Modern Day Missionaries

S07E10 How Missionaries Can Grow Their Fundraising Network with Russell Cooper & Deb Evans

• Stephanie Leigh Gutierrez • Season 7 • Episode 10

Share episode

Are you struggling to expand your support network? Do you feel like you’ve already asked everyone you know and aren’t sure where to turn next?

What if there were dozens of potential partners hiding in plain sight—just waiting for an invitation to be part of your mission?

In this episode, we sit down with Russell Cooper and Deb Evans from Tailored Fundraising, who have coached thousands of missionaries to become fully funded. They’re breaking down five simple, practical steps to help you grow your network, invite people with confidence, and find new supporters without feeling awkward or overwhelmed.

If you’ve ever felt stuck in fundraising, this conversation will give you fresh hope and a clear plan forward!

Thanks for listening! Email us your questions at care@modernday.org

Website · YouTube · Facebook · Instagram · TikTok · X · LinkedIn

Welcome to this episode of the Modern Day Missionaries podcast. I am pleased to have with us, Russell Cooper and Deb Evans. You guys welcome. Thanks for coming.

[00:01:33] Russell Cooper: Hey, thanks so much.

[00:01:35] Deb Evans: Thanks for having us.

[00:01:36] Stephanie Gutierrez: Yes. And I'm looking forward to picking your brains today on the topic of fundraising, because these two are very bright to say the least. Russell is the founder and CEO of Tailored Fundraising and he's a former missionary.

Shout out to all our missionaries, Russell gets it. And he has a heart to see the nations reached for Christ and compelled by the lack of funding he witnessed in the lives of his teammates and friends serving with other organizations. He started Tailored to help missionaries thrive. 

And Deb's been with Taylor for 10 years. She's a fundraising coach and a trainer who served in campus ministry for 13 years. She is committed to the Great Commission and views her work with clients as a partnership in missions. And she believes that fundraising is a blessing and a privilege for both the missionary and the partner. Amen to that, Deb.

[00:02:26] Russell Cooper: Yes.

[00:02:27] Stephanie Gutierrez: Yes, and together, you guys and your team, I should say, have coached thousands of missionaries to reach their funding goal. I know people who are listening today are listening because they're wanting ideas. Perhaps, know, listeners, you're feeling stuck today. You're not knowing what to do. Maybe you've got some new pressures financially. You've lost some supporters, and you are wanting to expand your network, and that's exactly what we're talking about today. Expanding your network and becoming a better person. more fully funded. 

As we jump into this, I'd love for you guys to define network. When, when we're talking about network, I don't want to assume we're all on the same page.

What are we talking about when we talk about missionary networks?

[00:03:08] Russell Cooper: Gosh. Um, Stephanie, I first want to say that when we're working with veteran missionaries, missionaries on the field, this is the number one topic that they want to talk about. Um, they've been on the field maybe for quite a while and they have lost some financial partners or they do have an increase.

It's a huge and, and And the exchange rate, it fluctuates. There are many things that go into how much funding you need to stay on the field. So it's just the number one thing. I love that we're addressing this. I think it's really, really valuable, but defining network. I'm going to pass that off to Deb because she is amazing.

[00:04:01] Stephanie Gutierrez: Come on, Deb.

[00:04:02] Deb Evans: Okay. What I would say is what I love about this topic too, is when we talk to missionaries about this, they get encouraged. One of mine said, there were literally hundreds of people hiding in plain sight when we started talking about who their network is. I mean, literally their network is. Anybody that God's ever brought into your life,

[00:04:20] Stephanie Gutierrez: Wow.

[00:04:21] Deb Evans: right? Whether that's their family members, their cousins from a long time ago, their high school biology teacher, all of their social media network connections. I mean, there are many social media connections that they haven't even explored at all. it's, it's basically all the people that they know that probably haven't been invited into partnership.

[00:04:43] Stephanie Gutierrez: What a great way of saying it, hiding in plain sight. this is a, not where's Waldo, but this is like, okay. Highlights magazine for any of our us listeners. There used to be this magazine called Highlights and you would, you'd have to find all the little pictures in there that were hiding in plain sight.

[00:05:04] Russell Cooper: And I was working with, uh, some missionaries and they had this hard deadline of three months and we were only halfway through funding or 75%. And they came to me and they said, we don't have anybody, we've tapped out the network and we left with 400 new names just from that one session.

It was pretty incredible and God really worked and they are overfunded now. So. It's pretty amazing.

[00:05:35] Stephanie Gutierrez: Wow, that's a huge testimony.

[00:05:38] Russell Cooper: Yeah,

[00:05:38] Stephanie Gutierrez: Okay, as we talk about these networks, how can they begin to find these people in plain sight, because it might seem obvious to the trained eye somebody you guys, or somebody who has that kind of natural personality. But for some people, it's not. That network really truly feels hidden. Where do they begin?

