Phil Cooke

#3 & #10 are both very good points I have not considered.

There's a great letter I get from AIM Air occasionally. It always focuses around a really good story which is well written. It is probably the most inspiring letter I get from any individual or non-profit.

I think in general, these are truths borne out of experience.  Knowing them, (assuming they are true) is simply useful information.  How you use them is of more importance in my thinking.  Stewardship would demand effectiveness in terms of a return on invested effort and time.

My response on each one in brief would be:

1.  If you're giving a free gift and measuring the effectiveness only on the immediate return of the gift itself then it's not really a gift is it?  It's a gimmick.  Try examining the motives and the purpose, not the impact of manipulating people to give out of guilt or just up the contacts.

2.  I don't know of many effective younger generation evangelists so this may be a skewing based upon the general audience and not necessarily follow as a factor in other contexts.

3.  Story telling is key.  This is true in preaching as well.

4.  True.  Charismatic ministries are more effective in general appeal.  So is professional wrestling, but maybe that's an unfair stretch …….

5.  No real comment here.  I wonder if that will hold true if we enter a period of stagflation in the general economy in the near future.  That may be a reflection to some degree of the general economy and not always a hard and fast principle.

6.  Ditto.

7.  Targetting and segmenting your appeals to people's demonstrated preferences or means of giving makes sense.

8.  I'd add, not just a 2 way communication, but a sincere and meaningful one, not just a gimmick.

9.  Agreed.  Pay cycles are more evenly spaced in general for people making the 1st of the month less meaningful in terms of timing.

10.  Again this makes sense.  People can sense I think too, when they are just "put on the mailing list" …… We're less prone to imagine there's a real sense of relationship and belonging to the ministry and its purpose without something more geared to recognizing the stage of relationship that person is at.

What's the goal?  Ministry first or just working the angles to maximize cash flow?

1) If they only called for prayer or asked for a free gift, there is a less than 12% chance they will ever give to your ministry.
 

I don't know if ORM is still doing it, bu the last time I called them for prayer for my grandmother who had cancer, before they would pray for me, they asked me if how much seed I wanted to sow.

I was so flabbergasted I hung up and have never called again. For me, number 1 is right. Money and prayers are not a good combination. It is very devaluing to the individual who comes forth and asks for help through prayer.

Christians have this reputation of always have their hand out asking for "freebies." I think we need to do a better job of making the ministry more important than th money to run it.

Remaining Steadfast,

Dominique

Phil and Mary,

 Thank you for posting these items. Great line of thinking! I'm not a non-profit, but I try to employ some of these ideas to bring my audience closer (e.g., sending thank you notes, etc.).

I'm surprised how difficult it is to engage people even if it's not asking for something. However, when it happens it's so great – I had a mom email me pics of her kids w/ my show's color sheets colored. That was amazing!

Hope to see you are NRB!