FAQs for Coaches

The answer to this question can often be a balance between motivation and activity level. For example, some people might work better with a big week/ slower week rhythm rather than a "same goal each week" rhythm. Feel free to adjust accordingly. Our ninja skills as coaches are to discover patterns in motivation and work ethic and leverage those natural patterns to help someone achieve their goals. 

Activity Averages for Support Raising

Here's an example of a 5-hour a week pattern from a pastor-level staffer: 20 connection attempts by text takes about an hour and usually 3 people get back to me for an appointment and 1-2 say yes to supporting. Right now I'm going back through my list of those who haven't responded and am doing some voice texts.

When your support raiser has hit these benchmarks, encourage them to feel the freedom to be "done" with MTD for the week. Celebrate! Have them continue to respond to people texting/calling/ emailing back. But, affirm them in enjoying the work they've accomplished with the Lord's help and taking a needed break. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Those times of rest are essential to stave away burnout.

1. Call them with a gentle reminder. Leave a voicemail if necessary. Let them know you're excited to start meeting regularly. Ask to see if they're okay (maybe they're sick or have had a crisis arise). Remind them you're there to empower them to reach their goal, not to babysit them. Share how studies have shown that faithfulness in attending weekly coaching meetings correlates to effectiveness in raising support. Then, ask them to let you know when would be a good time for them to meet weekly for encouragement. You may also refer to the MTD Coaching Agreement if they agreed to the MTD Coaching Agreement. Or you can introduce this in one of your first calls to set expectations and reach a mutual agreement moving forward. 
2. If you get no response, contact the program team lead to let them know what's going on and ask for their direction on what you should do next. 
   1. If the program lead wants you to reach out to the supervisor, use this template (Introduction of Coaches, Supervisors, Missionaries) to introduce yourself and inform them of the situation.
3. An SOP might be needed to establish boundaries and expectations. The program lead and supervisor can work together to create this. You are welcome to request this if you feel it will provide the motivation the employee needs. 

Discover their activity patterns (Toolbox/ Coaching/ Activity Summary/ Select Missionary/ Monthly).

• The goal is to notice their natural work rhythms and build goals accordingly. Example: Maybe they tend to have one big week of appointments, followed by two slower weeks. Go with that! Build goals for one big connection attempt week, one big follow-up week, and one big appointment week. Try it for two cycles and see how it goes. Make adjustments as needed.

Build in a few motivators.

• Sprint
  • This involves activity accomplished in a period of time, with a break scheduled at the end of that time.
  • The goal of the sprint is to break up the work into cycles so it doesn't feel monotonous and never-ending.
  • Sprints are based on the activity the support raiser can control (connection attempts, appointments booked, follow-up calls, etc.), not on new financial gifts, which they cannot control. 
  • Sprints can be based on activity patterns (see above) or how long they think they can diligently work hard before they need a solid break (6-week sprint, one week off). If someone's depressed, overwhelmed, or work capacity has been dramatically diminished, you might need to dial it way down. Example: 1 day on, one day off. Or 1/2 day on, 1/2 day off. 
    
    
• Fabulous Prize
  • This involves a financial goal and the prize they win when they hit it.
  • Prizes are based on new financial giving because as more money comes in, they have the means to buy that fabulous prize.
  • This can include new support, increases in current support, or new special gifts. Decide together with the support raiser. Example: A couple discovered the wife was better at getting new support and the husband better at asking for increases/ special gifts. They made it into a contest, and whoever raised the most in a period, got the grand prize. This played off their strengths, and the contest proved to be an excellent motivator for them both! 
  • Encourage prizes that will be bucket-fillers.
    Examples: A massage, a fun day of go-karting with the kids, a new rug/ chair/ tech, a date night at the fancy new restaurant, a manicure, a day at the beach or lake with ice cream, etc. 
  • Start small. 
    Example: If a couple has to raise $2,000 in new giving, encourage a prize once they reach $250 in new giving. Yes, they still have a long way to go, but the $250 prize gives them a "win," which increases motivation to keep going. As coaches, we're looking for ways to blow motivational wind into their sails so they keep going vs. stalling out in the middle of the open ocean. 
    
    
• Ask what stats they think would be helpful to track/ share with you. 
  MPDx has a feature that allows the support raiser to share their data with you. Check it out. 

Double-check that your milestones are on track.

• MTD Thresholds & Expectations outlines what milestones support-raisers are to reach and what should happen if they don't. 

Clarify expectations.

• Tasks for Full-Time MTD can also be a helpful tool to send to the employee. 