[00:05:59] Russell Cooper: Well, I think one of the obstacles, and Deb, you can speak into this, is when they think network, they think people I know fairly well. Um, and that's just not going to work. You're thinking Deb said about network, you're thinking about anybody God has ever brought into your life that you could bless by inviting them to be a part of what God is doing.

Right? I think that's the first thing that you, that we need to get through is that you are finding anybody and everybody that you can bless. Um, Jesus said it's more blessed to give than to receive. And if we believe that, then we can confidently go to anybody and everybody that he has put into our lives.

Not, not as an ATM, but as a blessing to give them the opportunity. At Tailored, we use a bus analogy where we start at awareness and we end up in involvement and there are stops along the way and we believe that people can get on and off the bus anytime they want to as God leads. And approaching it in a way where you want to bless somebody and you know that you're going to invite them in a way that they can respond honestly.

[00:07:14] Stephanie Gutierrez: And that's key there because you said, you said you're looking for people that you want to bless. I don't think people think that way necessarily when they're looking to add people to their network. They think, who am I looking for? Who could bless me? Who am I looking for that could invest in my ministry? But you said that naturally. It's that mindset switch of looking for people that you want to bless by inviting them to be a part of your team. And Deb, how did you want to jump in there? You had something to say.

[00:07:40] Deb Evans: I was just going to say, again, it's not thinking about who has money and who can give me money to do what God's called me to do, but who needs to hear about this opportunity? That's really the question Russell was saying: who do when we are blessed with this opportunity because we're not asking people for money? We're giving them an opportunity to do what Jesus says in Matthew 6:20: lay up for yourself a treasure in heaven. That's giving people an opportunity.

We're not telling them that we're not saying, you guys, if you invest in this, you're gonna lay it for yourself a treasure in heaven. No. But our mindset as we go into it is, who really needs to hear?

[00:08:16] Stephanie Gutierrez: That's good.

[00:08:17] Russell Cooper: It really opens up the door. Just it's, it's freedom, right? Then you're free to bless people with the promises of, of Jesus. You know, and what he told us.

[00:08:29] Stephanie Gutierrez: Because when I answer your question in my mind, Deb, who do I want to bless with that opportunity? I want everybody. I want to bless everybody with that opportunity. How do you begin to define who those, I don't want to say the people are, but who are the people that God's asking you to? Are there any specific characteristics or traits that you're looking for in the type of people you should reach out to?

[00:08:50] Deb Evans: Not necessarily. I mean, yes, you could think about obviously, like, a Christian versus a non-Christian. Perhaps. I mean, you're looking for people who are going to be kingdom-minded and you're not necessarily even thinking about, like, capacity. Like, who do I think are my larger people? 

But maybe it's who is generous? Who's mission-minded? Who has God put in my path? Who's in my Sunday school class? A lot of people take perspectives who's in, in my perspectives class that I know is missions-minded? So, I mean, I would say, we want to give everybody the opportunity, but I guess if you're filtering it down, you would go with people who have some sort of commonality with.

[00:09:34] Russell Cooper: yeah, and if you're, if you, I mean, we want to be faithful to steward our time well, we probably do want to start with the people that we believe would be most interested, right? Um, and something else is we don't want to make decisions for people. we say, oh, surely they're not interested. They're not gonna be interested.

Okay. You know, I will say from experience, Deb, you probably have the same experience. The people you think are going to be interested or not, and the people you don't think are going to be interested. They're excited about it you just really can't make decisions for people. And and when I don't know if we're going to get here or not.

I'll just do a plug here. You know, whenever you are inviting somebody into a partnership, often we make the decision, we tell them how to make a decision. we say things like. Would you consider giving? You know, I don't want your decision now. Would you pray about this for the next week?

And I will pray for you. You know, follow up with you. I'm assuming God hasn't talked to you and I'm assuming that's the way God has asked you to make this decision. You know, I'm assuming that you haven't prayed about this before the meeting. Many people pray about this decision before you even get there because we have already told them what the meeting is about and we don't want to make decisions for people either in, if we ask, invite them to partner with us, or even if we reach out to them, it's just not our place.

When we're sharing the gospel with somebody, we don't say okay, now I'd love for you to consider giving your life to the Lord, but I don't want you, just consider it and I'll get back with you. We would never say that, right? Why are we telling people to consider the, uh, storing up treasures in heaven?

You know? The way we invite people to partner I've said it already, but we ask in a way that people can respond honestly. Don't get the idea that we're pressuring people. And we let them get on and off the bus as the Lord leads, but we do want to invite them in a way that they can respond. We give them that opportunity, whether that's yes, no, maybe, or I need to pray about it. Because those are our four options.

