Friday, July 11, 2014

What You Ask for affects What You Get

Summer is a time of raising funds and thanking friends who support College Ministry. Seasoned fund Raisers categorize their donors according to their ability to give, what they have given in the past, etc. They have learned that asking for too Little is just as much a mistake as asking for too much. Some years ago I was involved in a campaign to raise a million dollars for College Ministry in Arkansas. A general mailing was sent out and it mentioned giving something like a hundred dollars. Return mail brought a check for $100 from a supporter who we had planned to ask for $50,000. He was done. He had done what we asked. As far as I know, he never made an additional gift.

In a general mailing one way to do that is to list different needs. They can vary from a magazine subscription to a new copy machine to a month's salary for an Assistant Campus Minister, etc. A "Wish List" of needed items in a variety of prices give people the opportunity and awareness to give something meaningful to them and in a price category that fits their ability and willingness to give.

One ministry that I know of sends out a list of all of their start of school outreach events and what each will cost. You could choose to sponsor the Hamburger Cookout for the football team at $500 or the $50 for the 100 flyers, etc.

No comments:

Post a Comment