Reviews

"I raised all my funds [100%] and still have many of those supporters still today!”

A Little About Envision Atlanta

Amanda Peters works with Envision Atlanta to offer necessary resources to refugees through her ministry, Nomadic Thrift.

Envision Atlanta identifies and develops missional leaders, like Amanda, who innovate, establish, and strengthen communities of faith in key urban environments through short-term trips, internships, leadership development tools, and ministry opportunities for unreached people groups and populations.

Why Amanda Needed Tailored Fundraising Solutions

When Amanda began her work with Envision Atlanta, she needed help raising funds to continue helping refugees but didn't know where to turn. Even after getting connected to Tailored Fundraising Solutions, Amanda faced the obstacle of not being able to pay for the coaching she needed. Thankfully, two churches stepped in as partnering donors and split the cost so Amanda could begin her financial coaching and learn how to support herself through the Envision Atlanta ministry.

"Tailored Fundraising Solutions helped me to not get discouraged when raising funds and to see the true purpose behind it – being a window for supporters to accomplish what God has called them to do through you!"

Why Working with Tailored Fundraising Solutions Works

During her coaching, Amanda's Tailored Coach helped her brainstorm new ideas for partner phone calls, letters, and story sharing to use as jumping points to find and keep long-term supporters.

Tailored's unique step-by-step curriculum taught Amanda how to interact with potential prayer and financial supporters and now, after working with her Tailored Coach, Amanda is fully funded and has all the supporters she needs so she can continue to clothe, empower, and honor the refugees who come to her for help!

"I really liked my coach! She worked with me and helped me brainstorm things I could do in my area of ministry, as well as finalizing my list of supporters. I liked the curriculum and Tailored's step-by-step process of how to interact with potential prayer and financial supporters. I raised all my funds and still have many of those supporters still today!"

“We were at 94% when we stopped meeting with our coach and it took us 7 weeks to get over our 100% goal after that. If I had 3 more weeks with him, we would have done it faster.”

A Little about Chris and Stefani Hohm

Chris and Stefani Hohm have been involved with short term missions throughout their lives both nationally and globally. Being full-time missionaries was something they both knew they would pursue as adults—so, after they graduated from college, got married, and had two children—they decided to pack all of their belongings into 17 suitcases and move their family to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to work with Teach Beyond.

Teach Beyond is an organization that offers Christ-centered education to transform the lives of families, churches, communities, and societies through education and discipleship. After working with a Tailored Fundraising Solutions Coach during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hohm’s are fully funded—and have even exceeded their monthly and one-time partnership goals.

How COVID-19 was Actually Good for Fundraising

The COVID-19 pandemic paused plans and trips throughout the world—but, what most people consider to be a crisis or challenge, actually led to a greater fundraising opportunity for many missionaries. Because many people are quarantined at home (and often starved for a little human interaction), they are far more inclined to jump on a Zoom call to hear about the impact your ministry is making.

The Hohm’s used the pandemic for their benefit and got great results. “The Zoom calls actually helped us to accelerate our meetings with donors. We scheduled 16-17 face-to-face meetings before COVID hit—but then we were able to have about 80-85 Zoom meetings during the quarantine. It was actually a positive for us because we didn’t have to pay for a babysitter or meals, so we didn’t have a lot of cost in our ministry partner targeting during that time.”

Tailored Fundraising Solutions is equipped to meet with missionaries and organizations virtually every week, providing the flexibility to work around the schedule of our clients to offer the accountability they need to stay on track. “Meeting with a fundraising coach each week was really valuable because it gave us the accountability we needed to meet our goals. Knowing that I would have to meet with my coach every Monday prompted me to work harder. We were at 94% when we stopped meeting with our coach and it took us 7 weeks to get over our 100% goal after that. If I had 3 more weeks with him, we would have done it faster.”

Chris and Stefani, it was a privilege for Tailored to be on this journey with you and we wish your family the best of luck in Tanzania!