[00:11:54] Stephanie Gutierrez: maybe, or I need to pray about it.

[00:11:56] Russell Cooper: Yeah, and there are responses to each one of those that are appropriate and that makes inviting people into partnership, I believe, easier when what the responses are already going to be, and you know, how to respond to each one of those responses.

[00:12:09] Stephanie Gutierrez: Role play for a second where you use that in context. How would you say that to somebody? you've given your presentation, you shared with them, uh, the invitation, and then you say,

[00:12:22] Russell Cooper: Deb, do you want to, or do you want me to?

[00:12:25] Deb Evans: I would say, first of all, like, I to make what I call an impact sandwich. I don't want to invite them to support me, but I want to invite them into impact. I might start by saying to share the gospel with college students. I'm raising a thousand dollars in monthly giving. If 10 people partner with me at a hundred dollars a month, I'd reach that goal. Would you be one of those people that together we can see students come to know the truth of the gospel. Again, same impact at the end as well.

[00:12:58] Russell Cooper: Yeah, and you notice that, was it a question or, uh, it was. What you want in an invitation to partner is a yes or no question.

[00:13:06] Deb Evans: I said, would you partner with me to see this impact happen?

[00:13:10] Russell Cooper: Right. it's a yes or no question. If you can't answer yes or no, you're not inviting people in a way that they can respond.

Right. Um, if you say consider or pray about it, yeah, they can respond to that, but they can't respond to, is God leading you to partner with this now? You know? Making sure it's that yes or no question, and it's them saying, yes, no, maybe I need to pray about it and giving those options instead of us saying, you need to think about it. You need to pray about it. 

[00:13:47] Stephanie Gutierrez: So verbally giving them those four options? Pick one of these four options.

[00:13:50] Russell Cooper: I just know in a yes or no question. Those are the only four ways somebody can respond. No, it's not. There's five. Not now.

[00:13:57] Deb Evans: Or not that, not

[00:13:58] Russell Cooper: Is one of those

[00:13:59] Deb Evans: might be awesome.

[00:14:02] Russell Cooper: Oh, gosh, we're six. See, I messed this up. Okay, you have, yeah, yes, no, maybe I need to think about it. Not now. And I'm not sure I can do that much. Do you want to go through the responses too?

[00:14:19] Stephanie Gutierrez: Yes.

[00:14:19] Russell Cooper: I get, I get excited. Yes. It's pretty easy. Um, you're going to thank them and tell them, what options they have to give and ask them what they need to move forward. No, we always use I understand. Um, if it's not, yes, we always start with, I understand. That means I'm, I'm hearing you, right? No, I understand. You know, would it be with you if I kept communicating with you through, uh, my monthly newsletter?

Okay. Yes, no, maybe. What's the maybe response?

[00:14:56] Deb Evans: You still say like, I completely understand and I want you to be involved, know, and you have to figure out if it's the amount question, is there an amount that you'd feel more comfortable with? Saying, if you could just partner at $50, that'd be great, because that kind of devalues their giving. But empower them by saying, is there an amount that you'd be able to work?

[00:15:17] Stephanie Gutierrez: Hmm. Letting them decide.

[00:15:19] Russell Cooper: If they say maybe, then you're going to say, I understand. Would it be okay? Um, if I give you a call on Tuesday, uh, to see what you're thinking, how, how the Lord is leading you

[00:15:31] Deb Evans: And the same with not now. That's much the same too.

[00:15:34] Russell Cooper: yeah. Okay. Same. Maybe and not now are the same.

[00:15:38] Stephanie Gutierrez: Not now, will you still want to give them a call next Tuesday? Or at that point, would you just schedule a later follow-up

[00:15:43] Russell Cooper: You know, Deb, if they say not now, it probably means they can't give now.

[00:15:47] Deb Evans: but probably it would be if I followed up with you in six months or a year to see if your circumstances have changed or to see how the Lord might be leading you.

[00:15:56] Stephanie Gutierrez: Awesome.

[00:15:57] Russell Cooper: Interestingly enough sometimes no doesn't mean no. I met with somebody who I was a hundred percent sure they'd say yes. And, uh, he said, no, and I was like, what in the world what he meant or what ended up happening. He said, no, because his stock, he wanted to give in stock and his stocks were lower than what they, he wanted them to be before he gave.

A few months later, there was $5,000 sent to my account because he later found out his stocks had risen to a point where, where he felt it was a good time to sell. And anyway, sometimes no, it doesn't mean no either.

[00:16:43] Stephanie Gutierrez: Hmm. And you don't have to confront them and say like, your no doesn't mean no. You just hold that in your heart and just lift it up to the Lord

[00:16:51] Russell Cooper: Yeah.

