Above is a very unscripted moment I was gifted with a WONDERFUL church administrator who has stewarded hundreds of phone calls from global/ministry workers over the span of 5 years. Do you think she had anything helpful to say?!!?!?!
YOU BET SHE DID!
Check it out and send to anyone who is new to the support raising world – I believe they would benefit from hearing some specifics on what to say and what NOT to say when calling churches! Happy viewing and learning!
Standing out amongst a crowd is a good thing when it comes to support raising. Many ministry workers I talk to are continually looking for impactful ways to make themselves memorable. One great way to stand out is by making a strong first impression with well written and branded communication pieces. However, many ministry workers become frustrated with the lack of response they receive from their carefully crafted communication pieces, wondering where they might have gone wrong with only fractions of pastors and individuals responding to written pieces such as newsletters, emails, and texts.
I think I have a fun suggestion to solve for X.
Recently I got into a conversation with a worker that I coach (let’s call her Kate), and she mentioned she started video messaging pastors and individuals instead of using standard emails (she also substitutes video messages for texts, and some phone calls).
After she mentioned this I did what any good coach would do, and reverted to a classic coaching phrase “Say more about that“, (…honestly I was a little worried she was going way too far off the beaten path in her communication) and she began to explain how she had been using video messaging instead of using boring ole emails. To quote Kate:
“I’m a X (omitted for security purposes) district ministry worker with Assemblies, and no one really knows who I am because I’ve never been in full time ministry before. My hope is that sending a video first to pastors puts a face to the name. Having something outside of the box helps and shows that, hey! I’m a human!”
To get specific, Kate is using a video messaging service called Bombbomb.com. BombBomb’s tagline boasts “Get more replies, save valuable time, and add a human touch with BombBomb video email and video messages.” Think about it: Have you have sent correspondence to a pastor/church or individual only to hear nothing back? Have you felt bombarded by emails and quickly skim or don’t even read many of your emails? Have you sent text messages out that read like books (tl;dr = too long don’t read) that haven’t gotten desired responses?
So why does video messaging work? Well, the thing that makes BombBomb so effective is that it embeds the video message with a gif-like link in the body of the email (you can also send these out as text messages!). It moves and shakes and gets readers attention instead of just having bland words in an email. The other thing that makes it so effective is that the video is personalized to the person. For instance, in Kate’s video to me there was a banner of Valentine’s Day (I got this in early February, they rotate the banners based on holidays, seasons, and preferences) and Kate brilliantly held up a personalize sign of my name that became the thumbnail / gif of the video. It made me instantly want to watch it and find out what she had to say TO ME. Not only that, I knew immediately from the banner that it was a 43 second video (you never want to make videos long!) so I knew it was going to be taking too much of my time. Here’s a screen shot of the email (some details omitted for security purposes):
So how did this experiment in video messaging work out for Kate’s support raising? Well, as Kate began sending this videos out to pastors that she had never met before, she started getting instant responses. With BombBomb, you can ask the recipient to record their own video back or respond to the email – which gives them a fun and/or a quick easy way to respond.
Interested? Here are creative some ways you could use a video messaging service such as BombBomb to stand out in your support raising:
** Just a quick side-bar here: I don’t believe texting or emailing for face to face appointments with individuals should replace the phone call and this post is not about condoning that. However, if you are reaching out to individuals and numerous churches or businesses this idea could be perfect for you to help communicate in some of the ways above.
Kate has decided after trying BombBomb.com for free that she is gladly going to pay for the BombBomb Plus program (FYI there is a free option for Non-Profits!). She is going to switch her actual newsletters over from e-newsletters on Mailchimp to video newsletters via BombBomb (with BombBomb Plus you can send videos out to multiple people at a time). What a fresh take on a newsletter! Kate is also using BombBomb to follow up with groups.
Here’s Kate sharing some details on follow up with groups:
“I shared at a (church) service yesterday! I’m putting all those individuals I talked with or gave me back connect cards in a group on BombBomb. Today or tomorrow, I’ll send that group a BombBomb campaign video email and say thank you, welcome to the journey, here’s what to expect now, and here’s monthly giving info, etc. I’m trying to find new ways to incorporate BombBomb in follow up tasks.”