"110% yes. I would say, even if you think you know what you’re doing—give Tailored a chance because you’ll be blown away with the tools and guidance they will provide you to build a team that will last for a long time—sustainable partnerships that will be with you for life."

A Little about Alex Brown

Alex Brown began working with Global Partners to amplify the local church in Cambodia after being connected with the ministry by a college professor. After working in Cambodia for six months, Alex began to recognize a new kind of persecution among the young Christian Church in Southeast Asia. Cambodia is a predominantly Buddhist nation (at 97% Buddhist) and many of the youth and young adults face persecution from their communities and families when they decide to follow Christ. Alex now wants to go back to Cambodia to work with the youth in English Education, sports ministry, and to simply encourage new believers in their faith.

Tailored Tools for Fundraising

Global Partners introduced Alex to Tailored Fundraising Solutions because of the incredible success their missionaries have had with Tailored throughout the years—and Alex was no different. After just six months of coaching, Alex is fully funded for his one-time donation goal and at 98% of his monthly goal—with only $90 left to raise!

Alex came into the fundraising process with little knowledge about raising funds. "For me, I was very inexperienced in support-raising and partner development. My Coach (Susie) gave me so much wisdom, guidance, and direction—I would have been completely lost without her support. It was great to have somebody I could talk to, bounce ideas off of, and someone who could give me direction—because I just didn’t have any."

Tailored is famous for fundraising tools that help missionaries and fundraisers gain the support they need—quickly. "The partnership tracking tool kept me organized and allowed me to plan ahead and feel good about where I was at. Writing out my calling story and practicing my verbal message was so helpful.” But Alex’s favorite Tailored Fundraising Tool was writing a meeting outline. "I was nervous about talking and meeting with people, but having an outline made it so much easier as I talked. Now, when I talk to people, I’ve said the outline so many times I will go from one point to another flowing with the conversation—and by the end, I’ve checked off everything. Now I know the information so well, I can do it on my own!”

Fundraising During a Global Pandemic

Other than the unexpected delay caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, Alex was able to raise the funds he needed and is now spending the extra time he has at home saying goodbye to friends and family—and raising extra support.

When asked if Alex would recommend Tailored to others in his shoes his response was, "110% yes. I would say, even if you think you know what you’re doing—give Tailored a chance because you’ll be blown away with the tools and guidance they will provide you to build a team that will last for a long time—sustainable partnerships that will be with you for life."

"I not only reached my funding goals, but I also feel more equipped to better maintain the partnerships I've gained.”

A Little about Chloe

Chloe works with Global Partners, a non-profit organization created to amplify the local church mission for global transformation in Central Asia. She came to Tailored Fundraising Solutions with partial funding of $3,000 with a monthly goal of $5,200 and $8,000 toward a one-time goal of $11,300. After 7 months of working with Tailored, Chloe is now 90% funded and ready to go to Central Asia.

Chloe has worked with fundraising organizations before but prefers Tailored’s personal approach. "This time around, I felt supported and more encouraged. Even when I didn’t meet my funding goals—I was inspired to keep going.”

COVID-19 Does Not Need to Impact Your Partnerships

During Chloe's funding period with Tailored, the global pandemic COVID-19 shook the world and stopped all plans for travel. She is now in a holding period—waiting on travel restrictions to be lifted and borders to be opened so she can complete her mission to work with Global Partners and her team in Central Asia to plant churches, teach conversational English, and assist with various community development projects.

Despite these changes, her partnerships have not changed. Chloe has stayed in constant communication with her partners, thanking them for their support and encouragement during this time. Coach John Mark encouraged Chloe to make sure her partners were updated during the COVID-19 crisis to keep them informed and confident that the funds they are giving are still making an impact at this time. It’s more important than ever to stay engaged and keep your partners informed—they care and they want to know!