[00:16:51] Stephanie Gutierrez: Lord, do a work. Hmm.

[00:16:54] Russell Cooper: In the kingdom. It's not a question of investment in you. And that changes your whole perspective on no's, right? No, God is not calling me to invest in this ministry. He's calling me to invest in that one you don't know why they're saying no sometimes But just just trust that's how the Lord is leading them at that time now.


I know a lot of missionaries kind of the rate of yes response. Tends to be about half of the people you meet with. At Tailored, it's closer to 100% And the reason people say yes, and the reason is we only meet with people who are interested. So, along this, the stops from awareness to involvement, the first stop is awareness, where you are giving them a a peek into. What, what, uh, is the problem? Why are you going? What's the need?

Um, what's the mission and vision of, of what, what God is, is leading you to in this ministry, right? And then what you're going to do is you have an interest conversation, uh, usually in person or over the phone, and, uh, you're actually saying you're kind of recapping what you told them in the awareness piece.

And then you're, you're saying, um would you be interested in sitting down and talking about how you might invest financially in this, uh, in this ministry and you're going to get nose on in that, and that's great because if they're not interested, you're probably meeting with somebody and inviting them to be involved is not about convincing them. It’s saying, okay, you are, you're interested  in a financial partnership. We already talked about that. Um, it's scary to what we call qualify, uh, potential financial partners, uh, because you feel you're just spinning through contacts. But what you're actually doing is just, uh, it's a lot less stressful to meet with people who are most likely going to say yes, or I need to think about it.

[00:19:11] Stephanie Gutierrez: it's using the interest step to kind of filter out who, I guess, aren't interested.

[00:19:17] Russell Cooper: right.

[00:19:18] Stephanie Gutierrez: You know, lack of a better way of saying it.

[00:19:19] Russell Cooper: Um, I, and I talked to one of the largest mission organizations, missionary sending organizations in the U S and those are the, I sat down with their, uh, ministry partnership development director and I sat down and, cause I knew how they were, the steps they were taking. And I said, if you gauge interest and don't meet with people who aren't interested, and if you invite in a way they can respond honestly, and immediately that will take much pressure. I mean, you'll get much pressure off because you're not spending double the amount of time meeting with people and you're not spending double it. You're not spending all your time following up with people because you have to follow up with everybody because you said, don't respond now.

[00:20:05] Stephanie Gutierrez: Hmm.

[00:20:07] Russell Cooper: When I was talking to him, he was like, this changes everything. Instead of trying to have 400 meetings, I'm going to have 50, or 100 meetings, I'm going to have 50. Instead of following up with everybody maybe I'll follow up with half of them,

[00:20:26] Stephanie Gutierrez: Okay, Russell, I want to ask you a question about that because I think missionaries can sometimes do all of those things in the same meeting. they can say, Hey, do you want to grab a cup of coffee? And they do the awareness and the interest, and then the ask kind of all in that same conversation. And you're saying separate those things out. 

What is an efficient way? And I think we're talking about efficiency because many missionaries are going back on a furlough or on a trip, and they're trying to do a lot in a little amount of time. I love the efficiency of this. How can they be efficient in that awareness and interest piece? Where are they having those interest conversations?

[00:21:02] Deb Evans: The interest conversations are sometimes they're texting, sometimes they're WhatsApp, sometimes they're over LinkedIn. If you create awareness first, basically you're piquing their interest in the ministry. And you're also in that awareness piece, letting them know that you're looking for financial and prayer partners. That way, when you find them, follow up for interest to see if they're interested. They already know what you're looking for. they are much more likely to engage in that interest. If they've had a heads up of, hey, I'm going to be calling you or, hey, I'm going to be texting you. A lot of people don't use the phone anymore. I would call because then you can get your answer away. But a lot of people don't want to call. they, they text, but I would say call, text, message, LinkedIn message.

[00:21:45] Russell Cooper: If you can, call first. Then you start following up with different modes or channels of communication.

[00:21:52] Stephanie Gutierrez: Let's make this even more specific. Let's say that I am serving overseas. I am in Thailand and I'm getting ready to go back for a three-week trip to my passport country and I want to prepare effectively for that trip when I get there I can hit the ground running. What do I need to do beforehand to make that trip successful?

[00:22:24] Deb Evans: Depending on how long you've been there, you're probably doing different things than when, than when you started. So, your vision may be different, or it may be the same, but you may want to look at your messaging update your messaging for sure.

