Source: International YWAMer | Issue: IYJun97

How to Increase Your Support Income
Four support raising experts share their advice
The International YWAMer sought out the insights of four individuals who teach on
personal support raising (and who raise support themselves). We wanted to know what
YWAMers can do if they find themselves with an inadequate level of financial support.
Two of our experts are from YWAM:
Betty Barnett of YWAM Harpenden, England is the author of Friend Raising: Building A
Missionary Support Team That Lasts and is Managing Editor of the new YWAM studyBible.
Steve Pontius of YWAM Tyler, USA has trained 280 staff as co-ordinator of a new
personal fund-raising training program at this base.
We also included two experts from outside of YWAM:
Bill Dillon, author of People Raising: A Practical Guide to Raising Support, is Executive
Director of Inner City Impact in Chicago, USA.
Holmes M. Bryant Jr., a fund-raising consultant, is Vice President of Evangelical
Development Ministry, in San Bernadino, USA.
We asked them questions we thought most YWAMers would want to ask.
How do I know what an adequate support level is?
Betty: You need to first ask how much will be necessary for you to make it long term if
you feel called long term. A lot of times I hear people say, "I can get by with this."
However, "getting by" is one thing if you’re a short-termer, but if you are talking about along-term lifestyle, it will wear you down. Too many people who have supposedly"gotten by" have not made it for the long term.
Holmes: Principally speaking, you don’t want to live above most of those to whom youminister. But you also don’t want to live below them either. This could also hurt yourministry.
You want to have enough that you are not overly concerned about personal finances sothat it becomes a distraction from ministry. It would be unbiblical not to provide for yourfamily’s needs, not to save for times of drought, not to get needed health services, and notto have enough for adequate food, clothing and shelter. In addition, unless you aredepending on a government retirement program or a company pension plan, I would

begin saving early for retirement so you don’t become a burden to others later in life.
Missionaries also need time off. Raise enough that you can take a nice vacation awayfrom your responsibilities at least one week a year. And while I’m on it, don’t ever use
your vacation time to raise support—that’s no vacation!
Steve: At the level to make you most effective in the call of God, not minimizing tosurvive, but maximizing effectiveness. It all comes down to obedience. God is the only
one that can understand the full ramifications of His will for our lives and the"appearances" that speak to the hearts of others.
How can I raise my support level up to where it needs to be?
Bill: You need to prepare a strategy. Break down your list of contacts into three
categories: Current Pledged Supporters, Special Gift Supporters—those who give
occasionally, but not on a regular pledge basis—and Non Donors. Then you need todevelop a strategy for each group.
For the Current Pledged Supporters, focus on asking them to increase the amount of theirpledge. Sometimes I think we as missionaries think that once they have committed anamount to us that is placed in concrete. Situations change and there is no reason why they
can’t be challenged to play a greater role in your valuable ministry.
The same principles can be applied to Special Gift Supporters and Non-Donors. After
reviewing each situation, provide opportunities for Special Gift Supporters to becomemonthly givers, or to give another, larger, special gift. Non-donors might be able to givea special gift or even become monthly partners.
When contacting people, maximize and do what is most effective. My advice: doeverything in your power to sit down with these people face to face. Sometimes distancemakes this impossible and then we need to settle for the second or third best. The mosteffective method is a personal visit. The next best, a phone call and least effective is aletter.
Will this work in every culture?
Holmes: Yes, it will work. I’ve trained nationals in Latin America and Europe, including
Eastern Europe, and it definitely works well there. In Asia, however, it’s culturally
unacceptable to ask directly (for anything, not just money). There the ask should be more
like a hint. That seems to work best.
Betty: I have a strong conviction that these are biblical principles, they are not culturalprinciples. Methods are definitely culturally oriented. Look for biblical principles andthen weigh the various methods and ask yourself, "If I were the person receiving this kindof treatment, how would I feel?" Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

What if I don’t feel led to ask people for money?
Holmes: If you don’t feel led to ask people for money, try to determine who’s doing theleading. Is it the Holy Spirit? Then do what He says. Is it God’s Word? Re-read God’s
Word on the subject of asking for money.
God directed the children of Israel to ask the Egyptians for gold and silver before theyleft for the promised land. David asked the leaders of Israel for gifts for the building of
the first temple. Jesus instructed the disciples to give. Paul asked the churches he had
started for support for relief of the saints in Jerusalem. You can’t say you’re not led to ask
because of what it says in God’s Word.
Perhaps it’s you that’s leading you not to ask people for money. It’s definitely outside thecomfort zone for most of us. But God expects us to do things not within our comfortzone.
Somehow, many missionaries have gotten the idea that asking for money shows a lack offaith. Actually the opposite is true. James says faith without works is dead. You can’t
have faith that something is going to happen by sitting around waiting for it to happen.
Hebrews 11, the great faith "hall of fame" chapter, lists people of faith. Many verses startwith the phrase "by faith," immediately followed by something they did. Don’t confuse
faith with wishful thinking. Expressing your faith means taking action to make sure themoney does come in.
Betty: If you feel that you have a calling to be silent about your needs, first of all I would
just say you better make sure that is from the Lord and not just your own style preference,
because most people would say, "Well, I just prefer not to." Just because we prefer not todoesn’t mean that God doesn’t want us to. He often wants us to do things that areuncomfortable.
But if you truly feel that God does not want you to share your needs, then you need toobey what the Lord is telling you to do. You need to be silent in terms of letting yourneeds be known, but you should certainly follow the same principles that George Muellerand Hudson Taylor did with keeping up with relationships and keeping up with letting
people know what’s happening in the ministry. If you feel led not to let your needs beknown, your primary responsibility then is to keep handling the relationships right and toask the Lord what else He wants you to do.
What if I’m in a country far from home? How can I build my support base fromthere?
Holmes: A personalized letter to existing partners asking for an increase is what I would
do first. Then write to those who have supported you in the past, but not recently. It’seasier to get support from a previous partner than to get new partners. Last, write to those
who have received communication from you but have never given financially.
In each of these letters, start with something personal about your relationship with them.