The Power of Having a Coach in Your Corner

Chloe said the most fruitful part of her coaching was simply to have someone to bounce ideas off of, ask questions, and get a second opinion. She felt encouraged to have accountability to follow up with potential partners and the reminders from her coach to reach out to more people. "At times, when I was feeling discouraged, my coach would brainstorm with me and give me new ideas to help me reach my goals."

Working with Tailored changed Chloe’s mindset of fundraising altogether. It gave her the courage and confidence she needed to invite people into a partnership with her, knowing that God would bring along the right partners at the right time. "Not only is this a privilege for me, but it is also a privilege for anyone who feels led to join me. I now have a perspective of gratitude: How good God is to choose to use us, together, to accomplish the Great Commission!"

Chloe came into the fundraising process feeling awkward talking about finances and asking people more money. Now, she has a new perspective and understands the value that comes from sustainable partnerships and the tools required to raise the funds she needs.

"I not only reached my funding goals, but I also feel more equipped to better maintain the partnerships I've gained. I'm coming away with lots of ideas for how to better involve and connect with my partners in personal ways. I know that this new focus of connecting my partners to their impact in this ministry will serve me well in years to come."

"Having a season being coached by someone who was really able to help us was really freeing because [our coach] could help us see insights into what we were missing. There was a freedom in that and it lifted so many burdens.”

A Little about Kara

Kara has been working with refugees in an undisclosed nation for with One Collective, a global non-profit that operates in communities around the world to provide access to food, freedom, and forgiveness through a relationship with Jesus. Kara was introduced to Tailored through this organization while she was back in the United States on a home assignment to raise funds for her next trip. She entered a major year of transition—coming home in July, getting married in August, and then began to work with Tailored in September to prepare for her next assignment overseas in January.

In just five months of working with Tailored Coach Royce, Kara surpassed her fundraising goals and was able to go back to her assignment, free of financial burden and strengthened by sustainable partnerships.

Filling the Gaps

Kara came back home in July 2019, experiencing culture-shock from transition, tired, and struggling to fundraise well. She had been in the ministry for quite some time and was no stranger to fundraising. She was experienced in partner development, writing letters, and meeting with individuals to raise necessary funds—but she lacked the simple tools that make a big difference when it comes to fundraising and Tailored helped her to fill in those gaps.

"We have done all of this before—we just had a lot of holes. We’ve sent letters, we’ve had meetings, we’ve made calls but there were a lot of gaps and we were missing the mark. Tailored not only filled in those fundraising gaps and helped us accomplish our fundraising goals—they provided sustainability in our partnerships and work.”

Learning to write and present a year-end appeal is what eventually pushed Kara over her fundraising goal and got her back to the field at just the right time.

Creating Sustainable Partnerships

At Tailored Fundraising Solutions, we want our clients to have the tools they need to not only reach their fundraising goals but to maintain sustainable partnerships that will provide the knowledge, skills, and funding to keep them on the field for a lifetime by encouraging our clients to always bring people back to the impact.

Kara learned how to communicate with her partners so they feel involved and know how they’re making an impact with her, together. This was always something Kara knew she wanted—but Tailored gave her the confidence and tools she needed to communicate this desire with her partners. "Tweaking a little bit of your language can really change how someone reads your update. This is their work—they’re not watching it happen, they’re a part of it.”

Now that Kara has reached her fundraising goal she feels prepared to move into her next assignment overseas without the burden of raising more funding. She is confident in maintaining and sustaining her partnerships because of the tools she gained from her Tailored Fundraising Coach. Now, when she comes home in the future, fundraising won’t need to be a burden. When she’s overseas, she will have the freedom to focus on what she needs to do.

“The steps Tailored taught us were something we really needed to feel grounded in what God was calling us to do and to be prepared to go back.”

A Little About Kim Troup

Kim Troup is the Executive Director of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities

(CFOIC), a ministry that enables Christians to connect with the Jewish communities in the heart of Biblical Israel to provide practical support for vital community needs. She got connected with Tailored Fundraising and completed a 12-month Executive Partnership with Tailored’s Executive Coach, Jenny Karr.