I would go through all of my current partners, and I would even think about, who do I want to meet with to ask for an increase that may be a strategy or think about them being an advocate to expand my network? Who do I want to try to meet with before I go home to see if they may want to connect me with a church or a Sunday school class, or a home group, study? Something like that. So, I think messaging needs an update. I think we need to kind of come up with a strategy of the people that we already know, and how they can either increase or advocate for us with other people and then actually do some of that legwork, sending out those letters before you go so that you can maximize your time.

When you're there, you already have appointments set up where you're gonna be. People know that you've communicated with them beforehand in your newsletter where you're gonna be. Hey, we're gonna be at this church. We're gonna be in this town. Come see us. Here's an event that we have on the calendar.

It really takes a lot of, I would say…I don't know…Russell, what do you think, a month, even to two months to prepare all of those things before you come home?

[00:23:41] Russell Cooper: Yeah, I think it's hard to book meetings that far out, but the preparation. Yes. Um, and you know, when you're developing an advocacy strategy that can be done super early as well. As Deb said, messaging is important because when you're asking for an increase, there's gotta be a reason. Right. And the reason can't be focused on funding. I mean, that has to be a piece. You're asking them to increase for a reason, for a financial reason, but at Tailored, we say funding flows most freely when it's the only thing holding you back from impact. So, you have to communicate that, if we had this funding, then we could have more impact. 

You know, some missionaries might say, well, that's not true. Like I'm going to have the same impact regardless of whether I have enough funding, cause it's just funding my salary. Maybe I can take a salary cut, or maybe I can cut my retirement or something that. But what we're saying is that your impact will be compromised if you can't stay long term.

And we need to connect funding to impact, right? It flows most freely when it's the only thing holding you back from impact. This is a lot of times isn't the case for missionaries, but this is a good example. But if you have a waiting list, so we are feeding a hundred children every week because they don't have the food they need to be nourished, but we know there are 150 that really need it.

We just don't have the resources f​​or it. That's funding, holding you back from impact, you know? Um, and that's a very clear, very urgent, very compelling reason, but we need to take that even if you don't have that same circumstance, right? Now, Deb did mention advocacy, and this is a really different strategy than referrals, right?

Okay. So a lot of missionaries, they sit down with somebody, they invite them to partnership, they get the response and then they say, Hey, who else can you connect me with? Just go ahead and write down some names. First of all, I think that's super awkward. Uh, second of all, you don't want to make more than one ask in, in a meeting that just communicates.

I'm trying to drain you dry because I'm only going to get one time. You know, but what you want to do, say you're in Thailand and say, who are, who are the two, three, or four biggest cheerleaders of this ministry? They know this ministry. They love it. You have a great personal connection with them, and we are going to give them the tools to connect you.

We, our messaging is going to be clear. We're going to give them a template email that they can send it to people they know would be a good fit. They're going to copy me on that email or their, when they send it out, or they're going to connect to connect me, or they're going to ask permission, say, would it be if I connect you to Russell?

Um, and then they're going to copy me on the response, uh, from that person. Uh, they might host an event. They might just arrange a lunch with. With you and that advocate and the advocate. We're not, we're not talking about referrals, cold calls. We're talking about relationship capital, interest capital, and we're meeting with the right people.

[00:27:25] Stephanie Gutierrez: you named a few of those kinds of people. I know that's something that you talk about when you do your Expanding Your Network webinar. Um, can you go through the names of those five roles? Cause this might be helpful for people even as they think about their current supporters. Do any of my current supporters fall into these five roles? Which of these roles am I missing on my support team and who should I be looking for? What are those five roles and what value do they bring to your team?

Okay, Russell just referenced the first one. It's the cheerleader, and that's the person that's really, really excited about what's going on. Um, they may be people who are just sharing about you with their friends. They're sharing about you in your Sunday school class.

[00:28:09] Deb Evans: Maybe they're, like, inviting people to coffee and talking about it. Um. They're speaking on your, on your behalf they're also the ones, like, if you look at your social media, they're the ones who are, like, liking things and loving things, or they're the people who are respondingwhen you have a newsletter that you send out, they're the ones who are typing you responses and encouraging you.

They're great people to have on your team. Uh, the second person is the host. There are people me who have the gift of hospitality and some people think hosts might be a little bit quieter and their personality. I'm not at all. I'm completely out there as Russell knows, but they have a heart for using their gift of hospitality to be able to connect you with people. So, it could be a small group. Um, it could be a large group. And again, I want to mention too, that this doesn't necessarily have to be missionaries on fulough. They don’t have to come off the field to do any of these strategies, they can still be on the field. We've had people raise thousands of dollars and become fully funded from the field. You can even have host a group over Zoom. It works great. 