What do you think? I think it’s BRILLIANT. Thinking outside of the box and standing out is becoming more and more important to the workers I coach, and I love that this is a unique and easy way to do that. Also, side note = bombbomb.com services are free for non-profits!
Have you tried video messaging? What are some ways you are thinking outside the box? What are some ways you are utilizing technology? Post it in the comments! I hope this idea sparks ideas that encourage you to stand out!
Click the link below to watch the full video that Kate sent me!
I’m excited to share this wonderful tutorial on How to Make Prayer Cards on Vistaprint. I didn’t make it, a friend of mine in ministry at a sensitive location did. I’d tell you her name, but I can’t, so we will just call her “Designer Debbie”. What I can say is please use this link if you end up using Vistaprint to make your Prayer Card. By using it you will give Designer Debbie discounted materials for future use! WIN WIN http://reward.vistaprint.com/go.axd?ref=TBNJM5
My girl DD is also a really great designer and makes Prayer Cards along with other promotional materials (case documents, connect cards, etc.), so if you want to skip the DIY – contact me and I can get you in touch with her.
So what is a Prayer Card? Think of it as a business card for ministry. Typically they are small, display your tagline, picture, ministry, and contact information. They are helpful for giving out at events, face to face meetings, short conversations, etc. and provide the recipient a quick glance at your ministry and way to keep your contact information. Often these go on refrigerators as prayer reminders, go in invitation letters, thank you cards, pastor packets, and the like. Read along to find out more on how to make your own! Thanks Designer Debbie!
Do you want to set yourself apart from the crowd? (Shake your head and say yeeeesss) One great way to stand out is by creating quality appointment kits and pastor packets.
What’s the difference between the two? Let me explain briefly. Typically appointment kits are given out to an individual during a face to face appointment, though the use of them is not limited to that. The kit should be designed to give that financial partner what they need to start giving and further information on your ministry. Pastor’s packets are great for meetings with pastors, mailing prior to contacting a pastor/church, dropping off to a pastor/church, or made available for events and gatherings.
For the most part appointment kits and pastor packets have the same materials in them with a few exceptions (see below). Quality should be what you shoot for when creating the packets, whether those materials are made by professionals, yourself, or someone with a design background that wants to help.
During more normal, non-pandemic support raising times, having a great appointment kit and pastor packet is helpful in standing out and looking uber professional. During a pandemic I would almost call it crucial. Why? Well, several reasons, but particularly many in-person meetings and gatherings are being taken away as opportunities to connect with pastors and individuals. Situations pre-pandemic in which a worker would connect with pastors now may be happening virtually only or not happening at all. Pre-pandemic, a worker may have met with individuals at a church small group, and now that small group is happens virtually. Thus we need to be creative creating opportunities to share our stories.
For instance, take a denominational district gathering that happen virtually. What if you mailed out pastor packets to all of the pastors who “attended” the virtual gathering or sent it to a portion of the pastors whom you really enjoyed interacting with (depending on protocol within your organization for reaching out of course)? And the church small group that is now virtual: what if you mailed appointment kits out after (or prior) to meeting virtually?
So let’s start with pastor packets — here are some items I recommend to have in yours:
For appointment kits, I recommend gathering some of the following components:
Did you notice there are some items in the appointment kit that are not included in the pastor packet? Some reasoning for that is my preference for giving pastors less to sift through due to the lack of time they have. That being said, you may have something additional in your pastors packet because you’re likely brilliant and have thought of something genius I haven’t (if so tell me in the comments! I’m here for it!) — and I believe in most circumstances that is fine.
I hope this helps! If you have questions comment below. Lastly, see below for a pastor recommendation letter template to help create your own. You all are awesome! Keep going. – JF
Pastor Recommendation Letter:
Part 3: Thoughts After 5 Months of Support Raising During a Pandemic
It’s July and we have been in the midst of this pandemic for 5 months now. Whew! Guys, I know we’ve been through a lot already! It still remains that 1. YOU’VE GOT THIS and 2. God is still on the throne and knows the times and the seasons.
