Ep. 60 | Ministry Fundraising Feels Icky? 3 Mindset Shifts to Ask for Support with Confidence
Struggling to Write Your Newsletters so Supporters Engage?
You’ve seen God do amazing things- but if your emails are vague or unclear, your supporters won’t feel connected.
This free guide will show you how to:
Write subject lines that get your emails opened
Follow a simple story-driven format for every update
Engage donors with clear, Christ-centered storytelling
Fundraising Still Feels… Icky?
Let’s just say it plainly.
Sometimes fundraising feels gross.
Your stomach tightens.
Your chest feels heavy.
You rewrite the same email five times because you don’t want to sound pushy.
And underneath it all is this quiet thought:
“I hate this part.”
If that’s you — you’re not broken.
But you are believing something that needs to shift.
Because that shame? That heaviness?
It’s not from the Lord.
And it doesn’t have to stay.
Where That “Ick” Actually Comes From
Most of the time, the discomfort around ministry fundraising isn’t really about asking.
It’s about past experiences.
Pushy salespeople.
MLMs.
Feeling manipulated.
Feeling like someone didn’t care about you — they just wanted your money.
You felt used.
And now, when it’s your turn to ask for support, your brain says:
“I don’t want to be that person.”
So you hesitate.
You soften your language too much.
You delay sending the email.
The problem isn’t fundraising.
It’s the association.
And until you separate ministry fundraising from manipulation, it will always feel heavy.
Shift #1: Trace the Root
Before you fix it, name it.
Ask yourself:
What do I believe about fundraising?
What words come up when I hear that word?
Where did I learn that?
Write it down.
Is it begging?
Is it pressure?
Is it selfish?
You can’t uproot what you won’t acknowledge.
Awareness is step one.
Shift #2: Adjust Your Motivation
This is where everything changes.
If your internal motivation is:
“I need money.”
Of course it feels gross.
That feels like taking.
But something else can be true at the same time.
You do need funding. That’s real.
But you also have something to offer.
Think about what it feels like to be part of what God is doing through your ministry.
The impact.
The transformation.
The eternal significance.
Being part of that is deeply satisfying.
Your donors want that too.
They want to be part of eternal impact.
They want to meet a real need.
They want their resources to matter.
You’re not taking from them.
You’re inviting them into something meaningful.
When you truly believe that giving blesses them too — fundraising shifts from asking… to offering.
And offering never feels like begging.
Shift #3: Take Yourself Out of It
Fundraising isn’t about you.
Not your worth.
Not your performance.
Not whether you’re “good enough.”
Your role in fundraising is simple:
Connect the donor to the need.
That’s it.
You’re the facilitator.
God is meeting needs on both sides:
The people your ministry serves
The donors who long to be part of something eternal
You connect the dots.
When you remove yourself from the spotlight, the pressure drops.
If someone doesn’t want the opportunity?
That’s okay.
You’ll find the person who does.
What Changes When You Believe This
You stop feeling like you’re standing there with empty hands.
Instead, you’re holding a gift.
An invitation to eternal impact.
That’s not gross.
That’s sacred.
If You’re Ready to Stop Carrying This
I’m hosting a free workshop called Fundraise with Confidence.
Inside, I’ll walk you through:
Why fundraising feels icky (and where that belief comes from)
How to reframe asking so it feels aligned
A simple messaging structure that helps donors say yes without pressure
You’ll leave feeling lighter. Clearer. More confident.
If fundraising has felt heavy for months — or years — this is your next step.
You don’t have to keep doing it the hard way.
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