communication. Make a clear ask. "Would you be willing to be a part of this mission?" is not hard when you've practiced these words, how to say them, and how to wait for an answer in the moment. If you're going to have true partnership, then you need to have true transparency by being clear about what it is you're asking someone to do in order to join you.
These are skills you can develop, and are essential to funding success.