I wrote a post back in April on 7 Things I Am Learning About Support Raising During A Pandemic, and wanted to write some more recent thoughts now that we’ve been getting adjusted to our temporary-who-knows-how-long normal. Here we go:
I hope you find this helpful. 2020 is not at all what we expected, that’s to be sure, but praying in the midst of this season God fills your heart with strength and purpose. – JF
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21
After a wonderful conversation with an individual about your ministry assignment, have you ever given someone a prayer card PRAYING that they will remember to contact you? Have you ever spoken at your home church, small group, or fundraising event and gotten stuck at your back table talking to a particularly chatty individual? All the other people scurry to lunch before your conversation ends and you feel the wave of missed opportunities that just passed? Whomp.
Insert a wonderful tool to help combat: connect cards!
What’s a connect card you ask? It’s a stack of individual cards you put on your display table, chairs of an event, and/or attach to Sunday morning’s bulletin. Connect cards give you the ability to follow up with interested people after a service or event is over, and is an effective tool all about facilitating more face-to-face appointments and building relationships with the body of Christ. Connect cards can serve as a way to “keep the ball in your court” by grabbing interested people’s contact information instead of just giving them a prayer card and hoping they remember to contact you.
Below there are some examples of connect cards from various workers I coach. (thanks guys!)
Now, don’t go off quite yet and make your own. I want to explain something important first: keep in mind that connect cards are only appropriate in certain circumstances.
“Connect cards are only meant for events, services, and small groups where you have gotten permission to connect personally with individuals about giving.”
Connect cards should only be used when they fall in accordance with a pastor / leader’s protocol on giving. Don’t assume that these cards can be placed on chairs of a congregation without communication or sneakily stuck into bulletins on a Sunday morning without communication / permission prior. Connect cards are only meant for events, services, and small groups where you have gotten permission to connect personally with individuals about giving (or if you are hosting a fundraising event that you are hosting on your own).
Why is this so important? A lot of churches do their missions / ministry giving by collecting offerings and disbursing where the church leadership collectively decides. That means if you were to come into that congregation and ask all the people inside to give to you personally, it may mess up what the pastor, board, and leadership of the congregation has decided to give to. You DO NOT want to be that person. #boo
Thus, connect cards are preferably only when you ask the pastor / leader “how does your congregation do missions / ministry giving?” If they say you may connect with individuals inside of the congregation on your own, connect cards come into play.
Connect cards are ideal when speaking to your home church (after you’ve figured out the protocol with your pastor on giving), small groups, fundraising events, and the like. If you do use connect cards, make sure to explain them from the platform in which you are speaking from – letting everyone know how to fill them out and what they are for.
I hope these help you as you seek to build out new relationships as you interact with the body of Christ! See the examples below and have fun building yours! I do have a contact who makes connect cards for workers, if your interested in getting one made – contact me and I’ll get you in touch! -JF
Have you ever spoken at your home church, small group, or fundraising event and gotten stuck at your back table talking to a particularly chatty individual? All the other people scurry to lunch before your conversation ends and you feel the wave of missed opportunities that just passed? Whomp.
Insert a wonderful tool to help combat: connect cards!
What’s a connect card you ask? It’s a stack of cards you put on your display table, chairs of an event, and/or attach to Sunday morning’s bulletin. Connect cards give you the ability to follow up with interested people after a service or event is over, and is an effective tool all about facilitating more face-to-face appointments and building relationships with the body of Christ. Below there are some examples of connect cards from various workers I coach. (thanks guys!)
Now, don’t go off quite yet and make your own. I want to explain something important first – here we go – pay attention: keep in mind that connect cards are only appropriate in certain circumstances.
“Connect cards are only meant for events, services, and small groups where you have gotten permission to connect personally with individuals about giving.”
Connect cards should only be used when they fall in accordance with a pastor / leader’s protocol in giving. So don’t assume that these cards can be placed on chairs of a congregation without communication or sneakily stuck into bulletins on a Sunday morning. Connect cards are only meant for events, services, and small groups where you have gotten permission to connect personally with individuals about giving.
Why is this so important? Well, a lot of churches do their missions / ministry giving by collecting offerings and disbursing where the church leadership collectively decides. That means if you were to come into that congregation and ask all the people inside to give to you personally, it may mess up what the pastor, board, and leadership of the congregation has decided to give to. You DO NOT want to be that person. #boo
Thus, connect cards are preferably only when you ask the pastor / leader “how does your congregation do missions / ministry giving?” If they say you may connect with individuals inside of the congregation on your own, ONLY THEN do connect cards come into play.
