There is no reason for a person to take months and years to raise support, but we need to discover ways to reduce the time it takes. The two major barriers facing people who want to raise support for ministry are:

    -The fear of raising funds
    -The anticipation that it will take months, if not years, to raise needed      support

   So, to streamline the process, I’ve included three steps a person can take to get to full support more quickly.

   1. Prioritize your contacts
   One needs to review their list of contacts and constantly identify those that are high, medium and low. Start with those high contacts that are capable of generous support and call on them. This alone will launch your support process with an infusion of funds that will speed the process along. When it comes to acquiring new contacts, I have found that high priority donors know high priority prospects and can sometimes introduce us to people who can give at a far greater level.

   2. Raise people’s vision
   Many times we are the ones that drag the process out when we fail to raise people’s vision and ask high. If we ask a person with a great capacity to give only $50 a month they probably will gladly meet your wishes. But those same people asked for $200+ monthly will be more than glad to assist you. The difference between the two asks is that you raised their vision and asked for the higher gift. People with the capacity to give larger gifts need to be challenged.

   3. Follow-up
   At times, we successfully secure the appointment, ask for the gift, but for a number of reasons we simply fail to follow up. In some cases we fail to negotiate and find a comfort level for their support. There are other times we leave the appointment not having secured the next step with an agreed upon follow-up date.

   Consistently practice these 3 steps and watch that support flow in as never before!