80% Is Not Full Funding
Trusting God for the Last 20%
© The Navigators. Do Not Use Without Permission. All Rights Reserved.
A missionary friend asked me for advice on increasing his support. Listen in:
Scott: “Tell me about your fundraising strategy.”
Mission worker, confidently: “We don’t ask. We just minister to people and some of them give. God is taking care of us.”
Scott: “Then you are probably at 100% of budget….?”
Mission worker, hesitatingly: “No, we are at 80%.”
Scott: “So…’God is taking care of you’—except for 20%!”
My friend hit the 80% glass ceiling! At 80% you can pay your bills—you can “get-by!” But 80% is not the same as full funding.
Note: I am not criticizing you if you are working hard at funding. I am concerned about mission workers who feel complacent at 80%.
Here are two dangers of stopping at 80%.
At 80% you won’t save for emergencies.
Many Gospel-workers say, “We don’t receive enough money to save. Saving is a luxury.” But what will you do in an emergency? For example, the guy who sold you your car said it “has eternal life.” But does it? 🙂
Proverbs 21:20 says,
“There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up.”
The wise don’t spend all their treasure—they gradually accumulate. Accumulation is not necessarily a sin. Spending 100% of what you earn is a sin—at least it is “foolish.”
For the secret of saving month by month, check out this video: How to Save.
At 80% you’ll hesitate to think big.
If ministry opportunities come your way that require extra travel or buying 200 small New Testaments for an evangelistic outreach, you’ll hesitate to “expand.” I confess that in my early ministry days I held back on thinking big. I was at 80%!
And it happens in small ways too.
For example, Gospel-worker “Megan” was starting a new ministry on a tough campus—students didn’t seem interested. Finally, she met a young woman who wanted to hear about Jesus. They set an appointment for next Friday at the Student Union. Megan was excited.
But Megan canceled the appointment. Why? Because she didn’t have $5 to buy this searching student a coca cola.
Okay, we can fault Megan for lack of creativity in finding $5! Bottom line: Poor funding caused the gospel not to advance that Friday. As my Kenyan friend Noel Owuor says, “Fundraising is a gospel issue.”
Question: What hinders you in moving from 80% to 100%?
Don’t know where to find 10 new donors. “Out of prospects!”
- Help is available on this website!
- Check back with Lapsed Donors?
- Do you have 3-4 Anchor Donors?
Fundraising fatigue.
- Talk with your supervisor or funding coach. What part of fundraising wears you down.
I’m comfortable at 80%. So is my spouse.
- Have you asked her/him?
- What is your emergency finance plan?
Our/my budget is high enough—don’t need the remaining 20%.
- Are you saving every month?
- Are you seizing expansion opportunities? Thinking big?
Other….
May I invite you to believe God to break through the 80% glass ceiling? Heaven is not having cash flow problems.
Check out these videos and blogs for more help!
Did you know we have resources available for download?
