Missionaries understand the necessity of raising funds for their ministry, but are often perplexed by the challenges of communicating their needs.
Knowing How To Ask
Fund raising doesn’t come naturally to most, and many missionaries who are comfortable and passionate preachers stumble when it comes to talking about their ministry’s finances.
Competing Priorities
The time and energy devoted to fundraising can lead to feelings of frustration when weighed against the needs of the missionary’s primary ministry.
Changes In Support And Need
A missionary’s support status or the types of support available can change, especially during economically tough times. As their ministry evolves and changes, new needs arise that affect their recommended level of financial support.
Other Commitments
A missionary returning from an overseas assignment with a limited time frame may find fundraising stressful. The combination of transition, limited time, and the demands of presenting updates to supporters can pile up.
Overcoming Fundraising Challenges
We’re pleased to offer communication and development tools that can assist missionaries. As seasoned counselors we can help meet these challenges through our experience and training.
Tools For You, The Supporter
Knowing how to help a missionary raise and maintain support requires some savvy and understanding of the challenges involved. Here are some resources and links to get you started.
Casual Autumn Friday
In the spring we have several little sayings to aid us in describing the season. (In like a lion, out like a lamb, for instance.) We ought to have some for autumn, don’t you think. This season is so mercurial. Unpredictable in every way except its unpredictability....
Casual Friday Care Resources
The flu visited our house recently, just like quite a few others, evidently. The onset was dramatic, and the recovery abysmally slow. So many parallels to “diseases” on the mission field. When you’re sick, you want someone at your side. Someone who will dote on you a...
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
I love putting this together for you each week, because I know you love missionaries and want to do everything you can to help them flourish on the field. Lots of resources for your own equipping this time, and many that are meant for you to share. Enjoy! LIFE...
Casual First of November Friday
Wow—I’m gone for one week and you get three weeks of material! Such a deal! Seriously, I suggest that you wade through this a little at a time. There are more than three dozen resources here and you won’t want to overlook any of them. LIFE ON THE FIELD Knowing...
Casual Autumn Friday
(I mention autumn in the title this week so maybe the weather will get the hint!) A quick trip to New Hampshire gave us a chance to interact with a sending church and some of the folks they’ve sent out. So encouraged by their desire to grow in their understanding of...
Casual Friday Xtra-Large
You will not want to miss this exceptionally large batch of resources. Some really good stuff here!
Casual Mid-Summer Friday
What is the greatest need in the realm of missionary care? More people like you! The body of Christ is the most potent and least developed resource for keeping global workers healthy. As you equip yourself with this week’s resources, consider who you might share them...
Casual Friday Missionary Care
Well, here we are...back in the saddle! Sorry about last week's mishap. But at least the old site is now history and we have this beautiful new site to enjoy! I hope you enjoy these resources as well. LIFE ON THE FIELD Hardly a day goes by that doesn’t remind us of...
Casual Friday
Every time I interact with a missionary I am reminded how vitally important it is for them to have a solid network of care providers standing with them. You are part of someone’s network. Maximize your potential for helping them thrive with resources like these. LIFE...
Casual Small World Friday
It’s a small world. No – really. Our latest guest was just dropped off by her friend, someone we’d never met. As we chatted with this friend we discovered that we not only know several of the same people, but one family in particular lives just a few miles from here....
Casual Friday Cinco De Mayo Friday
Hello from Atlanta, Georgia where we are currently visiting with our daughter and her family. We have some big decisions ahead of us, but I’ll have to report on that subject a little later. Meanwhile, your friends and families on the mission field need your continued...
Casual Friday From Central Asia
I am writing this week from central Asia, in a place that seems to be the international headquarters for the Amalgamated Exhaustion Corporation. I felt this on my last visit back in November, and I feel it again: I’ve never been in the midst of so much worn-outness...
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
I was out of town last week, partly to attend the MC2 conference in Minneapolis. (My next e-newsletter will be a report on that. If you are not yet a subscriber, contact me and I’ll add you to the mailing list.) This week’s batch of missionary care resources was...
Casual Friday Missionary Care Resources
As we inch toward Spring around here we find ourselves on a climatic roller coaster. Pushing 70 degrees one day; highs in the 30s the next. One thing remains the same: the needs of missionaries. Encouragement, exhortation, refreshment…these are things that you can...
Casual Friday ‘Tis The Season
‘Tis the season. No, not THAT season. We just got past that one. I’m talking about home assignments and all that goes with. When we were on the field we often joked about “furlough fever.” We were so caught up in preparing—plane tickets, housing and transportation...
Casual Friday Bonanza
Wow…where to start? So much good stuff out there this week. I’ve tried to narrow it down a bit for you. Plenty of ways for you to add to your skill and knowledge in caring for missionaries. (Maybe a good way to make use of enforced indoor time due to ice storms and...
Casual New Year Friday
Few of us are immune to the irrational urges that accompany the turning of the calendar pages from one year to the next. There is something hope-inspiring about a fresh batch of weeks and months in which to pursue our goals. One of my goals for this year is to become...
Casual countdown to Christmas Friday
Well…we made it back from central Asia, but not without some scars. On the fourth day of our two week trip we succumbed to the flu that was raging through our city. And then, three days before our return, we learned that our flights had been cancelled due to an...
Let’s create the future
The following editorial appeared in a recent update from the Global Member Care Network. I thought it was worth commenting on. Editorial:The Future of Member Care Is it true that missions is in decline and what impact does this have on Member Care? At the 2016...
Partnership vs Sponsorship
Yesterday we started a discussion about the paradigm in which we conduct missions, missions fundraising, and missionary care. It was prompted by this quote from Ron Blue: Although we in North America talk much about partnership, in reality we’re talking about...
Major Causes for Attrition: Insufficient Support
It is obvious that missionaries cannot carry out their ministry without money. What does it mean for us to be their partners in ministry? If, for whatever reason, they find themselves under supported it can be nearly impossible to raise funds while on the field. I...