Donors just told me they are stopping support. What do I do now?

What if you live in a country where the economy is going downhill? Can you still fundraise while your countrymen suffer?

During economic downturns I am tempted to:

• Freeze in fear and hope things will improve
• Hide finances from my spouse. “Everything is fine.”
• Eat chocolate ice cream out of the carton(s) late at night
• Blame the other political party

Instead, how about taking three action steps?

I skyped this morning with a Missions Director who had a problem that is common to all ministries—it went like this....

Today I received a question from a missionary originally from Venezuela ministering in Mexico. He asks a practical question. How would you answer him? Here is what I said:

Q:  Can you explain please how do you use the Top 25 Worksheet for potential giving candidates. Step by step please!

How Would Your Staff Answer? 

I use to say intellectual, but I changed my mind after writing national direct mail appeals. I quickly learned that intellect and logic alone do not inspire givers nearly as much as logic plus emotion. People make giving decisions with their hearts.

Even Moses' tabernacle givers were those with "stirred hearts."

And everyone whose heart stirred him and everyone whose spirit moved him came and brought the Lord's contribution (Exodus 35:21-22)

Years ago I conducted my first fund raising home appeal in Singapore. Ten friends from my church waited eagerly to hear me. They were not strangers—I knew them all by name. But I was nervous—I’d never asked face-to-face before.

As I walked into the house, everything seemed so dark. The window blinds were down and I felt a strange gloom…

Do you fear sharing “your donors” with your ministry organization? Won’t the organization steal them?

Here is a refreshing story about the YWAM El Paso-Juarez, Mexico ministry. The staff were struggling to raise the remaining $1,200,000 for a new Children’s Home to rescue kids off the street. What to do?

I was on the phone last week with a potential giving partner who told me about encounters she and her husband have had with missionaries. Here are two conclusions from our conversation based on her experiences.

The Stewardship Foundation in the United Kingdom recently published a survey showing how much time mission workers spent each month to keep their giving partners informed. Before you glance down to look at their results, what are yours? How much time do you spend each month informing and serving your donors? This includes: