Partnership Team: Long Term Tips

Building a partnership team for or long term ministry can be challenging. I’ve assumed you’ve read the MPD Manual for your organization by now. So this is not meant to re-write or re-interpret that manual but to help assist in the building of your ministry partnership team. None of these tips are endorsed by any mission-sending organization but have been compiled by my own experience as well as research.

Here are 24 tips, in no particular order:

Namestorming: Creating a list of names on a piece of paper of people that you have known all your life. Never hesitate to go back too far. My first supporter ever was an employer that fired me when I was a teenager.
Creating a great support letter: It’s important your support letter conveys your passion and belief in your calling as well as the support opportunity.
Making the Calls & Follow up: Making the calls is the hardest thing to do but set a goal, 6 per day, then maybe 10 per day, the maybe 15 a day. Build up your ability to handle both success and rejection. Set up the appointment – only do phone meetings as a last resort. Set those meetings and be sure to do follow up afterwards.
Referrals Referrals Referrals: Referrals are vital – being able to reach out to someone after they’ve been initially contacted by a friend is gold.
Speak to the right person: Who is the decision maker? Husband and wife – Husband or wife? Look at who signs the checks.
Parties: Getting your life group, small group, or other affinity group together and talking about your upcoming ministry is a great opportunity to build awareness and get referrals. These could also be small dinners. Then do follow up.
Speaking Engagements: Speaking at your home church or another church is a great way to build awareness and gain monthly support partners. Find other groups to speak to. Know who the decision maker is – is it the missions committee? The pastor?
1. Build awareness for your ministry
2. Cast the vision
3. Get Prayer Support
4. Educate people about your calling
5. Identify a person from the meeting to follow up with and relationship build with.
Be enthusiastic and optimistic. Examine your past relationship with money. Distinguish between fundraising and partnership.
Short Term Missions: use your short term missions supporters as a stepping stone list. They have supported you before.
Calling & Testimony: be able to verbalize those clearly along with your overall vision.
Make sure to make giving easy: Have a link to your online portal ready.
Blog about your team building adventure. Blog and Facebook Daily!
Pray about the financial need, provide information to God’s people so they know the need, (George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, D.L. Moody)
Go for the easy win / low hanging fruit first.
Work – This is considered work. Be sure to schedule it. Keep your information organized i.e. yes, no, maybes and followup.
Monthly gifts vs special gifts – go for the monthly – cuts down on churn.
Do not pre-judge – a retired person may have other revenue or referrals
Don’t give in to fear
You are sharing a vision and asking people to be part of your team and be a part of the Lord’s work
Talk to your donors even when not raising funds
Try a 48 hour window for maybes. “Can I call you back in two days?”
Care about people! In a year: 4% move away or die, 15% give to someone else, 15% are not happy, and 66% think you may not care.
Avoid the Group Ask – ask individually – the math works out better. People in groups tend to look around and guesstimate what will be given.
For business people: don’t call at the start or end of the week or around a holiday (before or after) – they are least likely to talk
Set weekly goals. Have a brief 15 minute meeting each week: Did you follow through on your commitments from last week? What can you do this week to move forward on your goals?

PDF E-Book Resources:

Fully Funding Your Ministry – Provided by Support Raising Solutions (12 pages)

5 Keys to Raising Your Personal Support by Steve Shadrach (provided online by the Non Profit Academy) (13 pages)

The God Ask (provided online by Covenant Worship School – 262 pages) – This is an excellent resource that we found downloadable for FREE on Google however the author has reached out and stated it’s copyrighted and requested the resource to be removed. You should contact the author to purchase because it is an excellent resource none the less!