How to Follow Up with Lapsed Donors

When Jenny began working with Kim Troup, they discovered CFOIC had no strategy for following up with lapsed donors. This is a common area that nonprofits and ministries often overlook when searching for funding and donor partnerships. Remember: If someone gave to your ministry once—they are likely to give again. You just need to learn how to take care of your partnerships and create a strategy for approaching them with another invitation to join.

The first thing Tailored helped CFOIC do was create a list of donors who had given before and for whatever reason—stopped, aka “lapsed” donors. Next, Kim and Jenny came up with a compelling letter to update these lapsed donors on the ministry’s current programs and future vision. They mailed these letters and followed up one by one. Kim was reminded how much work was needed to do this well, but was blessed by reconnecting with so many people they had fallen out of contact with.

“I learned how to not get discouraged when people don’t pick up the phone or answer emails. Tailored taught me a very strategic plan of communication and how to implement that strategy," Kim shares. She learned about the importance of being consistent in communication and contact with her donors and now had a plan of how to actually do that!

Kim Troup partnered with Tailored to see how she could improve her fundraising efforts and to ensure she was taking care of her donors. "Jenny was a joy to work with. She had great ideas that helped us firm up our letters and texts, she got our first-time donor funnel in place, and helped us better connect our people to the projects we’re currently working on,” Kim stated. At the end of her 12-month partnership, she more than met her goals and expectations with the implementation of fundraising ideas and strategic steps Tailored offered.

“CFOIC had no strategy for following up with lapsed donors. We made a list, sent a mailing and followed up. They had a donor who hadn't given in three years mail a check in for $3000!” - Jenny Karr, Tailored Executive Coach

Kim, from all of us here at Tailored, we are so excited for the Jewish communities that you will impact as you undertake this incredibly important work that is close to our own heart and mission. We are thrilled to have helped play just a small role in God’s larger story.

“Tailored is NOT a one size fits all approach. It’s tailored to each person and their specific goals. The personalized attention you get is well worth the money.”

“Tailored Coaches help missionaries understand the reality of rejection. Potential partners are not saying no to you —they are simply not meant to be on your team.”

Background of Beth James

Beth James is a former teacher from Abilene, TX who just became fully funded as a missionary for the Greater Europe Mission (GEM). She is also partnering with SHARE Education Services, working in Hungary, Greece, Spain, and areas of Central Asia to ensure that missionary families receive the educational support and resources they need to stay on the field doing what God has called them to.

One of the top three reasons missionaries leave the field is that they are often located in areas where local schools may not be a good fit, they feel inadequate to homeschool on their own, or their children have learning challenges. Beth’s background in education and overseas missions has led her to use the experience and knowledge she has gained to help others flourish in ministry, too.

When she initially began working with GEM nearly 5 years ago, they suggested that she connect with a Tailored Fundraising Coach to raise the funding necessary for her part-time ministry budget of $1,400 per month.

Since then, her job responsibilities and financial needs have grown exponentially—requiring nearly four times as much funding. Now, Beth’s ministry budget is $4,140 per month with a one-time fundraising launch goal of $11,000.

Fundraising is a Battlefield

Being fully funded at four times her initial ministry goal was something Beth never imagined would be possible. But after working with Jenny and Deb (Tailored Fundraising Coaches), Beth left for Europe fully funded, with a devoted team of partners and a deep well of fundraising knowledge.

Beth says the accountability and encouragement they gave is the reason she was able to stick with the process and raise the funding she needed.

"Because I’m a single woman raising money, it was very difficult to get my family to understand all the things I had to go through. Meeting with either Jenny or Deb every week helped to keep my energy going, and if I had a bad week, I knew they would be there to pick me up and keep me encouraged because they were committed to making sure I got on the field. Fundraising can be a battlefield. You need accountability and encouragement to move forward.”

