Ep. 70 | Ready to See Consistent Giving? The Marketing Plan Every Ministry Leader Needs
Struggling to fundraise?
This FREE & LIVE workshop will help you break free from the guilt and discomfort around asking for money — and confidently invite people into the mission God gave you.
Get ready to:
Stop Feeling Embarrassed About Asking for Money
Know Exactly How to Start the Conversation
Invite Support with Confidence
If you’re leading a small ministry, chances are… fundraising falls on you.
Maybe it’s just you. Maybe you have a small team. Either way, you’re the one trying to figure out what to say, how to say it, and how to actually bring in support.
So you try things.
You send a newsletter one month, then skip the next because life gets busy. You post on social media for a little while, but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. You hear someone suggest a new strategy, try that for a bit… and then move on when it doesn’t immediately work.
Over time, it starts to feel like you’re just throwing things out there, hoping something sticks.
And if you’re honest, there’s a quiet thought underneath it all:
I don’t really know what I’m doing.
Most ministry leaders don’t say that out loud. But they feel it.
“I Just Wish Someone Would Tell Me What to Do”
There’s this desire for something simple. Something clear.
Not another complicated marketing funnel. Not a list of 27 strategies. Just… a plan. A way to move forward without second-guessing every step.
Because when things feel scattered, fundraising doesn’t just feel confusing—it starts to feel heavy. Awkward. Even discouraging.
But here’s the shift that needs to happen:
You don’t need more strategies.
You need clarity.
And when you have clarity, everything else gets lighter.
A Simple 3-Part Marketing Plan That Actually Works
If you apply these three things consistently, your messaging will start to feel more focused. Your conversations will feel more natural. And your donors will actually begin to understand what you’re saying—and why it matters.
Let’s walk through them.
1. Speak to One Person—Your Ideal Donor
Most ministries are speaking broadly, hoping the right people will hear.
But that approach keeps everything vague.
When you try to speak to everyone, your message loses its sharpness. It becomes general, safe… and easy to ignore.
Clarity starts when you get specific.
Who is the person you’re trying to reach?
Not “people who might care.” Not “anyone who supports missions.” One person. Someone you can picture clearly. You know what they value, what burdens them, what they’re already paying attention to.
When you speak directly to that person, something shifts. Your words become more precise. More grounded. And the right people begin to recognize themselves in what you’re saying.
That’s when they lean in.
It’s Not Your Job to Make People Care
This is where a lot of pressure comes from—and it’s unnecessary.
Many ministry leaders carry this belief that if someone doesn’t respond, it’s because they didn’t explain it well enough. So they try harder. Add more details. Say it a different way.
But the truth is, you are not responsible for convincing someone to care.
That’s not your role.
There are already people who care deeply about the need your ministry meets. Your job is not to create that care—it’s to communicate clearly so they can recognize it and step into it.
When you release the pressure to “make people care,” fundraising starts to feel very different.
2. Make the Donor the Hero of the Story
This is one of the most important shifts you can make—and one of the most overlooked.
A lot of ministry messaging unintentionally centers itself. It sounds like:
“Your support helps us do this…”
And while that’s true, it places your ministry at the center of the story. The donor becomes a supporting character.
But people don’t engage with stories where they’re on the sidelines.
They engage when they see themselves as part of the action.
When you shift your language, even slightly, everything changes:
“You are helping…”
“You are reaching…”
“You are making this possible…”
Now the donor is no longer watching the story unfold.
They’re inside it.
They can see the role they play. They can feel the impact they’re part of. And that creates a much deeper level of connection.
3. Start With the Conflict, Not the Solution
This is the piece most people skip.
It feels natural to start with what your ministry does. After all, that’s what you want people to understand.
But that’s not what draws people in.
What draws people in is the need.
The problem.
The tension that shouldn’t exist—but does.
Children without stable homes. Women trapped in trafficking. Families in crisis with no support.
When you lead with the need, you create immediate connection. Your ideal donor hears that and thinks, That matters. I care about that.
From there, they’re ready to listen. Ready to understand the role they can play in that story.
Every meaningful story starts with conflict. Your fundraising should too.
When You Put This Together, Everything Gets Simpler
When you’re speaking to the right person, positioning them as the hero, and leading with a clear need…
your message becomes easier to say.
Your conversations feel more natural.
And fundraising starts to lose that weight it’s been carrying.
It doesn’t feel like pressure anymore.
It starts to feel like clarity.
If Fundraising Still Feels Heavy…
If you’re reading this and thinking, I get it… but it still feels hard to actually do, you’re not alone.
That’s exactly why I created this workshop.
Fundraise with Confidence is a free live training where I’ll walk you through how to:
break free from the awkwardness and pressure of asking for support
know exactly how to start the conversation
invite donors into what God is doing in a way that feels natural and aligned
This isn’t about scripts or sales tactics.
It’s about clarity.
👉 Save your spot here:
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