Connect cards are ideal when speaking to your home church (after you’ve figured out the protocol with your pastor on giving), small groups, fundraising events, and the like. If you do use connect cards, make sure to explain them from the platform in which you are speaking from – letting everyone know how to fill them out and what they are for.
I hope these help you as you seek to build out new relationships as you interact with the body of Christ! See the examples below and have fun building yours!
If you are reading this blog on a regular basis, chances are you are in some aspect of ministry. You are also likely to be raising your finances to do so, right?
Assuming that you are a ministry worker raising support, I have a question for you: What factor was the most influential in getting to your field of ministry? Use the poll below to answer, please.
If these poll results are indicative of what I have seen statistically, one of the most influential factors will be speaking in-person with a Christian worker or hearing a christian worker speak about their ministry to a group.
Essentially, I am in my career in ministry because someone was intentional with me.
What about you?
The person that inspired me took the time to notice me, to point me out, and to speak into my life. They took time out of their busy speaking and traveling schedule to answer my questions and find out more about me. Stopping to notice someone takes time and effort–and most importantly, it takes an intentional habit/profound belief that we aren’t just running around raising our budgets be cause we have to: we are ministering to the body of Christ. God designed it this way for a reason.
Guess what, dear reader? It’s time to be intentional with your audiences as you raise your funds! If you aren’t already doing so, be intentional when speaking in groups, at services, or face-to-face. You are now that person you were once inspired by. Yes, YOU. Not the person next to you. Not the person more charismatic or more extroverted than you. For real: YOU!
If you think about it, you (and other workers like you) are now the best advocates of the Great Commission on the earth.
As we go about our support raising, let’s take that role seriously and not just raise our budgets but multiply ourselves. The most effective fundraising Christian workers I know are not as concerned about raising their budget as they are about inspiring the Body of Christ. They see fundraising not as a means to an end but as an invitation.
An invitation to the Great Commission and an invitation to inspire others to follow Christ no matter the cost. An invitation to minister to friends and family around them. An invitation to raise up involved teams of supporters who are going with them in the trenches of prayer and support, and perhaps physically serving in short term ways.
Raising your funds is a lifestyle opportunity to provoke the body of Christ to do something and to be a part of something larger than themselves. The best support raisers I know don’t see their budget on the micro level: rather, they focus on the macro and eternal worldview Paul had: “Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.” Philippians 4:17.
If we are bold and clear in our asks and see support raising truly as ministry, we will naturally multiply ourselves and become effective in our ministries even before we even reach the field.
As you go forth in your itineration, look for people who were like you before you got started on your current path. Or people who are like you now! People who need to be called out from the crowd. People who are called to ministry but may have questions, hesitations, or simply don’t know that there is a place for them. It may be that they need that extra push to follow God into their own area of ministry, just like you once did.
Do you ever wonder what is the best way to ask a pastor for financial support? Perhaps you are like a lot of christian workers I know, trying to figure out how to get started. This video goes into some of the basics – I hope you find it helpful. – JF
Side note – I created this video using PowToon. PowToon is a great site that has numerous templates for video or slideshows. Think about creating your own video for newsletters, social media posts, or anything else that you need to add some dynamic. Videos add a lot to whatever you are trying to convey. Right? Right. Do you have any video sites you like to use?
If you aren’t used to it, contacting a pastor to ask for financial partnership can be confusing and scary. When I began calling pastors I would break out in a cold sweats and “umm’ed” a lot the moment I got a pastor on the phone.
However scary it can be, pastors / local church congregations are a great source of financial and prayer support. Thus I’ve put together a short list of tips to help calm those jitters and give some good starting places for those of you who share the same cold sweats and umm’s as I once did. I hope these help!
1.Start your journey by speaking with your home church pastor.
