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.

“It feels pushy to send a giving reminder to my people. Why bother them on New Year’s Eve Day?”

When I ask mission-workers about their organizational budget, I get these responses: “My monthly budget? Hmmm….

Three hours now saves three months of frustration later!

Do you want to avoid frustration in your finances for the next 12 months? Take three hours now to make a realistic fundraising plan.

You have a secret weapon in fundraising. It is available 24/7. It doesn’t have an expiration date like a carton of milk. It does wonders in bringing gospel-workers to full funding.

I’m not talking about prayer—though that is indispensable. (I wish I were better at it.) Nor is it your passion for ministry. And it is not your sparkling personality—though you might underestimate the simple fact that “people like you!” They do!

May I speak to you frankly about a blind spot in leadership? It popped up last week, but the story I am about to tell occurs frequently.

My assistant and I met with a missionary couple (Joe and Vicki—not their real names) last Monday. They had been in town five weeks and they had a problem—they were only 50% supported. But Joe said, “That’s not the real problem. I am not afraid of fundraising, but I don’t have time to do it. The real problem is that my supervisor expects me to catch up on my fundraising while I open a local office here—now!”

Vicki chimed in. “How can we launch a new office and do major funding simultaneously! It feels like we are being set up for failure.”