Displaying items by tag: tlcjuly16

Just as Paul used a letter to expand support for those advancing the gospel message (II Corinthians 8 & 9 for example), in today’s world we have the web and any number of social media platforms to connect with those who have a heart for our work.

Through social media, we can multiply our own efforts to raise funds. What would it be like if one morning we opened our Facebook or other social media page to find 10, 25 or 50 friends of our ministry asking other friends to support our work?

Can we imagine 50 friends, each seeking to raise $1,000 in the next month toward saving lives and changing lives? That’s—you got it, math professionals—a $50,000 effort.

What’s fascinating here is that if we sat down to design a fundraising event or initiative to raise $50,000 we would need a lot of creativity, a lot of hands and this would take plenty of effort.

Yet by multiplying ourselves there is less effort, less stress and likely more funds.

One of the best avenues for multiplying our efforts is You Save Babies, a place where our supporters and would-be supporters can, in literally minutes, set up their own fundraising page. The page is user-friendly, gives ideas to those who might promote us and presents a positive, upbeat message for visitors.

There are two keys to success in this endeavor:

First, clearly explain how to use You Save Babies

We lay this out in our CEO Commentary, but it is important to leave nothing to chance. If we explain the concept first, our donors and friends will be more familiar with the idea once they connect with the actual You Save Babies site.

Second, remind our fundraisers to remind their friends

One post on a Facebook page is not enough in most cases. We need to be “lovingly vigilant,” reminding our friends on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook and other sites a couple of times per week so that we are more likely to reach our goal.

We don’t need a Walk, or a similar event, in order to raise funds. Our friends can be helping us 365 days a year by asking on our behalf in honor of birthdays and other special events, or for particular needs we might have (“Help me raise $1,000 toward our center’s ultrasound machine”).

Utilize You Save Babies in regular communications with friends and supporters. Over time, we may find dozens of “development directors” who are ready to ask on our behalf.  

Click here for more of this month's Advancement Trends in the Life Community.

A couple of years ago, while working on a capital campaign for a center, I made a commitment to walk in the center’s Walk for Life. Because I don’t live in the city where the center operates, I set up a personal fundraising page through MinistrySync, which took all of five minutes.

That evening I posted a link to my page on Facebook and met my goal within hours.

Today’s donors want giving to be quick and easy, so why don’t we help? For those of us who are involved in fundraising, we can use Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to casually mention from time to time, “If you are interested in supporting the ministry where I serve, here is the link.” Then of course, we post the link!

We don’t have to wait for a Walk or any other event to ask our friends to kick in a gift. They already believe in us, so some will want to go the next step and support our work.

We can link to our donor page and if we use this method, ask friends to mention their connection to us so we can track gifts. For instance, “When you give, add the comment, ‘Kirk sent me!’

Or, we can use a funding page such as You Save Babies (more on that HERE!).

Some thoughts:

Set a Goal

“Would you mind giving?” is not nearly as powerful as, “I’m looking to raise $1,250 for . . .” A goal, and updating friends every few days, gives friends more connection and the ability to say, “I helped Kirk accomplish his mission.”

Give a Reason

“Support my work” is nice, but, “I want to raise $1250 so that this ministry can . . .” is better.

Start with a Gift

Asking is more effective when people see themselves as joining, instead of starting a process. Consider what we wish to be an average gift and make that gift to start the process: “I chipped in $25; please join me with a gift of any size.”

Giving needs to be simple today because fewer and fewer of us are willing to sit down and write a check. Let’s continue to look for ways to connect our friends to our work—as quickly as they can click a mouse.  

Click here for more of this month's Advancement Trends in the Life Community.