The Power Of Persistence

The most beneficial tool Beth received from her Tailored coaching was the simplicity (and necessity) of following up with a phone call. "I was really hesitant about making phone calls at first. But then I began to realize just how much of an impact they had on my fundraising. It’s like putting a personal touch on it. Just getting into the rhythm of calling made the biggest difference and really helped get my partners signed up online.”

"The hardest part of making a phone call is hearing people say no. It’s one thing to receive a no in an email or a text message—but it feels way more personal over the phone. It hurts to hear no. But after you are coached through how to deal with feelings of rejection, it just becomes a part of the fundraising journey.”

“Tailored Coaches help missionaries understand the reality of rejection. Potential partners are not saying no to you—they are simply not meant to be on your team. God has your team picked out and lined up, and as a fundraiser, it’s your job to find them. If one door is closed, God gives you another opportunity with someone else. Keep knocking until you find it,” says Beth.

Be Bold

Near the end of Beth’s fundraising journey, she had a meeting with a businessman that she hoped would join her team. Her expectations were low and her ask reflected it. But he shocked her by responding that he wanted to partner for twice the amount AND he requested to meet with her once a month over Skype or Zoom to get updates.

Of course, Beth agreed—and his response taught her a valuable lesson in boldness and to never underestimate the power of God and the generosity of His people. When she walked into her next meeting, she only had $175 left of her monthly budget to raise and knew she needed to ask for all of it.

She came up with a strategic proposal and again walked out receiving double what she asked for. Now Beth says, “Boldness has put me on the field!”

“It was a joy and a privilege to meet with so many people!”

"Fundraising showed us our need to continually trust that God is the one who will bring the results and that our job is to pray and do the work—all with a posture of dependency and acknowledgment that God is really the one building our team.”

A Little About The Canterberrys

Scott and Beth Canterberry were terrified at the beginning of their fundraising journey. But after working with their Tailored Fundraising Coach, Deb Evans, they surpassed their fundraising goal in just four and a half months! They attribute this to God’s provision and their faithfulness to step outside of their comfort zones–to be bold and simply ask.

The Success That Is Often Unexpected

Their initial and deep-seated fear (and what they call “months of dread”) of asking others to join their team was quickly overcome after the first few meetings. They learned how to build partnerships with churches and schools, and Scott was able to engage people at work more comfortably than he imagined. Some of their partners gave above and beyond what the Canterberrys would have ever anticipated–and their mindset gradually changed from simply wanting donations to wanting committed and faithful team members.

God built their confidence in the first few months and they became hopeful that they could actually meet their fundraising goal. It became easier to accept the “rejection" or non-responsiveness that inevitably comes with fundraising as they moved along the journey—trusting that those people were simply not who God had chosen to be on their team. They also learned that unresponsiveness doesn’t always mean you’re being rejected—often, it is attributed to the busyness of life. That’s the importance of continuing to make contact several times!

They began to look forward to their fundraising meetings, seeing them as a way to catch up with old friends and meet new people. These meetings created real opportunities to engage with friends and learn what was going on in their lives–and they always produced significant spiritual conversations that they would not have had otherwise.

What They Learned Along the Way

This journey highlighted their natural tendency to rely on themselves to make things happen through tasks and human effort, rather than allowing God to provide. "Fundraising showed us our need to continually trust that God is the one who will bring the results and that our job is to pray and do the work—all with a posture of dependency and acknowledgment that God is really the one building our team.”

"Initially, we would have rather not fundraised. But we realized that having people join us as team members was vitally important. This helped us understand that we are not working in isolation— rather, that we are accountable to a group of people, and that our team has really good ideas and connections that could increase the impact of this ministry. It is a privilege to keep our team connected to what God is doing through their partnership!"

“Tailored gave me the confidence in myself to say, ‘Hey, I can do this!’”