In these scenarios, we often wonder, as coaches, "Are these people just cheesing out and not wanting to call? Or have they tried, and no one is picking up?" It isn't easy to discern. Here are some reflections from seasoned coaches: 

• Are they getting the results through text than they would be by phone? It should be a 3:1 ratio of responses per reach-out. If they are seeing these results, then great. If not, encourage them to try phone calls for a week and "see what happens." PS - It won't be easy to discern results if they do not submit an MTD Activity Form through Toolbox weekly. Encourage consistency in this so you have the tools you need to zero in on what needs your support.
    
• Have some discernment about generational needs: Younger generations may prefer text. People in their 40s and up; call them.
  
  
• Encourage them to try the "Text, then call." Send a text before calling. This works great for those who consider a call an emergency or won't answer the phone if they don't have the number in their contacts. The text can sound something like this: Hi! This is _____. I just wanted to inform you that this is my number. I will call you tonight to talk about some prayer and giving opportunities with the ministry I'm a part of. If tonight doesn't work for you, let me know. Talk to you soon!
  
• Look at the average gift. If it's $50 or lower, it usually means they've just been asking their young friends. They'll need your encouragement to stretch and reach out (by phone) to others with a higher capacity to give.
  
  
• Step out of your comfort zone. Encouraging your people to call more than they feel comfortable is okay. We all need that little push to help us out of our comfort zone. 
  
  
• Point to efficiency. Have them look at some of these text conversations: How many days ago did the conversation start, and have they reached the resolution yet? Often, the "easier" text conversation takes days or weeks to resolve, whereas a phone call would take 5 minutes. People don't realize this.
  
  
• Go to the places where their people are. An example of this is the support-raiser went to a church luncheon where about 30% of the people on his list were in attendance. He even ran into the guy that wouldn't respond to his texts/calls/emails and they were able to talk for 20 minutes. 

Also known as the "At this rate, it will take you eight years to raise your initial support" conversation.

This one takes prayer and tact, but it's time to have this honest conversation when your support-raiser seems stuck or discouraged by MTD.

Reliant's MTD Thresholds & Expectations can be a helpful resource in this situation as it explains what milestones support-raisers are to reach and gives you guidance on what should happen if they don't. These milestones can also serve as a motivator. Example: The 12-week milestone is coming up in 4 weeks. Looks like you have $x left to raise by then. How about we work on breaking that down into small chunks you feel you can accomplish? Does that sound like something that would work for you? 

Tasks for Full-Time MTD can also be a helpful tool to send to the employee to remind them what their work should look like in this season. 

If you feel you've taken them as far as you can, or if it's been a year of Initial MTD, it may be time to ask Reliant to switch them to another coach. Sometimes, that fresh energy kick-starts them back into vigorous MTD. 

Other options:

• Have them demo their real call for an appointment or presentation, ask, and follow up with you. It may take a few coaching sessions, but you'll get more insight into what they're actually saying to people.
• See who they can recruit to go on some support appointments with them - as an encouragement. It provides some accountability so they don't wimp out on the ask. 😉 A team member who is already ministering where the person is raising to minister can be a great choice. 
• Ask another coach to do a strategy call with them. Fresh eyes can sometimes see things you haven't. 
• If they're really not doing the work, an SOP (Standard of Performance) can be motivating. *They'll hate you for it and love you for it. 
• Talk with their supervisor about the additional support system they might need around them. 

Here's the "What is True" document from our friends at Cru. It lists out verses and statements on what is true about God, us, and our supporters. 

"You manage what you monitor, so find a way to monitor what matters." - Gretchen Rubin.

Every Reliant worker needs a way to manage their potential, current, and past supporters. MPDx offers a great way to do that. Click here for step-by-step instructions to get set up.

PS - Here's our page on How to Optimize MPDx

This could be regarding their support goal, paystub, benefits, etc.

Please have the worker contact your program team liaison or administrator for support when these questions arise.

If a worker has questions about a donor's gift or a question on behalf of a donor that you cannot help with, please have them reach out to the Gift Services team or the program team liaison.

When coaching a married couple:

• Balance "Work in your strengths" with "Do what you need to do to raise your total amount." This is particularly important in relationships with a Type A wife and a more "passive" husband. Often, the husband will pass the harder work off to the wife because it's in her "strengths" but then he's off the hook for really going for it. As coaches, we can call these men to lead with strength; consistently challenging them to do the hard work of MTD out of love for his family and obedience to the Lord. (This is another area where MTD grows the person for ministry!)
• Provide individual accountability. Accountability that is only based on the Reliant MTD hours and number of calls form can be too vague for a couple who is recording hours together, because it doesn't show what each individual is doing. It's better to have specific goals for the week with names of people to contact and follow-up with and then be asked "did you call so-and-so?" 
• If both are working on MTD, coach both of them. Even if one has a lesser role. 

