Change it up for the New Year

Jan 30, 2023

You’ll be successful if you faithfully do the best you can with what you have

On a scale of 1 – 10 where 1 is “Terrible” and 10 is “100% Successful” where would you rate your ministry’s fundraising efforts in 2022?

This is actually a good question to talk about with your leadership team.  Because, unless you gave yourself a 9 or 10, then you need to plan to do something different in 2023.  And not only plan to do something different, but actually do something (or many things) different.

Here are 6 tips to get you started…

  1. Don’t Fear

Lots of people speak doom and gloom but don’t forget your big advantage “But God…”

God doesn’t succumb to anyone’s rules – He makes His own. So pray, seek God and then don’t be afraid to…

  1. Try Something Different

If what you did last year wasn’t a “10” then obviously you need to change things up. Look at what was working and work on improving it. But if your score was under 5 then your fundraising plan needs a radical upgrade, and that might involve doing things that make you feel uncomfortable.

  1. Up Skill

Guess what? You don’t have all the answers. There is a lot of stuff you don’t know, so it is important that you ‘keep your axe sharp” (remember that from last year?) Subscribe to some emails and sign up for some video training.  A little bit of good input each week is important to every leader.

  1. Look After and Celebrate with Your Team

Your team is full of wonderful people who share your vision for Christian broadcasting in your country. So make sure you plan ways you can make them feel special.  Celebrating success with them is always good, and it can just be a cake or cookies at staff meeting. Celebrating birthdays and wedding anniversaries is a feature of all Vision’s staff meetings.

  1. Do Your R&D

“Research and Development” is important, but I prefer the “Rob and Duplicate” definition.  Find someone who is achieving what you want to achieve and (adapt and) copy what they are doing. With the one caveat of “under God’s guidance”.

  1. Plan the Work, Work the Plan

None of this will work if you don’t put your plans into action.  So make a calendar (paper or digital) and then make sure you follow your plan.

So there are my 6 thoughts for this week to help set your ministry on the path to success in 2023.

Below are some recommended websites/blogs on fundraising to help you with 2, 3 and 5.

Record Your Donor Details

Here is a simple Excel spreadsheet for recording your donor details.

Download

Read a little more on CRM systems.

CRM Software

There are literally hundreds of  options for a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system for your ministry. There are some free options but usually they are limited to a short time or a small number of records.

One truly Free option worth exploring is TNTConnect

 As CRM software is a rapidly changing field you are probably best to do your own search.

More Fundriasing Tips here…

Monthly Support

I was excited to see that Tomu has begun building Fiji’s Monthly Support strategy. Because building a robust monthly support program is crucial for...

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If your ministry is flourishing and growing and you are happy with the results of your fundraising activity, great!   Why not share with us what you...

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I was excited to see that Tomu has begun building Fiji’s Monthly Support strategy. Because building a robust monthly support program is crucial for any charity aiming to achieve long-term sustainability and impact. Here are 7 reasons why you should invest your time...

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If your ministry is flourishing and growing and you are happy with the results of your fundraising activity, great!   Why not share with us what you are doing so others can learn. If however, your ministry needs more donations to facilitate growth, then read on... The...

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As much as possible you want to connect your supporters action directly to the changed life. Eg "Your gift today of $60 will feed 10 children" not "Donate $60 to our ministry and we will be able to feed 10 children" or "You donation today gives someone, who cannot...

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In an earlier post I said that when it comes to fundraising… You gotta Ask! And that it is a 3-step process. Ask Thank Report I then said that Asking shouldn’t make you feel uncomfortable because… You are only inviting people to do something you already do yourself....

You gotta Ask!

Ok, that’s out in the open. 😊 If you want to get donations for your ministry, you have to ask. I’ll come back to this in just a mo, but first it is important to remember that the Ask is only Step 1 in a 3-step process. Step 1 – Ask Step 2 – Thank Step 3 – Report You...

Gardening

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Ian and Grant had the opportunity to encourage some of the volunteers from our UCB Fiji team that will be distributing The Word for Today 2025 edition. They provided some very practical advice in preparing to give these out to the people locally. Hope you get...

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By Ian Worby CEO UCB Asia Pacific Part of my role in helping Vision Christian Media when they have their two radio appeals each year called Visionathon is that I am The Story Teller. I tell faith-building and inspiring stories from the past of how God and others...

Getting to know your Donors

Why record details? Did you know that it costs more, and you have to work a lot harder, to get a first donation from someone than it is to get the second or third or… donation? That is why there is so much emphasis put on what fundraisers call ‘Donor Retention’. So...

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