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I’m working on a book right now on support raising. I just asked my social media network what donors would like to communicate to those asking, and what people fundraising wanted to know. The conversations were very interesting.
As you probably know while Jess and I were with YWAM we did not receive a salary. The ministry we are currently partnering with in Tennessee also is not paying us.
So our salary comes from fundraising. We are blessed to have an amazing committed team that love and support us on a monthly basis. We also have others that consistently give one time gifts. And this allows us to live and do ministry. We are so grateful for our team.
But the hardest most awkward part about support raising is this.
UNRESPONSIVENESS
I try to make support raising as not shady as possible but at the end of the day, I still have to ask for money, and talking about money much less asking for it, sometimes makes for awkward situations. I do my best to be upfront about our asking.
I also try to be good about keeping up with relationships, fundraising aside. I try to check in on people, see how their doing and ask them how I can be praying for them.
It is super awkward when I ask someone directly (not in mass) to pray about the possibility of supporting us and then they drop off the face of the earth. I’ll try and follow up and still no response. I understand that people are busy, and maybe those people don’t have the heart to say no and think it will be less awkward if they just don’t respond and that I’ll take a clue. But it makes any future communication awkward. Because now even if I’m just checking in to say hello and see how their doing, theirs this awkward tension that we both know that I asked for support and they didn’t respond. I don’t expect everyone to say yes, I really don’t. I COMPLETELY understand that money is tight for everyone.
However, often times people are busy, and have thanked me for following up with them. And they want to partner with us but just got busy with life.
So if someone asks you for support and you have no intentions of supporting them let them know up front. I understand that not everyone is in a place that can or even wants to partner with us financially. But by giving a clear no, that makes future non-money related conversations not awkward. 