Depends. EOYA appeals to a different type of giver than your recurring donor. For example, EOYA can be a great way to approach a larger-capacity giver whom your coachee is intimidated or with whom they cannot book a formal MTD presentation meeting (due to the giver's busy schedule). When this type of donor gives to a year-end appeal, it indicates a level of interest in the ministry and invites follow-up conversations and follow-up giving opportunities. 

If those you're coaching are willing to follow the Game Plan for End-of-Year Giving and only ask those who have not received an invitation to give in 6 months or more, then tell them to go for it. 

Here's another way to think about it: 

• The EOYA appeals to a different type of donor than the monthly/ recurring donor. Because of that, yes, you can encourage those who are in Initial MTD to do an EOYA. However, they should only send the appeal to the following types of people: 

  • Larger capacity (wealthy)
  • Those who are non-committal (won't sign up for a recurring gift but might give a special gift)
  • Those who have previously said no to giving
  • Those who are extra hard to get a hold of/ ghosting
  • Those who have given a special gift but don't give on a recurring basis.

  This might end up being a concise list of people. But that's okay for year 1! It starts the healthy habit of offering a year-end giving opportunity.

• Reduce the list to 10-20 people
• $5K goal
• Send an email introducing the need. 
• Call each person individually and invite them to give toward the vision. 
  • Sample language: 

    Right now, we are in the middle of an important End-of-Year campaign. That's because every now and then, we must pause to ensure we have the right resources to continue and grow this mission God has entrusted us. This month, we have set an ambitious $5,000 goal — and today, I want to invite you to please give a gift to help meet it. Would you seek the Lord if He is asking you to give? (Wait for a response.) I'll call you back in 3 days to see how that prayer goes. 

• Plan to follow up every three days (except the week before Christmas). Follow-ups can include calls, texts, emails, social media messages, snail mail, etc.

• Double-check to ensure the person you're coaching has asked voice-to-voice or face-to-face. (If not, it's not too late to call them!)
• Dig into how the follow-up is going. How often are they following up, and what are they saying? Here are some more Follow-up Strategies.
• Encourage them to vary their follow-up with different times and different methods. 

1. Send a snail mail letter of your appeal. Add a note on the letter that you'll call in a few days. 
2. Call and invite them to give. "I was just calling to see if you got my letter..." *Plan to recap the letter. Most will not have read it. 
3. Follow up. Is tomorrow too soon?
4. Email a copy of the letter a while later as a soft reminder. 

• Sample timeline:  
  • Relationally, reconnect by the Monday before Thanksgiving. 
  • Right after Thanksgiving, personally invite people to give. 
  • Follow up on that invitation every three days. 

I just reviewed a handful of letters, and these were the most common pieces of feedback: 

• If you have a shortfall in monthly support, you don't need to mention it in your EOY appeal letter. It only muddies the water by getting people to think about your monthly support, how sustainable your ministry is, etc. Keep the focus on vision for the new year and end-of-year giving.
  
  
• Add a greeting with the person's name. Hand-address. The return address can be a sticker or stamp. Consider a different size or color envelope than the standard white #10.
  
  
• Be careful not to mention a bunch of numbers (need to raise $#, to reach # students, by # date, could you give $### or $## or $#). It quickly confuses me. Consider simplifying and listing the total you're prayerfully asking the Lord to raise and the amount you'd like them to consider. For example, Would you seek the Lord to give an intentional gift of $2,000 or some other amount? PS – This amount could be a great question to put before the Lord, so you have that confidence behind the number. 
  
  
• Say you'll call. Some prn the letter a specific date on which in the letter they'll call. You can hand-write this with a bit of note at the bottom of the letter for a personal touch.
  
  
• List where to send a check. A lot of year-end givers are check-writers. Make it easy on them by mentioning statements should be made out to Reliant with your name in the memo line and can be mailed to Reliant at 11002 Lake Hart Dr., Suite 100, Orlando, FL 32832.
  
  
• If emailing your letter, add something different in the subject line so they know it's your personal email and not a prayer letter. Add a greeting with their name and a personal note at the beginning.

Week 5 - How to Ask for Connections

Ask: How many times have you reached out to them with no response? What method are you using to reach them? What did you say?

*Likely, they aren't ghosting. We usually quit too early, only use one method of communication or say something that doesn't beg an immediate response. Ask the above questions to get to the bottom of the story.  

Follow Up Sequence

Week 6 - Follow Up

Follow Up Strategies