1. HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY GFA
Balance for Fruitful Christian Fundraising

2. DILEMMAS OF SMALL(ER) CHARITIES
Limited resources
Limited staff
Limited skill
‘Competing’ with those who don’t have limited resources and staff
Sorting out priorities
God’s leading versus everything else

3. PRINCIPLES vs. METHODS Principles don’t change Methods change
Not the American way
Methods change
With region, culture, ministry life cycle, goals
Distinguish between the two
Change methodology as needed
Always Clarify principles

4. What I ‘stepped in’... Sent from the US office in 2006
Develop the work
Transition to being independent of US office
A very US organization
An American from a ‘US organization’
2500 sq ft building rent (2 staff)
Ace Administrator in Gretchen
Big organisation, Little office

5. Gospel for Asia 16,500 national missionaries in 10 nations
Planting 17 churches every day
64 Bible colleges with over 6,000 students
Broadcasting the Gospel in 110 languages
Helping over 53,000 Dalit children
Drilled wells for over 1800 villages
Over 90 fund designations
100% goes to mission field

6. GFA’s Fundraising Model
Exposure/Acquisition
Conversion
Development
Reporting and Retention
Partner focused, Mission field centric
Ministry oriented
Ends to an Ends
Lots of prayer

7. GFA’s Fundraising Model
Exposure/Acquisition
Conversion
Reporting and Retention
Partner focused, Mission field centric

8. Prioritising Ministry life cycle P vs. PC 80/20
(Production vs. Production Capability)
80/20
Fly Wheel vs. Doom Loop

9. The hole I dug... Started the Development engine running
Website, Conferences, Meetings, etc.
Dealt with inefficiencies
Ditching the US database
Sorting/ mail equipment, etc.
Gretchen called to the US
Poor transition to new database
Overwhelmed by amount of new work

10. A look at 2006 £584,000 income (normalised) 1,343 Donors
1,214 ‘Partners’
£268,000 Sponsorship funds

11. WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE

12. A BIT MORE DETAIL

13. The Numbers 2006 2009 Increase Avg Increase Income £584,000 £1,072,000
£488,000
18%
Donors
1343
2595
1252
20%
Partners
1214
1937
723
14%
Spons Income
£268,000
£445,000
£177,000
15%
Sponsors
852
1379
527

14. So what happened? Lots of Ups and Downs Lots of prayer
Hope is not a strategy but prayer is
Focused on faithfulness
Eliminated inefficiencies
Kept focus on priorities
Developed each aspect of our fundraising model
Understood our strategic life cycle

15. A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

16. A BIT MORE DETAIL
What’s right and wrong?

17. What’s right and wrong? Excellent Exposure/Acquisition Poor Conversion
Add value
Poor Conversion
Higher costs, both financial and staff
Poor follow-up (3% conversion)
Part of this is ministry life cycle
Felt it best to keep fly wheel spinning
18% growth vs.???

18. So what’s next? Branding Enhancing all conversion activities
Re-writing follow-up series
follow-up
Improve Free Book offer
Better qualifying
Stronger Messaging
Developing other methods of Acquisition

19. HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY GFA
Balance for Fruitful Christian Fundraising