The prayer team is formed and
praying, the budget figured out, the support letter is written; the names are
in your database and ready to be sent out. What do you do now?
There are so many ways to go about
this. Which way is right? Which way is wrong? Let me try to address some
questions that you may have. But first, I want to say, there is not right or
wrong plan. Let God lead you, follow Him through it and He will show you the
plan to follow.
Q: When sending out your support
letter, do you say in the letter that you will be calling?
A: I don’t think you should put it
in the letter, I think you should handwrite a P.S. at the bottom of your
support letter. You will not want to call each person you send your letter too.
Also, people read a handwritten P.S. first and then decide whether they will
read the rest of the letter.
Q: What if I said that I would
call, then I did not?
A: You have just told them that
they really do not matter to you. If you say you are going to call, you must
call.
Q: Do I really need to follow up
each letter with a phone call?
A: Maybe not all, but the
majority. Do not expect people to give by just receiving your letter. It takes
the personal contact to get people to give to your ministry. People need to
hear your passion for it. They need to feel a part of it.
Q: Should I call someone who I
have not given a heads up that I was going to call?
A: Absolutely not! People need to
have time to pray and time to process. If you call without warning to talk about
them giving to your ministry they will feel like you are a telemarketer.
Q: How long after I send my letter
should I call?
A: Usually a week. If you wait
longer then they probably have thrown the letter away.
Q: What should I do?
A: This is the plan that is used
by some in the office here. Please keep in mind that you need to develop a plan
that will work for your personality. The biggest part is being obedient to God
in your plan.
They sent our support letters out
in batches. They handwrote a personal note on the bottom of each letter and
told them they would be calling to answer any questions they may have. The
following week they sent out another batch of letters and followed up each
letter that they sent the week before with a phone call. The phone call was not
to bring them to a decision, they wanted them to hear their passion for the
work God has placed on their hearts and they wanted to answer any of their
questions. These phone calls proved to be such a necessary step. The calls were
hard to make but when it was over, they were encouraged.
After everyone received a support
letter, then they went through their data base again. Praying over each name
and asking God to show them who they needed to set up appointments with. When
they came up with our list they sent out pre-call letters. In the letter they
let them know that they would like to have the opportunity to sit down with
them and tell them about their ministry. Two things they found out about this
step. First, that people are more willing to talk over the phone then to set up
a meeting over coffee at a coffee shop. It takes less time and they can talk to
you while at little Joe’s soccer game. Second, that people appreciated having
warning that you will be calling them. Think about it, they need to have time
to pray about it also. People don’t like to be caught off guard, do you?
At the meeting or phone call
meeting, bring people to a decision. This is a hard one but so important. You
need to bring people to a decision. You need to ask straight out. When they
have been given time to pray about it, you can expect people to come to a
decision.
This is what they did and it
worked for them. Please do keep in mind that you need to come up with a plan
that works for you. Spend time praying about how God wants you to go forward
from here. By the end of the week, I want you to leave a comment and let me
know what your plan is.
I pray that no one gets
discouraged. Keep lifting each other up in prayer.
Philippians 3:6&7 “Don’t
worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need
and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which
exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds
as you live in Christ Jesus.”