Let them know early in the letter why you are writing. Then take several paragraphs tobuild your case for needing additional support. In most cases, this will take more than onepage.
Ask very specifically. Let them know what amount you want them to consider giving. If
at all possible, follow up with a phone call to get their decision. Otherwise, give them aconvenient way to respond to you—a response form with several options and a prestamped envelope addressed to you. Beyond this, there is little you can do except plan atrip back home. You will always be able to raise more money face-to-face than any otherapproach.
Betty: If there are individuals that could be advocates for you from a distance, you might
be able to send them photos and other info and they could gather a few of their friends
and on your behalf they could consider raising support for you. But it’s critical to makevisits back home, at least periodically. I know many mission agencies suggest visiting
every three to four years. I think that’s way too long, but I know in some of our ministries
it’s the only realistic thing. If that’s the case, we should go back for a quality amount oftime because it’s through those personal visits we have with people where things really
happen. Sometimes it seems like you can’t leave your work in order to go back home.
But you may only have a short-lived work if you don’t go back home, so it may be thewisest long-term investment. You really need to pray that through.
Bill: I strongly recommend that such missionaries do not leave until 100 percent of theirsupport has been secured. Once you leave your home front you have actively left yoursupport network. Here are the people you have developed friendships with over the years.
They will be the people that can offer their support and lead you to other supporters.
What if I’ve run out of people to contact?
Holmes: This, unfortunately is a very common problem, but one that’s relatively easy toovercome. Ask existing partners for the names of their friends.
Here’s how you do that. "Jim, there may be another way you can help. What are thenames of some of your friends that might share our mutual concern for reaching people
with the gospel?" Don’t ask "Do you know anyone..." You’ll find that most people can’t
think of names right away. After you ask, suggest some categories: "Perhaps there’s
someone in your Bible study..." Suggest only one category at a time, then let them
respond. Other good categories are your church, or their business associates.
Getting contacts in this way is best done face-to-face. Very few people will respond to
this by mail and not many more by phone.
Your success in this area will be directly proportional to how well you do at support
maintenance. If your partners feel loved, appreciated, communicated with, and treatedlike partners (i.e., they get credit for the success of your ministry), then this shouldn’t betoo difficult. But if you’ve neglected your partners, they are not going to be willing togive you the names of their friends so you can neglect them too.
There are precious few other ways to get contacts, especially when your work is overseas.
This one works best.
Betty: In the daily course of life and ministry, be alert to those relationships God brings
across your path. In many cases, I think you can have plenty of people who will consider
joining your support team if you are faithful in keeping up with those relationships Godbrings to you. Sometimes it’s a one or two-hour conversation we have with someone wejust met and we don’t realize God might want us to have a long-term relationship. If
we’ve had enough of a conversation with them and it feels like we’ve really connected,
we might say, "Hey, would you be interested in being on my newsletter mailing list?" Or,"I’d love to keep in touch with you. Would you feel all right about that?"
What if I didn’t do a good job in raising support in the first place?
Steve: Who has? I feel this is a very fluid area. We need to proceed prayerfully so that wecan adjust and learn as we go. Don’t be afraid to back up. It’s not defeat. It could mean
fuller obedience. Ask the Lord how to effectively tackle support raising from where you
are now.
Betty: If you’ve done a poor job in the first place, I think it may be wise to walk inhumility and ask for forgiveness and try to rebuild those bridges that perhaps you’veburned.
What if I’m terrible at this?
Betty: Maybe you should have more advocates working with you. Maybe part of it is toidentify what it is you do well and what your strengths are in the midst of this, because I
can’t imagine you have none. For those things you don’t do well, are there people in yourchurch who could help you in that way? Could you let your needs be known in that way,going to some of these trusted friends or maybe your pastor and say, "You know, I’mreally lousy at this, and I don’t know how to go about it; it’s very unnatural. Is there any
way you can help me? Do you know anybody I could team up with in order to do this,who has some of the strengths I’m missing?"
Holmes: Always remember this: your presence is more important than your presentation.
People give to people primarily based on relationships, not based on your cause or yourability to present. Don’t let your lack of skills paralyze you into inaction. At the sametime, you need to be diligent to practice. Become good at it, even if you don’t enjoy it. Aslong as you’re a missionary, you’ll never get to the point where you don’t need to raise
support. So you might as well decide right now to make support raising a way of life, justlike way-of-life evangelism. Even when you have full support, do something every month
to strengthen your support team.
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