So, whether it's a small group or a large group in their home, or whether it's at a restaurant, we've had people do that, whether it's a community center or a church, all of those things. What you want to do is help them to tap into. Your advocates, what their giftings are, what their strengths are, what their skill sets are, we can maximize their giftings. And, and I love this is random sidebar, but I love in the movie Chariots of Fire, Little says, I feel God's pleasure when I run. And that's what I think about when I think about advocacy: you're helping people to feel God's pleasure when they're using how God, the gifts that God has given them. And when I'm hosting, when I'm serving. That's in my sweet spot. Like, I really feel God's pleasure when I'm doing that is the host. That is a me person.

Next is the influencer. this person is kind of a, a key leader, and they can help introduce you to other key people. They could make a personal recommendation. They could do a letter of endorsement for you.

[00:30:24] Russell Cooper: This is where I feel my pleasure. I love this.

[00:30:27] Deb Evans: Okay, you talk about this one then.

[00:30:29] Russell Cooper: Oh, well, I can just only speak from personal experience and I think it's a little bit of, I'm just excited. And so, like, I, I want the, the missionary or the ministry to, to thrive. I've invested in it, or the reason I'm investing in it, because I think that God's really working through it.

And I want to see it thrive. I'm going to be thinking about people that I know that I think could be interested. Um for me, usually that's three or five people. Um but gosh and I'm a fundraiser, it's a little bit easier for me to share the message with a potential donors.

[00:31:18] Deb Evans: Well, just in thinking about who these people might be, you're talking, sharing about your passions, which is awesome. We would love to find you people, right? Who are really passionate. Who could these people potentially be? Um, they could be, uh, a superintendent of your organization. I know we work with certain organizations who have districts and district superintendents. It could be a pastor. It could be an elder. Um, just thinking about somebody who is respected in your community or in your circles.

Would you say that's true, Russell?

[00:31:50] Russell Cooper: Yeah, I'm trying to think of a way I approach it. And, like, I'm a maximizer, I to help take things to the next level.

[00:32:03] Stephanie Gutierrez: Okay. do you help people ideate maybe? Like, could this be somebody who's like, let, I want to sit down with you and help you think through a strategy to connect with this organization or this business. Would that fall into that influencer category?

[00:32:17] Russell Cooper: Yeah, I mean, I guess so. I think that takes a lot of time, it's going to be I think that's going to be a special person, but, um I'm, I'm really, I'm gonna make a few phone calls to three or five people. I'm going to say, Hey, I, I think you should really meet this person.

I think I believe here's why I give and why I believe in this ministry. And that's, that's key for any of the roles is the missionaries can equip that person to, say why they're part of that ministry. Cause that's super important to give credibility. And yeah, I feel I'm not sharing good information other than just somebody who just wants to help you take that ministry to the next level. I don't know. I just, it comes naturally to me. I don't know how to explain that, you know,

[00:33:15] Stephanie Gutierrez: But you have a role that called the networker,

[00:33:18] Deb Evans: Well, the networkers kind of somebody who knows everybody. I'm also that kind of a person. Like, I just know everyone.

[00:33:24] Russell Cooper: I'm not, I don't know everybody, but I have a tight circle. I have a tight circle that I have influence over, you know, and they influence over me too, you know.

[00:33:36] Deb Evans: When I hear somebody have a problem or an issue or ask or whatever, I'm always like, who can I get them with that can help them solve their problem? Because I know everyone, right? I'm always trying to make introductions and build connections.

[00:33:52] Stephanie Gutierrez: Awesome.

[00:33:54] Deb Evans: It’s really hard because everybody that we talk to who's a missionary needs funding. And it's like, I know all of these people, but I can't give everybody's names to everybody. Right. But that's my heart. There are people like me that are out there who know everyone, who really have a heart for really helping you connect with who you need to connect with, because we know the strengths of those people.

[00:34:18] Russell Cooper: My mom’s a networker. She literally, when she goes on a cruise, she wants to be sitting with the largest table of people she doesn't know because she wants to get to know new people,

[00:34:32] Deb Evans: Yeah.

[00:34:32] Russell Cooper: You want to find that person.

[00:34:35] Stephanie Gutierrez: That's interesting. And you'll find, I think you'll find yeah. And I think you'll find introverts and extroverts who are that way. Interestingly, I think it's people who probably have connectedness in their top five strengths. I mean, I think about that. My husband and I, we both have connectedness in our top five strengths. And every time we are able to connect someone with somebody else, and we know that they're going to click or enjoy each other or be able to help each other. We get this shot of adrenaline. I mean, it's thrilling to be able to make a connection that. So, so, okay. You're kind of looking for somebody that.

[00:35:06] Deb Evans: Then the, the last one that we don't think about really at all, it shocks people when we say this is a returning missionary. Do you know a missionary who's coming off the field that may be willing to refer you to their partners? I just had somebody call me this last week saying, I'm about to leave the field and my wife's going to go part time. How do I transition partners? This next person that I think in my organization that needs funding, but also hang on to some for over here. I love that even when you're, if you're thinking about coming home from the field, how can you continue to bless the network that you have by referring them to continue their investment in kingdom work?

