A number of years ago I had two heart attacks within five hours and to be quite honest I'm fortunate to be alive. I've drawn the conclusion that the Lord has more work for me to do. Through the course of my rehabilitation I was told that I needed to radically change my diet. So instead of steak it is salmon. Instead of French fries it's baked potato. In the process I've grown to love salmon, especially from the Pacific Northwest where my two sons reside. When it comes to Father's Day, many times my son goes down to Seattle Pike's Marketplace and buys some fresh salmon and puts it on the grill.

Being located in Chicago it's probably no surprise to you that you don't go fishing in the Chicago River for salmon. Now at this point you're probably asking yourself what in the world does salmon and the Chicago River have to do with fund raising. Here's my point.

If you're looking for major donors, you certainly do not go prospecting in areas where you are not going to find major donors. As fundraisers, our time is very limited and we need to make sure that we are investing our time in places that will bring a greater return.

Recently I had the occasion to go into a store and make a purchase using a wedding registry. I went to the kiosk and entered the last name and up came a list of all the items the young couple had selected. The list was rather lengthy and I went through the menu looking for a spot to land. I was literally surprised to see so many lower priced items. It reminded me of fund raisers who simply fail to raise people's vision. There is a tendency to low ball our ask and to just put together a menu of low priced projects. No wonder why people are drawn to choosing the smaller priced items because we have not challenged them to think bigger!

Take a look at your next appeal letter; take a look at your next appointment and make sure that you do not fail to raise people's vision.

As we communicate, we obviously use words to convey our thoughts, our meanings, words that require action. There are 9 key words that are vital for you as you work as a fundraiser. Those 9 words are: "When can I get back in touch with you?"

You talk to any fundraiser and when asked what are some of the keys to their success invariably you'll hear the word 'persistence.' That word 'persistence' well defines my approach to fund raising. As you encounter prospects and donors, don't be surprised when they will not make quick decisions on the spot. When they will not offer you an appointment on your initial call. That's why on a daily basis I use these 9 key words. They keep the process in motion and allow me to continue to follow up and move people to a decision.

In my over 35 years of ministry I have seen so many people raise funds the wrong way. And I must admit there have been times when I have fallen in that same category. One of the wrong ways to raise funds is to ask people to give to debt. People like to give to vision.

We must be very careful that we do not allow ourselves and our organization to be strapped by debt and then to expect our prospects and donors to bail us out. It simply is not only bad stewardship but it's a bad strategy on raising funds. People like to get excited about your vision, excited about what God wants to accomplish through you and your organization. People don't want to be caught in funding debt. Those that focus on debt generate suspicion and questions on the part of their prospects and donors. Their first question is "Why did you get there?"And the next question is "Will you get there again?" So be careful as you seek to raise funds. Focus on the future (vision) not the past (debt).

Recently I came across a 25-year study by Harvard on the subject of success. All of us are interested in being successful and it got my attention, but more importantly were their findings. What they concluded was that 85% of the reason for success was because of one's attitude and only 15% was because of technical expertise.

In People Raising, I caution people to be very careful of their negative attitude. It's so easy for us to think from a negative perspective and begin to draw conclusions that might not necessarily be true about our prospects and donors. Our negative attitude can lead us down a path where we think of all the reasons why people should not give to our ministry or why they could not give large amounts of money. Be careful this week, as you undertake your ministry as a fundraiser, that a negative attitude does not control you. When it comes to your donors and prospects, let them make the decision to give or not give to your ministry. Don't you make that decision for them.

Howard Hendricks, well-known professor from Dallas Seminary, is one of those down to earth practical Christian professors that I often will quote. The Lord simply has given him a great mind and many years of experience and from that experience he is able to teach us some very practical lessons. One that all of us need to be reminded on is: 'if you aim at nothing you will hit it all the time'. As a fund raiser we need to be thinking big dreams on what the Lord wants us to accomplish and aim high, not low.

As we raise funds for the Lord's Work, it is so easy to secure that gift and just assume that the donor will keep on giving, keep on supporting, and keep on growing with your ministry. But there is a warning to be had – "Out of sight, out of mind."

Let's talk about the worst case scenario. We take the donor for granted and we fail to stay in contact. Their interest wanes, they find something else that catches their fancy and we might not even notice, but their giving comes to an abrupt halt. Why? –" Out of sight, out of mind". We simply have dropped the ball and have given them a perfect opportunity to make the choice of giving their funds elsewhere.

But let's talk about the best case scenario. A scenario that talks about opportunities gained, not lost. Opportunities for us to seize by simply remaining in touch and refusing to be "out of sight, out of mind."

For a number of months I had that agonizing feeling that I had neglected one of my donors. Oh, I had plenty of legitimate excuses. I was busy and the ministry was demanding a lot of me but soon those agonizing feelings drove me to action. I got on the phone set up a meeting and began to re-ignite their vision. Three times through the course of that conversation the donors indicated that I had simply been out of touch with them. That in itself was convincing. That meeting turned out to be a four-hour time of great fellowship but much was gained, not lost. Here are just a few of the results:

1. Greater bonding

I left that meeting (and I believe that they did as well) with a greater excitement for the roles we each played. My love for them grew and I believe their love for me took a giant step forward.

2. Increased Vision

I had the opportunity to give them an update on the ministry and lay out the vision for the future. A vision that needs to be spread. A vision that needs to be embraced by them.

3. Increased Giving

Through that meeting I was able to see their annual commitment doubled. I walked away excited to see their commitment grow and saw even far more potential for the future.

4. Expanded Networking

As we talked, they began to identify others that needed to be aware of my ministry. They began to think of friends at church, of business associates, others who had potential of joining my team in the future.

"Out of sight, out of mind." A scary thought. A warning for each of us as fund-raisers, but a challenge to seize those opportunities that await us as we continue to do an effective job of People Raising"

By the way, who might be one of those donors, one of your donors who right now are beginning to feel "Out of sight, out of mind?"

It is your move next! The options are few. You can continue to ignore them or you can pick up that phone and set up that time to inform them, encourage them and appreciate them.

As you are raising personal support or doing fund raising you will find at your disposal many tools in your fundraising kit, but which ones you use could very easily determine how effective you will be in your fundraising.

Most people want to reduce the fear of fundraising and reduce the time it takes to raise needed funds.

To a large degree, how effective we are in fundraising is tied directly to the issue of communications between us and our prospects or donors.

A study was done on effective communications and a list was compiled from most effective to least effective. Below are the findings.

12 EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

1. One on one
2. Small-group discussion
3. Large-group discussion
4. Telephone
5. Handwritten letter
6. Typed letter
7. Mass letter
8. Newsletter
9. Brochure
10. News item
11. Advertisement
12. Handout

I am afraid many of us have ignored these findings; matter-of-fact, too much fund raising is focused on #7: the use of the mass letter. No wonder the questions--why are we not raising the needed funds for our ministry? If one would simply take the findings and begin to focus more on #1: One on One. I call it "People Raising."

How would you rank your use of the 12 effective communications?

Which of the 12 tools do you use as your PRIMARY tool to raise funds? #_______

Which of the 12 tools do you use as your SECONDARY tool to raise funds? #_______

To learn more about "People Raising", visit our website.