Bear Stearns. Lehman Brothers. Merrill Lynch. WAMU. AIG. Just the mention of these stalwarts of American business and finance send thoughts of uncertainty into our minds. The present climate of instability in our economy can make each day seem longer than it really is, at times gnawing away at our security if we place undue focus on the things of the world.
If you serve as a development person for a ministry, or even a board member or leader, surely this adverse economic environment influences your days and perhaps your moods. I am not an alarmist, but I do believe that just like with our faith we need to return to the fundamentals to settle things a bit. When you are responsible for raising support and for running a development program for a ministry or nonprofit, it helps to revisit the fundamentals during difficult times.
Here are some suggestions for revisiting the fundamentals of stewardship and development for ministry leaders:
1. Is our case for support compelling? Strong? In need of revision? Elements of our case for support include our mission, communication of needs (broken into annual needs, expansion needs, designated needs, future needs), and communicating how to give. Take a close look at each of these components of your case for support to insure your message is clear during tough economic times.
2. How can we energize our lapsed donor base? Along these lines, are we properly stewarding our donors? What can we do to improve retention? The answers to these questions help rejuvenate a stodgy donor base.
3. Thinking in terms of moves management, what are effective ways to get people close to your ministry and to keep them there? This may include a review of your cultivation techniques, as assessment of effectiveness of special events, and an evaluation of all manners of communications.
4. How can we better leverage our base/contacts? How can we best get new prospects/contacts? It helps to revisit the important task of prospecting to determine is everything is being done that is prudent.
Here are some other thoughts that may clarify your thinking during challenging times:
• A typical challenge for ministries and nonprofits is trying to build your organization without the guarantee of multi-year funding. Review your planned giving strategy.
• Spend less time worrying about competition for the donors’ dollars, spend more time figuring how to communicate your ministry’s unique case for support.
• No need to resort to gimmicks, sales techniques, etc.
• It is what it is—we don’t have to make our ministry something it is not, so avoid puffed-up notions of ministry potential and impact.
• Raising funds is more an art than a science. Raising funds is spiritual work where the Spirit is involved.
My prayer is that you will go to the Lord first for wisdom about your situation. Ask Him to help you with the fundamentals of ministry and development. Review, clarify, communicate, and never give up.
