Jesus commended the church at Thyatira for doing more than they did at first. Read one verse further and you’ll find he also had a serious problem with them. They were tolerating a false teacher. But he still noticed they were growing, and he said so.
That’s a good standard for fundraisers too. Do more than you did last year. Identify more prospects, cultivate more relationships, ask for more gifts, raise more money.
The Japanese have a word for this: kaizen, change for the better. W. Edwards Deming, who helped shape Japan’s quality movement after World War II, taught a simple cycle for getting better at anything: Plan, Do, Check, Act. Deming later preferred “Study” to “Check,” but the idea holds. Here’s how it works in a major donor program.
Plan
Find one thing that isn’t working. For some ministries it’s a donor database nobody has cleaned up in years. For others it’s a case for support nobody has touched since it was written. For a lot of us, we simply aren’t identifying enough major donors.
Then pick one change you can start this week, and write the change down so you can tell later whether it helped. Here’s a great plan: make 10 phone calls and schedule two face-to-face visits. Gifts don’t show up on their own. Schedule the meeting. Meet your donor. Listen to their heart for giving. Ask for a gift that fits what they care about. Thank them.
Do
Try the change small before you try it big. If your case for support needs work, test it with a few close major donors first. Tell them the story and watch their faces. This is the whole reason for a feasibility study before a campaign. You’re testing your assumptions with the people you’ll need.
Check
After a handful of conversations, look at what you learned. Is the story landing? Are donors asking questions you haven’t answered? Is the project clear? Then track something you can count, like how many cultivation visits turn into an ask, or whether your average gift goes up after you sharpen the story. In a campaign, the quiet phase is your second test, when you start asking for gifts.
Act
When the change works, make it the new normal. Once the story is clear and the rough spots fixed, tell it to everyone. Keep making 10 calls a week to land two visits. Train your volunteers to do the same.
One of the simplest habits a ministry can change is follow-up. Send a thank-you within 48 hours of every visit instead of letting two weeks slip by. Put it on the calendar before you leave the parking lot. It costs almost nothing, and donors notice.
Thyatira was far from perfect, and Jesus still saw the growth. He sees yours too.
Think About This: What is one thing you’ll do this week that you didn’t do last week?
Response: Lord, thank you for noticing our small steps. Help us get a little better every week at finding, loving, and asking the people you’ve prepared to give. Amen.
