Have you ever felt like you were starting from scratch? Isaac did. His flocks were thirsty and the wells Abraham had spent a lifetime digging were filled with dirt and rubble. But Isaac didn’t sit down in the dust and complain; he picked up a shovel. His well-digging teaches us four principles for discovering new ministry partners.
Start with Old Friends
Isaac didn’t begin with a blank map. He went back to familiar ground, the wells Abraham had named, and he called them by those same names. There is wisdom in that. Sometimes it’s easier to re-win an old friend than to find a new donor. Lapsed donors often go quiet, not because they lost their faith in the mission, but because something went sideways: a conversation that didn’t land right, a letter that never arrived, a feeling of being forgotten. Don’t assume the well is dry. Reach out. It’s a new season, and you have a new story to tell.
Expect a Little Competition
When Isaac’s servants struck fresh water, the local herders immediately claimed it and quarreled (Genesis 26:19-20). Isaac didn’t argue or retaliate. He simply moved on and dug somewhere else. That’s a good instinct for fundraisers too. You may reconnect with a lapsed donor only to find their charitable priorities have shifted toward another cause. Don’t take it personally and don’t chase them. Wish them well, trust God’s provision, and keep moving. The right partners are still out there waiting to be found.
Keep Digging
Isaac struck water a second time, and the herders contested that well too. He could have quit. He didn’t. Prospecting for donors in your database requires perseverance. You’ll chase leads that go cold. You’ll make calls that aren’t returned. You’ll write letters that seem to disappear. Keep networking. Keep searching. The persistent well-digger eventually finds water.
Room to Flourish
They say the third time’s a charm. Isaac moved to a new location, dug again, and this time there was no conflict. He named that well Rehoboth, meaning “room,” and declared, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land” (Genesis 26:22). Donor discovery is hard work, but it is God who ultimately opens the right doors. Stay faithful to the process. The breakthrough may come from a board member, a volunteer, a coach, or a teacher.
Think About This: Wells show up in the most important moments of Scripture. Isaac found provision at a well. Rebekah was discovered at a well. And one afternoon in Samaria, Jesus sat down at a well and started a conversation that changed a woman’s life forever. He offered her living water, and she ran to tell an entire village. Remember the acronym E.C.H.O. — Every Conversation Has Opportunity. You never know who is standing at the next well. Even if that person never becomes a donor, they may know someone who will.
Response: Lord, give me persistence to keep digging new wells. Lead me to our next ministry partner you have already chosen. Amen.
