Tuesday, October 04, 2005
BEGAN ASKING
October 4, 2005
At long last I began asking for money. This is a huge break thru because that is what I have feared the most. I had not asked for a donation in the context of a presentation since December.
THANKS for your many prayers. It was not very painful. Also two accountability partners were holding me accountable for this critical next step. Actually the ask was extremely gentle. One of the accountability partners that has been encouraging me for months said you can just ask them to pray about giving. That would be a step in the right direction. And that is what I did. It was slightly awkward. My blood pressure rose a little. Both of these were good friends who I knew cared about me and the ministry.
I still have a long way to go but an important barrier has been crossed.
For your prayers here is the ideal. A networking contact gives me the name of a prospective major donor. They know that person may be interested in making a contribution to the ministry. I call and use the name of the networking person to help set the appointment. I go to meet with a total stranger at lunch or their office. In a very short time I tell the story using visual aids to keep the conversation focused and moving along. At the end of the face-to-face presentation I very gracefully ask them to make a significant contribution. Some will say yes and others will say no. I feel relaxed about whatever they say because I know that God will supply all the needs of the ministry.
I recognize that in the coming days and weeks I will be meeting with other prospective donors. I have gotten into the habit of making several high quality presentations each week. And there is a percentage that will give money and another percent that will give networking leads.
My current comfort zone is to deal with researching, writing and making web sites. But in order to offer these informational, inspirational and educational materials to the public for free I need both major donor I meet with in person as well as small donors that give online.
I am coming to learn that those who can contribute 1K to 10K plus are very busy and/or very private. Those who are committed Christians want the work of ministry to go forth but they do not want to be bothered with every good cause that comes down the pipe.
Mostly this is the older set. They are in their 60s to 80s. And there are exceptions to this rule. Those who can write the largest checks the fastest are business owners. They can make a decision and make the donation right away. They do not need to wait for budget cycles like in corporate giving or a committee like in a foundation.
These older Christians are willing to read a proposal. Text is okay with them. They are not part of the younger generation that demands lots of flashy media. Therefore my current focus is on completing the 5-page presentation.
Last night the writing of the narrative finally began to flow. Right now it is about half done. My aim is to have it complete before the two networking meetings I have on Wednesday. Most of the text is the guts of what I say during the hour-long face-to-face meeting. This could also become the initial manuscript for a brief PowerPoint slide show. Working with text like this email update gives me time to review, reflect and revise. When I just talk I can go down all kinds of side trails.
Today I know networking contacts that I believe want to help me. I will be meeting many more in the coming weeks. I can give them a print version of this 5-page presentation, and I can send it as an email attachment. Plus I can give them to link to where I have it posted on a web site. Then they can pass it along to the prospective donors. The donor can get back to me by phone or email to set an appointment. That will let them see the visual aids, ask me questions and get a feel for the passion God has put into my heart.
John 1:04 PM
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