Hello everyone! I wrote an email to a student who was having a hard time with the whole support raising process. I wondered if others might be having similar struggles and thought I'd share my story from my first summer project as an encouragement.
I became a Christian in high school and the only other Christian I knew was my orthodontist (no, I did not wear head gear...). So, when I decided to go on a summer project and needed to raise about $4000 (it was an international project), it was pretty intimidating. Despite the obstacle of knowing very few believers, the Lord provided it all! Here are a couple things that contributed to that:
- I asked everyone. Really, everyone. Your fellow students need to give, your Cru staff need to give, your pastor needs to give. Don't say no for them or believe the lie that they don't have any money. A college friend even threw a party for three of us from our campus going on projects to raise money. I knew someone who even wrote a letter to Bill Bright to raise support...and he sent her a check! (By the way, I suggest if it's possible, to hand-write your letters. Especially if you are in a tough situation. No one writes a letter by hand anymore and your letter will stand out like a purple cow). Also, be sure to include a way for people to respond. Even if you can't supply postage, put a self-addressed envelope in with the letter.
- I asked for referrals. Since I did not know many believers, I asked the people I did know to introduce me to their friends and family. Then I called those people up and asked if I could meet with them to explain what I was doing this summer and how they could be involved. For the believers you do know, meet with them and ask them, "If you were in my shoes raising support to do ministry over the summer, who would be the top 3 or 4 people you would ask?" Or, explain that you just need to meet some godly people who might be interested in investing in your ministry this summer. Ask if your friends would be willing to get you in touch with 3 or 4 others who might be encouraged by what you're doing. Maybe your friends might even go the extra mile for you and give their friends a call ahead of time to let them know that you will be contacting them. Some of those initial referrals are still on my support team today!
- Ask your local staff for help. Maybe they know Cru alumni who might want to help that you could write to or call. Maybe they know local businesspeople in the same boat. That summer, my campus director gave me a list of about 50 alumni who I ended up writing to.
- Follow up each and every letter with a phone call if you have not heard back. Set up a time in your schedule to make the calls. I suggest Sunday evenings from 7-9p.m., Saturday from 10-noon, and again from 2-5, and weekdays from 7-8:30 p.m. Set a goal of calling back 5 people per night. Remember: these people like you and will be happy to hear from you! Support raising is not about prying money from the hands of greedy people. It's about casting a vision for ministry to Godly men and women who know they are to invest their God-given resources in Kingdom work.
- Remember: Successful support raising is simply taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit (which we will talk a lot about this summer!) to ask for support and leave the results to God. If people say no, that's okay! In fact, you will probably have more no's than yes's...Not a problem. God knows your need and He will move on your behalf. Your job is to exercise the faith in Him by writing the letters and picking up the phone.
- Be creative. That summer, a friend told me about how a supporter held a garage sale to raise money for her. Another told about a friend who sole some puppies and donated the proceeds to her. I met with my FCA leader that summer who had just gotten an honorarium for speaking at an event which he gave to me.
- You can trust God's timing. I recently heard the story of a father talking to his daughter about trusting God for scary things in the future. He said, "When do I give you your ticket for the train? Do I give it to you days before we get on the train, or right as you are about to get on?" Her reply, "You give it to me just as we are getting on the train." The lesson, "It's the same with God. He will give you what you need at the proper time. Don't worry that you don't have the strength now for something in the future. He will provide when it's needed." It's the same for you...He will give you the strength when you pick up that phone to call someone about your letter...He will give you the strength to ask someone for names of others to contact...
This has been a long post, so this is my last thought: Expect the supernatural. Like I said, I did not come from a Christian family. I did not ask my family for support that summer. A couple days before I left, my non-believing grandparents came to visit us. As they were leaving, my grandmother shoves a wad of bills into my hand and says, "This is for your trip...don't tell your grandfather." Later that day, my step-mother pulls me aside, furtively hands me some cash and says, "Here, this is for your trip...don't tell your dad." Later my dad calls me into the garage (you can see it coming, can't you?). He gives me a stack of bills and quietly says, "This is for the summer, don't tell anyone..." I was blown away! God had provided in the most unlikely of ways.
Hopefully this has given you some motivation and encouragement as you trust Him to provide. That's what this summer is going to be all about, so you might as well get started in that process early!
See you all this summer!
Bob
