Communicating with Ministry Partners

Excerpted from Never Do Fundraising Again: A Paradigm Shift from Donors to Lifelong Partners

Written communication can be powerful if it is done right, or it can be a waste of time if done poorly. In this chapter we’ll look at a variety of ways to communicate with partners in written form.

Some general things that may help

• Write often.With partners, once a month is not too often. For people to feel a part of your life and ministry, they need to hear what you are doing and how it is going with you. But even more importantly, they need to feel important to you, seeing that you care about them, not just the money they send you.
• Balance personal and ministry news.It is important to share news about your ministry, but people are usually more interested in news about you and your family. Whenever I (Gaylyn) get letters and e-mails from people in ministry, the first thing I do is scan for anything that is personal, about me and about them. If there is nothing personal, I will probably throw the letter away without even reading it.
• Share your joys, trials, burdens and emotions. People respond to emotions, not just facts. We’ve found that most people respond more to our sharing joys and Scriptures, especially during hard times.

To learn more and to get up to 50% discount on Never Do Fundraising Again, go to www.rrbooks.org.ndfa.

“I was amazed by this book, because it is so practical—it works, and it is the right way to do these things. Dick and I have believed and practiced these principles of partner relationships throughout our missionary career. We learned them from you, Ken! Thank you for laying them out so clearly in this book.”

—Laura Mae Gardner, D.Min., International Training Consultant for Wycliffe Bible Translators

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