Connecting with your home church pastor is one of the first things you should do when you begin raising up your support team. Start by setting up a meeting with your home church pastor. When you meet explain your ministry and share the specifics of your financial need. Ask if there is any protocol or advice your pastor has as it relates to financial partnership development. If you would like to get a monthly commitment from your home church, now is the time to ask. If you would like to get members from your church on your financial partnership team, ask your pastor for permission to invite them into partnership. He/She will appreciate you filling them in on your plans, and probably will be able to give you helpful tips and hints. The more communication you have with your home church pastor, the better.
2. Remember each church and pastor is different so accommodate accordingly.
There are numerous ways to try and connect with pastors. Unfortunately the process is not cut-and-dry and can depend pastor to pastor. Try a variety of ways based off of their style, church feel (is it more modern or classic?), and what you know about the pastor / church. Do your homework before contacting a pastor and find out what programs their church has, what type of feel the service is, etc. As the process of connecting with a pastor may not be the same every time, here are some good ideas of what it should look like:
Your contact process should look something like:
Email or snail mail with pastors packet → phone call pastor → meeting with pastor → church service
Facebook message to pastor → get response from pastor → meeting with pastor → church service
Phone call to pastor → get response from pastor (may have to call numerous times before pastor answers) → meeting with pastor → church service
Whatever you think is the best way to contact, make it creative and memorable. Seek creative ways for pastors to remember you and the ministry you represent. When you do speak at a service or visit a church your goal is to make a dynamic and lasting impression on the pastor and the congregation. Whenever possible present with a another medium besides your words – use video, testimony, display tables, etc.
3. Communicate clearly. Have a phone script handy if it helps.
When you get a pastor on the phone or have a face-to-face meeting with a pastor, here are some helpful topics to clarify:
If you think you’ll miss an important question on the phone due to nervousness or just because it is hard to remember everything – create a simple phone script to use when calling. Include some or all of the above questions and write out what you want to say. Use that phone script at least until you become comfortable talking to pastors on the phone.
4. Consider reaching some pastors via Facebook if you have a preexisting relationship with them.
Some recent statistics I have seen within my organization have shown that pastors are checking their Facebook messages faster than they are their office phones. Be careful which pastors you ask over Facebook as Facebook often is a pastor’s personal space. For those pastors you already have relationship with, I wouldn’t hesitate to reach out via Facebook if you are having a hard time reaching them on the phone.
5. Make a Pastor’s Packet
Pastor’s packet are for churches, events, small groups, and great for emails and snail mail to pastors. They include information on yourself and the ministry you are working with. By the use of simple graphics and a good looking template, the Pastor’s Packet can show a level of professionalism that you want to have and that pastors will be looking for. Write it almost like a colorful resume. Here’s a simple outline:
Outline of a Pastor’s Packet:
Page 1: Color photo (include family if married) and our calling to ministry and your spiritual testimony
Page 2-3: Ministry experience, education, and training
Page 2-3: Description of ministry target and problems you ministry attempts to solve
Page 3-4: Your ministry strategy and outcomes
Page 3-4: Financial explanation/appeal
6. Don’t give up and don’t get discouraged!
Don’t give up in calling or seeking out pastors. It’s true, they are busy people and can sometimes be hard to get ahold of. Give them the benefit of the doubt though, generally their busyness is for a good reason. Be kind and gracious with pastors and never start to feel a sense of entitlement for their congregation’s commitment or for the pastor to even call you back. Always put the ball in your court when it comes to contacting a pastor, and always be kind.
Typically it may take upwards of 10-15 phone calls before you are able to reach a pastor. That’s okay, just stick with it and don’t give up.
Treat your time with churches and pastors as ministry, not as merely support raising. Seek ways to bring messages of hope, healing, and blessing to the church today. Ask the Holy Spirit for a special word for the pastor and congregation. Be ready to pray for anyone the Lord brings your way. Be the first to arrive and the last to leave.
Remember in all of this: you are following God in your calling in a radical and dedicated way, and you are also ALREADY a minister in the body of Christ. Just by EXISTING you are inspiring and provoking (in a good way!). In this season you have the opportunity to inspire others in the body of Christ to follow the path God has called them to, whatever that looks like for them. Use the platform / coolness God has given you to inspire! And don’t forget to communicate your needs clearly and in an honoring way to the pastor and the body of Christ. Have fun out there, it’s a great experience to challenge and call the body of Christ to join in the Great Commission!
Financial Partnership Development 