Asking Always Applies: Asking is asking, is asking, is asking. Assuming is not asking.

• What specifically are you trying to achieve in a campaign?
• Do your direct and transitional CTAs align with your goals?
• If you could get your audience to do ONE thing, ask yourself ‘What would that one thing be?’ (Give, volunteer, FB like, share, invite someone, etc)
• Would you consider a new way to ask for support, if you knew exactly what your donors passionately care about?
• Drip Before You Drop
• As it is written in [a]the Prophets:
• “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,
  Who will prepare Your way before You.”
  “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
  Make His paths straight.’ ”
• John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance [b]for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
• Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Even Jesus needed someone to prepare the way for his Kingdom message. What does that have to do with your giving campaign? Well, most people want to start the campaign immediately. But you shouldn’t. Before you try to fly the plane to raise money, you must prepare the runway. The big conversations and meetings are part of that preparation. But so is networking, gathering contact info, and writing out all your communication: letters, announcements, tweets, blogs, emails, texts, etc.

Have them lined up before the official launch. If you’re going to utilize design and technology (logos, websites, etc.), this is the time to get that stuff figured out. Or, just use the stuff we’ve already done for you. There is a lot of random, busy work that comes with a campaign. Do it ahead of time so that when you launch, the congregation can be your solitary focus. After you’ve done the tedious work and allowed your staff time to prepare, don’t just drop the vision on your congregation. Prime them so they’re not caught off guard. Give them time to prepare, too. We call it the Drip Before You Drop method. We believe in “dripping” your vision in strategic places before “dropping” a full-throttle campaign. Send a few tweets, texts, or personal emails.