“I’m not one to go and ask for things. I’m more old school. You work for it and you get paid. But in order to do this position through FCA, I had to go out and ask for financial partnerships. My training with Tailored gave me the confidence and boldness to make a $10,000 ask - and to invite someone I didn’t think would give if to partner at $100 a month. I was encouraged by Tailored to go out and be bold.”

Background Kevin Tanner

Kevin Tanner is a pastor from Dublin, Georgia, who has always loved student ministry. When he discovered the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) through a local sports camp they sponsored at his church, he immediately got in touch with the FCA Director in his area to see how he could get involved. Not long after, he was signed up to be an FCA leader and attended an SRS Bootcamp. While there, his Multi-Area Director, Brad Lane, encouraged him to get in touch with Tailored. In fact, Brad believes in Tailored Fundraising so much—his Area pays for its FCA staff to go through Tailored coaching.

Kevin came to Tailored with one goal in mind: to gain the confidence he needed to raise the funds required for his ministry. But the training was so much more in-depth than he ever expected. "I came to Tailored looking for the confidence to carry out the duties of FCA. But Drew (Kevin’s Coach) had me come up with contacts, introduction letters, messaging, and scripts every week. Each of our meetings had goals and he held me accountable to each action step. It was so much more involved than I thought it would be. I loved it!”

Not If... But When You Get Discouraged

"During the first three months of fundraising, I got really discouraged. I had a goal of raising $60,000 a year and $5,000 a month—but the funds just weren’t coming in. Despite meeting with 10-12 people per week, my fundraising effort felt unfruitful. I was really getting down and starting thinking fundraising wasn’t for me. But I felt God calling me to this ministry. Then Drew called. He simply said, 'Be bold.’ He encouraged me to keep following up with everyone I had already met with. So, I did. And just from following his simple advice, I was able to gain $3,500 in just four phone calls. That was a God moment for me."

Confidence Is Crucial

“Tailored gave me the confidence in myself to say, ‘Hey, I can do this!’” Kevin says.

“I’m not one to go and ask for things. I’m more old school. You work for it and you get paid. But in order to do this position through FCA, I had to go out and ask for financial partnerships. My training with Tailored gave me the confidence and boldness to make a $10,000 ask - and to invite someone I didn’t think would give if to partner at $100 a month. I was encouraged by Tailored to go out and be bold.”

Tailored focuses on helping you to lay a solid, sustainable foundation to keep you funded for a lifetime of ministry. One thing Drew encouraged Kevin to remove from his vocabulary was the word, “Support.” Instead, Drew taught Kevin the power of Partnership. "It’s not an 'I’ thing,” Kevin said, “It’s ‘we’ when it comes to what my donors and I are doing in ministry, together. We are partners.”

“I realized when I tried to fundraise by myself—without Tailored Coaching—there were so many reasons I wasn’t gaining the partnerships that I needed. Tailored gave me courage. I needed to raise the funds and with Drew’s help, I was able to gain information and determination to go out and get it,” stated Kevin.

“I’m so grateful for Deb, my Tailored coach—for her encouragement, motivation to stay on track, and how she taught me to be bold in speaking to people about funding. She invoked in me a passion to impart Kingdom Impact to not only the people I’ll be serving but to the people who partner with me to go.”

A Little About Faye Yarbrough

Faye felt God calling her to the mission field when she attended a weekend revival at a world missions conference with American Baptist International Ministries (ABIM). Faye knew that someday she would be going to the mission field, but she wondered how to make this call a reality. God continued to confirm over and over that ABIM was the answer she had been searching for and that this ministry would be the avenue He would use to utilize the teaching gifts and the desire for international missions that He had placed inside of her. Because of her willingness to answer the call of God on her life, in January of next year, Faye will be moving to South Africa to teach math and science to children in kindergarten through 9th grade.

