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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.

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., 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.