That's one question if you're returning, but then, if somebody who's returning, it is great for you to already, like, go ahead and think about what would these people's goals be? Network. What would their partners need to know about the ministry that God has called me to? Going ahead and creating even some of those pieces to have them ready to go that they can then send them on your behalf, but going ahead and connecting with that missionary, asking them, inviting them actually to continue the impact that they're having and impact that their partners are already having, them to continue that.

[00:36:30] Russell Cooper: Yeah, in that situation and all the advocate situations, but we'll just take this situation. Um, you're inviting them to partner with you. Okay, you need to think about it as a potential financial partner. Now, that's not what they're necessarily going to be giving to you. They're going to be partnering with you by introduction and connections, right? Stops on the bus. 

So, we have an evaluation meeting with this. We've created awareness of what God is doing and the vision to this retiring missionary. We're going to tell them in that awareness piece, we'd to give them a call in the next couple of days. We're going to call them. Um, we're going to set up a time that we can talk about that if they're interested, and then we are going to share the messaging that we have. We're going to share our calling. We're going to share our mission. We're going to share the strategy. We're going to share the vision. Uh, we're going to share the need. Uh, obviously not in that order. 

But then we're going to say, Hey, in order to, to continue doing this, or to, to take this ministry to the next level, we're raising X amount of dollars. We know that, um God is calling you to step away from the ministry that you've been faithful to. I was wondering if you would be willing to XYZ. And you're giving them the opportunity to partner, invest in what God is doing, and you're inviting them in a way they can respond honestly, right?

Any advocates are still financial partners. So, yeah, I mean, you just want to, want to keep that in mind too. You, I think another way, a, a, a, a way to find those, right like, well, I don't know anybody who's retiring. Well, why don't you talk to the organization and ask if there are any you might be a part of a large organization that you don't know, or you just don't know somebody's plans you know, you have 25 missionaries in this organization, but you don't know that those two missionaries are retiring next year or in, in the next year it's not like, okay, who's retiring now?

I'm headed back to the field. It's somebody's retiring in the next couple of years and you want to help them get to know the ministry that you have. Anyway, obviously, I can go on and on.

[00:39:19] Stephanie Gutierrez: Well, and if I can add something to that, cause I, this is, that is a really cool concept of the returning missionary. I would say having been through that myself and having watched a lot of people go through that in the last couple of years, that that type of communication has to be very sensitive, because for that missionary, they have deep personal relationships, often with many people on their team. If you come in kind of guns blazing, like, Hey, can I have your people? Basically, like, you're not saying that. But if, if it comes across that way, like, you're done with them, can I have them?

[00:39:49] Russell Cooper: Right.

[00:39:49] Stephanie Gutierrez: If the missionary hears it that way, it’s going to be such a turn off because it's like saying

[00:39:54] Russell Cooper: For sure.

[00:39:55] Stephanie Gutierrez: If you’re done with your friends, can I have them? It is so much beyond financial.

[00:39:58] Russell Cooper: Yeah.

[00:39:59] Stephanie Gutierrez: Maybe it's even looking for a way for the missionary to kind of maybe they spearhead that team and maybe they're the head of the team that helps you out… or even I would say making a personal connection with that missionary beforehand and just saying, what has been difficult for you in this season? Really building the relationship with the missionary. 

[00:40:16] Russell Cooper: Sure. You know, getting anywhere there and, and asking questions like because a lot of missionaries too, I know when they come off the field, their support team will stay with them for that first six months to a year to help them transition. So, um, I would say that one would probably need to be super delicate just to make sure. Because also it's an emotional time for those missionaries coming off the field.

[00:40:39] Russell Cooper: right.

[00:40:39] Stephanie Gutierrez: It's sensitive. It's hard. It's asking, how can you be there for that missionary?

[00:40:44] Russell Cooper: Yeah, some, some missionaries, they do approach their financial partners as these are mine and regardless of…your perspective is reality, right? They're really not yours. They're God's children who he's invited into this partnership.

Um, but yeah, completely, totally sensitive. Another thing that you could use is we call sweeping away objections. Um, we use it a lot in, for example, you, uh, all these people on Facebook that you haven't talked to in years, or even at one time. In your initial communication, your awareness communication, you say…The first line: I” know we haven't talked in a long time,” or “I know we only met once” and you start that, it it could be in addition to developing the relationship, you might have to say that, “I know we don't know each other very well,” or something along those lines.

[00:41:51] Stephanie Gutierrez: Call out the elephant in the room.

[00:41:52] Russell Cooper: Right.