An Understanding Of Kingdom Impact

After working with Tailored for several months, Faye is now at 80% of her monthly fundraising goal and preparing for her move by completing her Center for Intercultural Training (CIT). “I’m so grateful for Deb, my Tailored coach—for her encouragement, motivation to stay on track, and how she taught me to be bold in speaking to people about funding. She invoked in me a passion to impart Kingdom Impact to not only the people I’ll be serving but to the people who partner with me to go,” says Faye. After working with Tailored, Faye now has a strong understanding of what Kingdom Impact means when it comes to fundraising. “I had to switch my mindset about fundraising. Missions is a partnership. I’m not asking for me; I’m asking for partners to come alongside me to make Kingdom Impact in South Africa—so we can have a long-term effect in helping to transform communities for Christ together.”

Finding a Balance

Missionaries are often attacked from all sides when they are preparing to leave for the mission field—through money issues, family crises, and other hardships that come along. But when Faye was struggling with balancing her fundraising efforts and taking care of her 98-year-old grandmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, Deb walked alongside her as an encouragement in all areas of life. "When I was frustrated or discouraged, Deb encouraged me with what God had placed inside my spirit. She imparts the wisdom you need and works with your unique personality—that in itself confirmed that this was who God had sent to work with me to get to the mission field. When God calls us to do something, He is going to prepare the way. And God sent Deb to help me."

Faye is one of Tailored’s biggest fans (and we’re one of hers). She's been recommending Tailored to her friends since day one—especially to those who are worried about the cost. She says, “It’s more than worth it. Even if it’s coming out of your start-up budget—DO IT, at least until you are close to being 80% funded so that you can have the footing you need to establish yourself on the ground.”

“Working alongside Tailored has helped us get fully-funded much faster. We gained over half of our funding with Tailored and I think the sooner people can have a Tailored coach in their corner, the faster they can make it to the mission field.

We were reading books and taking advantage of the training that UMW offered but once we had Susie, we were able to implement a permanent system that was ‘tailored’ specifically to us.”

Background for Lonnie and Michelle Quigley-Chapman

It’s September 2019 and Lonnie and Michelle Quigley-Chapman from United World Mission are putting the finishing touches on their personal fundraising journey. In just a short time, they are making the move to do full-time missions in Ireland. Michelle spent 12 months in Ireland in the 90’s before marrying Lonnie in 2000 and beginning to work alongside UWM. Now, 15 years later, after a few chats with a UWM Field Rep and a church in need, they are packing their bags for the Great Commission.

Fundraising Is Like Dating

Earlier this year, the Lonnie and Michelle were introduced to Tailored Fundraising after hitting a standstill in their funding efforts. “We met with a lot of people before Tailored, but because we didn’t have coaching, we leaned on manual processes to track support and were missing key elements in our presentation. Overall, we wasted a lot of time and probably missed out on a lot of funds because of this,” Lonnie said.

After receiving only a few responses from friends and community early on in the fundraising process, Lonnie and Michelle knew they needed help. “Working with Tailored was amazing. Our coach, Susie, opened our eyes to the fact that we were presenting way too much information and that our partnership meetings lasted way too long. She would always say, ‘You are sharing too much!

Fundraising is like dating. You don’t want to share everything on the first date. Build a curiosity in your partners so that they can ask you for more!’ And this stuck with us,” states Lonnie.

Implement A Fundraising Coach As Fast As Possible

Both being in their 50’s, Lonnie and Michelle were told that it would take 1-3 years to complete their fundraising process. But as Lonnie states, “working alongside Tailored has helped us get fully-funded much faster. We gained over half of our funding with Tailored and I think the sooner people can have a Tailored coach in their corner, the faster they can make it to the mission field.

We were reading books and taking advantage of the training that UMW offered but once we had Susie, we were able to implement a permanent system that was ‘tailored’ specifically to us.”

When asked what advice they would give to someone who is just beginning the fundraising journey, Lonnie says, “Implement a fundraising coach as fast as possible and put a system in place at the very beginning! These two factors are crucial to your success.”