What Is Partnership Development?
Partnership development is the process of developing a team of people who partner with you in ministry by prayerfully and financially supporting you and your ministry.
We intentionally use the word "partner" rather than "supporter," "donor," or "sponsor" becuse the most important part of partnership development is the relationship. They might not be called to do what you're doing, but they have a very real role to play, and a very real investment and heart connection will develop! This is part of how God knits the church together in love and unity.
The enemy wants fear to hold you back.
He whispers so many lies:
No one wants to give to you.
This ministry isn't worth supporting.
Partnership development will be so hard and awkward.
You shouldn't even be a missionary.
You should be ashamed to ask for money.
You should be able to provide for yourself.
However, God says that "He who calls you is faithful" (1Th. 5:24) and "the laborer deserves his wages" (Lk. 10:7).
Here's the perspective shift that set me free:
We all have a stewardship of our resources and our calling. I have to be a faithful steward of my finances and what God has called me to do, which includes the work of partnership development. Similarly, the person I'm inviting into partnership has to be a faithful steward of their finances and calling.
An interaction regarding potential partnership is just a conversation between two stewards to see if their stewardships overlap.
And if they don't, that's okay! Provision for my life is in God's hands. He uses His church to provide, but if it's not meant to be this person, He will lead me to someone else. I have no fear or anxiety about any one person saying yes or no, because I believe that as I faithfully do the work of asking (presenting the vision and the invitation to partner), God will do the work of stirring the hearts of those He's called.
Doesn't this aleviate so much shame, pressure, and awkwardness?
I've grown to love partnership development, because I genuinely love inviting others into the story God is telling in the earth. I love casting the vision and watching their eyes light up as they catch a glimpse of a mission dear to His heart. Whether or not they partner, my goal is to walk through the entire interaction with confidence, kindness, and humility so that they feel loved and blessed. (I always make sure to pray for them at the end of our meeting too!)
How does partnership development work?
Practically speaking, the partnership development process is built on four points of contact:
Letter
Postcard
Phone call
Meeting
These four points of contact keep your ministry before your potential partner and give them time to pray about partnering with you. Each point of contact is building up to the face to face meeting, when you invite them into your partnership team.
Preparation for your process begins with making a list of contacts and breaking it into groups of ten. You will reach out to each group of ten in a rolling pattern so you're not overwhelmed and can effectively reach everyone.
Week 1: letter to group 1.
Week 2: letter to group 2, postcard to group 1.
Week 3: letter to group 3, postcard to group 2, phone call to group 1.
Week 4: letter to group 4, postcard to group 3, phoen call to group 2, meeting with group 1.
This is the exact process I have been using since 2016 to be fully funded as a missionary. I have seen it be effective for myself and so many of my friends. If you've been feeling overwhelmed by partnership development, there is a way forward! You can be fully funded in your ministry and pursue everything God has called you to without fear of finances.
Training
If you’re looking for practical, hands-on equipping in how to do this process, there’s no better resource I know than this course from Prepare Ministries. This is the training I went through to become fully funded nearly ten years ago, and I can’t recommend it enough.