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- Be Bold. Don't be shy about letting your supporters know you'll be talking about giving. Don't beat around the bush and pretend this is just a friendly catch-up call. If you're feeling some guilt because you haven't done a great job keeping in touch with your supporters, take a few months to re-establish that connection before you launch into an increase ask.
- Rooted in deep connection. One advantage to both donor and missionary in the increase ask is the idea of investing deeply. The main vision is for your current team to increase so you can invest more deeply into them, vs spreading yourself thin among a lot of people.
- As your commitment increases, bring them along. As your commitment to ministry increases, it's only natural to reach out to those who support your work - those who are taking this journey with you - to ask them to pray about also increasing their commitment to this Kingdom work.
- Make it a regular conversation. Just like our corporate investors' example, it's normal to make a habit of regularly connecting with your investors about their support. Some will contact their supporters annually with a message like: "It's that time of the year where I get to connect with you about your ministry giving and seek the Lord together about it!" Using "it's that time of the year..." or "it's the season to..." language sets the table for this to be a normal conversation that's expected to also happen again in the future.
- Expect some slight attrition. About 1% of those you ask to increase will reveal they need to decrease or end their engagement. That’s normal and still something to rejoice over. Take the time to honor and celebrate your supporter for the work they've done in partnership with you. Share a few stories of people they've impacted with the Gospel because of their giving. And let them know how much you've appreciated their faithfulness to the work. Then give them an opportunity to connect you with one or two others who may be interested to hear how the Lord is working through your ministry.
- Personally connect. "Prayer letters are important, but they pale in comparison to one-on-one connections." - Greg, Reliant staffer for over 20 years. Greg has held a regular rhythm of texting or calling supporters throughout the year to see how they are doing, update them on something that recently happened in ministry, and pray with them. It's no wonder his financial support is consistently strong, even though he has a very large goal. No matter where you are in the timeline of an increase ask, make the one-on-one connection with your supporters a priority. Some choose to take a season of reconnecting before calling for increases. Others choose to use the increase ask call as a way to reconnect. Below are a few examples from missionaries on how they structured their increase ask process, whether internationally or stateside.
- Faithfully follow up. Organize your MTD with automatic reminders to follow up with those who are making a decision (DOH) or have said yes but haven't started giving yet.
- Thank personally. Thank those who increase. The general standard is a hand-written thank-you card and a phone call. (Other ideas HERE.) A welcome packet sent to a new donor or a small gift for a particularly impactful gift can go a long way!
Examples of the process
- Josiah: Initially, I was super afraid to ask this amount (magic # of $150). It seemed like too big/ too much to ask for some of the people I was calling (like the guy who is just two years out of school). But, it's gone really well. I've been surprised. Even the people who can't do that amount, they've thanked me for asking them and have said they feel honored. Those positive responses have been really encouraging to me to keep making this ask in this way. (Raised $1,000 in new monthly in 2 months working 1.5-2 days a week on MTD.
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