Involve Your Financial Partners in the Ministry

Beginning relationships with financial partners is crucial to successful fundraising. Meeting with each person and establishing a ministry and a relationship with them will set you up for long-term success. And if you plan to be successful long-term, then you will need to be a leader in maintaining your relationships.

RELATIONAL ACTIONS THAT TAKE MINIMAL EFFORT CAN REAP MAXIMUM REWARDS.

Mailing a handwritten thank you note and sending newsletters is only a piece of continuing the relationship with your financial partners.

YOU ALSO NEED TO MAKE A PHONE CALL

It's understandable that spending time on the phone - or video chat - seems unnecessary at best when there are literally people dying outside your door. However, the people you call are also making an impact on those dying people; they are ministering with you, allowing you to be where you are to impact others' lives. A phone call will allow you to maintain that base of support, as well as show how much you value every individual on your ministry team, near and far.

In order to make phone calls a reality, you need to honestly answer the question, how many people can you realistically email in a week while doing full time ministry? Break your monthly partners into different segments. Spend one hour a week calling three people on your list. That's not a long time!

If you set up a consistent system, you could likely connect individually with your partners once every six months. Do whatever you can handle, spend one hour.

If you run out of time that week, keep your commitment and instead email them a personal note just to check in, ask how their life is going, and include some personal details from your day. Throughout the week, if they respond, then naturally interact with them. 

RELATIONAL ACTIONS THAT TAKE MINIMAL EFFORT CAN REAP MAXIMUM REWARDS.

Another option for allowing your financial partners to connect individually with the ministry is to set up a budget for gifts. Particularly if you have major donors or churches, find a tourist-type postcard, write a handwritten note and mail it. Yes, it will take months to receive, but the relational actions that take minimal effort can reap you maximum rewards.

You could even budget to send home a "dollar" in local currency from the country where you're serving. It's not going to cost you financially to send one piece of paper money, and it could have an incredible impact on the involvement and commitment of your financial partners.