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In addition to refreshing our hearts and minds on our call to ministry, the appropriateness of MTD and our call to do MTD, a return to MTD is an opportunity to review the things that God has done over the last few years. What are the effects of your ministry efforts? What stories have moved you? What experiences have challenged you? What important tasks are still undone and people unreached? What needs drive us to seek the power of Jesus to do more?
Reflection will help us report to our donors well and revive a spirit of celebration and gratitude that will show through. Importantly our experience should also give us a boldness as we approach current and potential ministry partners. “This is what God is doing: Will you join us?” is a statement that is as true as ever. A full-time ministry worker has an established track record that is important for donors to see. Don’t be afraid to share positively about your own great ability to impact others as you’ve matured.
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“With five years of campus ministry under my belt, we’ve found our Christian character and ministry skills increase with every gospel moment or challenge. We are having a greater impact than we have ever had, and this thought has convinced us to be bold in asking for your increased financial support. This is the right time.” |
Establish two clear goals: a dollar amount and a date
The questions of “how much do you need to raise” and “when do you need it?” are key. We need concrete goals here. “As much support as we can get” is true for nearly any missionary, but infinity makes for poor communication and vision as we lead ourselves and our ministry partners into the next phase of our ministry.
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Let's look at an example. Jeff has a current support goal of $6,514 but is showing only about $4,950 in active recurring giving each month. He’s getting by, but there is not room for ministry expenses. And because of the lower funding, Jeff hasn’t taken his last offered raise, which would increase his support goal even more. The shortfall is $1,564. After prayer, Jeff decides to set his intermediate goal at $1,500 of new financial support and celebrate if it goes even above and beyond that. |
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Setting a date is crucial too. When do we need it? Right away! Any time! But these answers are as indefinite as not communicating a clear dollar goal. A donor needs to know “when.”
Jeff has found that he’ll be able to cut away from full-time ministry responsibilities in mid-April and has most of the summer set aside for MTD. He’s hoping he can meet his goals by the end of June but isn’t sure. In order to communicate a clear deadline for donors, however, he chooses July 15 as his deadline. This leaves enough space so that donors don’t delete an old email just because they think the date has passed.
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Jeff writes further, “In order to return to full-time ministry, we need to meet this goal by July 15.” |
Resource
- Use the MTD Goal Setting Worksheet to help you figure out a good deadline.
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