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SRS Newsletter Repository
Welcome to the SRS Newsletter repository. Below, you will find an assortment of newsletters designed to train and equip you with the information and strategies you need to effectively fulfill your personal support needs. Click a title to open and read any issue.
Getting Personal: Support Raising is like a Marriage Proposal
Last Updated Jun 2010
By:
Steve Shadrach, 2nd Opinion: David Armstrong
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Getting Personal:
Support Raising is like a Marriage Proposal
If you are engaged or married (or think you someday will be), this survey is for you.
Question: What was the method utilized in initiating the marriage commitment with your partner? Was the proposal made through:
1. A letter
2. A phone call
3. A fax
4. E mail
5. Face to face
I have given this “Marriage Proposal Method Survey” to hundreds of people and, almost without exception, option #5 was the resounding response. Amazing! Even in our age of technology the old fashion personal approach was deemed best. Apparently, even though we’ve become high tech, we still need to be high touch. In fact, some of the wives I surveyed said, “I wouldn’t have married him unless he looked right into my eyes and asked me! Occasionally, I then turned to the husband and asked him where he got the idea, the words, the courage to propose to his wife face to face.
This whole survey is a farce, isn’t it? Of course the proposal is made face to face because it is a very, very important ask. Now, “Will you support me?” is not quite as critical as “Will you marry me?”, but the principle is this:
“If it’s important, we will do it face to face.”
Whether it’s a marriage proposal, a late-night session with your teenager, or having to fire someone at work, if it’s important, it needs to be done face to face. So, why do we take shortcuts and substitute in a letter, a call, a banquet, or a pledge card to do the asking for us? Not sure, but it’s no wonder the potential supporter doesn’t feel honored and consequently doesn’t join our team. Not only do they think you don’t care about them, but what you’re doing and what you’re asking for must not be very important either--otherwise you would have done it face to face!
The apostle John felt strongly about this concept:
“I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face...” (2 John 1:12)
How we go about asking a person to join our team will determine what kind of a supporter they’ll be. If we choose the quick and easy route of a letter or call they may come on our team, but many times it will be a shallow, short-term commitment for a smaller amount on an inconsistent basis. But, if you will commit to the personalized and customized approach (like a marriage proposal!), that person will always remember the dignity, sensitivity, care, and courage you showed him. Many will not be able to pull their checkbooks out fast enough, to commit larger amounts, over the long haul.
I have been on support now for 20 years. Almost everyone I met with face to face in 1986 is still on my monthly team, still giving like clockwork, and even increasing every few years. You see, I’m not just looking for supporters. I want supporters FOR LIFE! Like proposing, how you ask someone can make all the difference!
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May 2006
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In the next issue...
Newsletters: The good, the bad, the ugly
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| What is Support Raising Solutions? |
This is a free monthly newsletter focusing on crucial topics in the world of personal support raising. It is not intended for the general public or individual Christian worker, but specifically designed for support raising trainers or policy makers within ministries who focus on fulfilling the Great Commission.
Each issue will highlight a pertinent subject or question which will be followed with a "Second Opinion" from another authority in that field. We do not pretend to have all the answers. Our main goal is simply to get as many new and veteran Christian workers to their assignment quickly - and fully funded! |
| Second Opinion - Your Online Discussion Forum |
Give your feedback.
Read others' feedback.
Yes, many of these viewpoints are from experienced experts, but everyone has a unique perspective. We want our website to act as a sounding board for ministry leaders around the world. What do you agree or disagree with in this article? Share your thoughts with others who are on the same journey. Log on at: www.TheBodyBuilders.net |
| About the Author |
 Steve Shadrach is President of The BodyBuilders. He also helped start two other ministries, Student Mobilization and The Traveling Teams. God is using both groups to recruit, train, and launch college students into the Great Commission. (stumo.org, thetravelingteam.org)
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We raised all of our support 23 years ago through “group asks” and letters, and they have faithfully continued through the years. Also, in the last 90 days God has provided $650/mo. of new support through a carefully worded mention in our bi-monthly prayer letter.
My bold direct challenges are for prayer and mission involvement, not money. A different philosophy, but one that fits me better. Don’t take that to mean I disagree with “face to face” asks. They are very good, it’s just that how you ask is only part of the story. The face to face nature of the ask isn’t what got me a “yes” answer from my wife when I proposed. The abiding respect and appreciation for her is what got me the “yes”. A guy would be a very frustrated suitor if he proposed to girls on his first date with them! Yet once that depth of relationship is there, she may even ask him! The relationship has to have reached the appropriate stage to make this kind of ask.
In raising support, I use different kinds of asks depending upon my relationship with each person. Some are face-to-face, others might be handwritten letters, postcards, or phone calls. Some examples:
People who barely know us:
1. Would you like to receive our newsletter to keep you informed?
2. Would you like to be one of those who regularly prays for us?
3. Would you like one of our prayer cards to remind you to pray for us?
People who know us some and verbalize an interest in us or the ministry:
1. Would it be possible to stay with you when we come back through next month?
2. Would you be willing to host an open house the next time we are here?
People who know us and have a definite interest in either us or the ministry:
1. Would you be interested in giving a one time gift to our special summer outreach project?
2. Would you consider being one of the 25 more people we need giving $30/mo to make our involvement in this ministry possible?
Match your “ask” to the relationship!
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| About the Author |
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David Armstrong spent 20 years serving with OC International, mainly in Guatemala. Six years ago he and his son Peter launched ShortTermMissions.com, a website connecting Christians with mission opportunities around the world. David and his wife Mary live in Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
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All content © 2005 The BodyBuilders
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SRS Products
We publish an assortment of resources focusing on crucial topics in personal support raising. The following are some of them.
Recommended Books
We have chosen these books because we feel they are helpful in the area of support raising. We have made these titles easy to purchase by linking the book title on the page to Amazon.com.
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Friend Raising: Building a Missionary Support Team (by Betty Barnett, YWAM Publishing) |
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Getting Sent: A Relational Approach to Support Raising (by Pete Sommer, Intervarsity Press) |
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People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support (by William Dillon, Moody Press) |
SRS Support Raising Documents
Links
Check out some other links that can help you in this area of support raising.
For help with downloading your contacts from Excel to TntMPD, please click here.
For help with using TNT software on a Mac, click here.
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