What if asking for money didn't have to feel awkward or uncomfortable? Join us in this eye-opening episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, tackles the often-dreaded topic of church fundraising head-on. You'll discover how to transform the "dirty ask" into a meaningful conversation that fosters generosity and support for your church's mission. Todd shares key insights on starting with gratitude, leveraging impactful stories, and painting a compelling vision for the future that engages your congregation's unique passions and gifts.
Say goodbye to the days of feeling grimy or pushy when discussing financial support. This episode is packed with practical tips for connecting with your church members on a deeper level, encouraging their natural inclination towards generosity without resorting to manipulation. Learn how to acknowledge and appreciate the diverse gifts within your church community, and tailor your asks to resonate with their individual passions. Tune in to uncover the secrets of mastering the art of the ask and fostering a culture of genuine generosity and support.
What if asking for money didn't have to feel awkward or uncomfortable? Join us in this eye-opening episode of the Healthy Church Staff Podcast as Todd Rhoades, co-founder of Chemistry Staffing, tackles the often-dreaded topic of church fundraising head-on. You'll discover how to transform the "dirty ask" into a meaningful conversation that fosters generosity and support for your church's mission. Todd shares key insights on starting with gratitude, leveraging impactful stories, and painting a compelling vision for the future that engages your congregation's unique passions and gifts.
Say goodbye to the days of feeling grimy or pushy when discussing financial support. This episode is packed with practical tips for connecting with your church members on a deeper level, encouraging their natural inclination towards generosity without resorting to manipulation. Learn how to acknowledge and appreciate the diverse gifts within your church community, and tailor your asks to resonate with their individual passions. Tune in to uncover the secrets of mastering the art of the ask and fostering a culture of genuine generosity and support.
Hi there, welcome to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. My name is Todd Rhodes, one of the co-founders over at chemistrystaffingcom, and today we are tackling a topic that can make even the most seasoned pastors break out into a cold sweat. It's asking for money, or fundraising. So let's face it, asking for money isn't most people's idea of a good time, but as church leaders, we know that fundraising and making sure your church is taken care of financially it's essential in fulfilling our mission and serving our community. So how do we do it without feeling awkward, without feeling pushy or like we're constantly offering the offering plate? That's where the art of the ask comes in, and there are people that are much better at telling you how to do the art of the ask than I am. Matter of fact, that's why I entitled this episode Fundraising for your Church the Dirty Ass, because I think for a lot of church leaders, it makes you feel almost kind of dirty, kind of grimy, to stay out of money. I know a lot of pastors would just love to not ever have to talk about money. On the one side and on the other side of the scale, there are people that pastors that always talk about money. So how do you talk about money without kind of feeling dirty and gringy, and how do you master the art of the ask? Here's a few tips for you, okay. Number one start with gratitude. Start with gratitude, express your sincere appreciation to the person's past support and their commitment to your church's mission and let them know the impact of their generosity and some specific ways that this has happened. Okay, so let me back up just a bit. Let me tell you a premise that I think is absolutely true, without feeling grimy and dingy and dirty when you're talking money and specific people.
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There are people, I believe, in every church that have a gift of generosity. They love to give gifts. I have four kids and I have one child. They're all different, but I've got one child in particular, that man. This child gives great gifts and they love to give great gifts. It's their love language. They love to give gifts. And there are people like my son in your church that love to be generous with the resources that God has given them and a lot of times they feel left out because they love to give gifts but nobody ever really expresses thankfulness for their generosity and they're not giving to get the generosity talk. They're not giving to get the thank you, but at the same time, that's their love language. They love to do it. So, with those people, start with gratitude and again express your appreciation and tell them how their generosity has impacted your church. Tell stories People connect with stories much more than they do statistics. So whenever you can share a story, whenever you can share a real life example of how someone's generosity has transformed lives or funded programs or supported outreach events or efforts, of how people have come to Jesus and lives have been eternally changed because of generosity, those are the stories you need to tell, and hopefully you've got a handful of those stories that you can tell.
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Next, paint a vision. Don't just ask for money. Invite people to be a part of something bigger than themselves and share your dreams for the future. Show them how their contribution and how their generosity can help make those dreams become a reality. And this can vary. I know what you're saying. You're saying, todd, this sounds a lot like manipulation and you know what? If we're being honest, it absolutely can be. It can be manipulation. Do not manipulate people. People, even those people that have a heart for generosity they can smell when they're being manipulated. Don't manipulate, but if you have some God-sized dreams that need some God-sized funding. Absolutely, tell stories, paint the vision and make it personal.
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Not every person, not every generous person, gives to everything, but most people that are generous, most of God's people, have areas and you know what they are where they're passionate about, where God has put a burden on that, and that's where you want to tailor your ask. If you have somebody that's passionate I don't know about discipleship, don't go for them. Don't go to them and express a need for a new video projector, okay, that might not be their thing. But if you go and tell them, hey, we need somebody to help us with this discipleship project, man, they're all in Now. On the other hand, you might have somebody that is maybe they work in IT, maybe they love technology, maybe they're a volunteer on the tech team and you need that new projector. That could be someone that you could go and they're passionate about it. They love to be generous. Make it personal. Next we'll move on. I've got more I could say there, but let's move on.
Speaker 1:
Last couple things here Be confident, be enthusiastic. Your passion for your church's mission. It's contagious. So share your excitement. Let your donors donors is a nasty word, I think Let the people you're talking to believe in the work that you're doing and that you believe in it and that their contribution, their generosity, is going to make a difference. And this is really important. Follow up and say thank you Again. A handwritten note, a personal phone call goes a long way in showing donors how much you value their support. Follow up, man. It's important.
Speaker 1:
I know this is an area where a lot of churches, a lot of pastors they get the gift and they're grateful for it, but they forget to say thank you. Thank yous are huge, they're important. So remember, it's not about begging, it's not about manipulating people If people feel manipulated, you're doing it wrong but it's about inviting generous people into a meaningful partnership that's going to actually deepen not only their generosity but their journey of faith as well. So mastering the art of the ask doesn't have to feel dirty Matter of fact. It can transform your church's fundraising efforts from a chore to a joy. So it's time to ditch the awkwardness, embrace the opportunity and see what God can do in the area of generosity. I am convinced, if God has given you a vision for your church, that he has provided the resources Financially. He's provided the resources Manpower-wise. If God's given you the vision, he will supply the means to carry out that vision.
Speaker 1:
If you're looking for more guidance on this, on some generosity strategies, or need help crafting your next generosity campaign, I've got a bunch of people that I trust that I've worked with before that I could get you in contact with. Reach out to me anytime if there's any way that I can help you. Podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. I'm here to help you, however I can, particularly with staffing. If you're going through a transition yourself and need some ongoing coaching, maybe you're at a church and your church is getting ready to hire somebody new I would love to be able to partner with you with what we do every day here at chemistrystaffingcom. So feel free to reach out to me anytime. My email address podcast at chemistrystaffingcom. And, as always, thanks so much for listening to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast. We will be back tomorrow. Hope you'll join me.