Yeah, because then it's, I can't believe they're contacting me. They don't even know me, you know? Um, and, but when you say, I know, I barely know you, then it's like, oh, he recognizes we don't really know each other. We can just move past that, you know? It's, it's a really interesting technique, actually, sweeping away objections. Okay. Go ahead, Deb. Yeah.

[00:42:22] Stephanie Gutierrez: as we kind of draw this to a close, I know we've talked a lot about the bus. That's kind of been a theme that's, that has kind of gone through this conversation. Can you just kind of say the steps on the bus for anybody who maybe was like, I think I heard one or two, but I'm not sure what those are.

[00:42:37] Deb Evans: First stop is awareness and you're making people aware of the opportunity, piquing their interest and mentioning that you're looking for prayer and financial partners as well. And you're going through you're telling them what the opportunity is, what the need is, all those things that Russell mentioned. 

Then interest is the second stop. You're inviting people to a meeting with you. You're seeing if they're interested at that point. If they say yes, they get on your bus. 

They move to the next stop, which is evaluation. And that's the first part of an in person meeting, where you're sharing your calling, the mission, the need, the vision, the strategy, all of those things.

And before you get to the invitation to partner, that's the next stop. You say, do you have any questions? before we get into partnership details, do you have any questions that way? They're evaluating. Is this something that I want to be a part of? 

And then you and invite them to decision. That's the fourth stop. And if they say, yes, they will stay on your bus. If they say no, which they again, we don't have very many people that say no, because the way that we do this.

Then you move to the final stop, which is involvement. And that's where you're going to maximize this ongoing relationship with them through communication, through advocacy, all of those things that. It honestly mirrors a ministry relationship when you think about it, you're creating awareness when you get to the field, you're creating awareness for who Jesus is. Then maybe you're inviting people to an investigative Bible study. Are you interested in meeting to hear more about Jesus? Then you actually have the Bible study, which is evaluation, and you're talking. This is a relationship you're building. this doesn't always happen. it happens over time. But in that stop, that evaluation stop could be a long time for them. And then you're inviting people to a decision. Do you want Jesus to be Lord of your life? And then you're You have a discipleship relationship with them that lasts for a long time.

So it’'s very much for us, this is ministry. It's what we're doing anyway.

[00:44:29] Stephanie Gutierrez: Yeah. It really is.

Okay. What I love about today is I don't sometimes at the end of the podcast, I'll be like, all right, where it's, where's one, what is one practical step they can take or where can they begin? I feel there were many points of entrance or connection throughout this entire episode that anybody listening, whether they're starting from or whether they have been doing this for a long time and need to up their game. There are many strategies and ideas that you guys. So good. Okay, if people want to find out more, because I really am believing that this probably stirred up a lot of things for people and they're swimming with ideas and they would to learn more or know what to do next. How can they connect with you guys to take that to the next place?

[00:45:12] Russell Cooper: Right. There are a lot of pieces. Um, and it's important that they're developed and there's a strategy to it, right? Um, and we do something, uh, for missionaries, uh, that's, we just want to offer a free assessment. So there's, there's a, a schedule a free assessment button at the bottom of our website on all the pages.

And basically you're scheduling a free 30 minute call. It can be about a lot of different things. Maybe you do want to say. Okay. Here's what I'm thinking about my strategy. Um, and can I get some feedback or what would it look for you to coach me through a strategy to increase giving?

You meet with one of our coaches, you talk through that. You can talk about whether or not coaching is a good, is the next step or whether it's not, whether you our coach might say, I think you've got everything you need here. Here's some tweaks to that. Um, or they might say we've got this piece, this piece, and this piece that it's going to take some time we need to work through quite a few things, and we think working with a coach could help you do that. So, that's, that's what we want to give to people is that, that time, uh, this, this free session that they can kind of evaluate if their strategy is on point or whether they need some coaching to help them through that

[00:46:38] Stephanie Gutierrez: We'll make sure to post links to all of that in the show notes people can know where to go and how to connect

[00:46:44] Russell Cooper: Sure.

[00:46:44] Stephanie Gutierrez: Thank you much for coming on. And again, just breaking that down. don't want to say simply because as you said, Russell, it's complex, but I think you broke it down in a way that was very digestible. Um, and in a way that's very hopeful because people have things that they can do and latch on

[00:47:00] Russell Cooper: Thank you.

[00:47:01] Stephanie Gutierrez: We appreciate you guys. We love people who help missionaries do what they do. Thank you to both of you and to Tailored.

[00:47:09] Russell Cooper: Thanks, Stephanie. We have loved being here.




People on this episode

Head Shot

Stephanie Leigh Gutierrez

Host
Head Shot

Luke Eubank

Producer