A cheerleading session.  

Let’s start with a little cheerleading session about asking for support. Meaning, giving you good reasons why your ministry or faith-based organization has just cause to ask for support from your local churches. 

First, you aren’t asking the church for yourself, you’re asking for your nonprofit or ministry and those you serve. You and your ambassadors are representatives, not the recipients, even though you may certainly benefit from any support generated from new church relationships.  

The people or groups who are helped through the mission or cause of your organization are the people who you are asking the church and its attenders to support. That’s why it’s also key to understand everything you can about the people you serve, because you’re asking on their behalf and your ambassadors will be representing why they are indeed in need of your ministry’s programs, products and services. 

Lastly, just know that volunteers, board members, anyone who is an ambassador for your ministry, has more credibility than anyone else within your organization. It’s because they aren’t paid. They’re simply passionate about your mission. But if you are on staff, don’t let that diminish the fact you have just cause to ask for support. 

Start with who you know. 

To establish your ambassador core, let’s start first with the process of compiling or reviewing your existing relationships. For most faith-based organizations, we find that current donors are those that are already aligned with your mission because they support you financially. So, consult your CRM and donor lists for ambassador candidates you already know. 

Ideally, your donor database also lists where your current donors attend church. If you haven’t compiled this important psychographic information, now is a good time because you will need to recruit ambassadors by knowing this information. No one makes for a better ambassador candidate for the local church than an actual member or attender at that church. You don’t need to be uncomfortable in asking supporters where they attend church, because church attenders don’t generally consider where they attend church to be confidential, rather, just the opposite.  

A common misconception is also that donors who give the most, make the best ambassadors. We’ve found that consistent donors, who have time to give, are those that can often contribute the time needed to attend training and introduce your ministry to their church.  

Some of the best people to be considered for ambassadors can also be your board and current volunteers. And for the most part, they are often already knowledgeable about your ministry and more willing to be trained than a donor.  

Assign ambassadors to churches. 

As we shared in the beginning, few things have more credibility than an introduction by an ambassador. For the church, it’s an endorsement coming from someone who already knows the church, its mission, ministries, and other attenders. 

Using your relationship management system, pull the contact lists for all your potential ambassadors, sorted by church. This will allow you to assign individuals to specific churches based on attendance. It also allows for you to bring individual ambassadors together with others who attend their same church to work as a team. 

Recruit, rally, and train your ambassadors. 

The next key step is to recruit, rally, and train them up in the way they should go. Start by inviting them to formal training in person or live online meetings that: 

• Provide orientation to all your programs and services, this includes supplying collateral and, yes, producing business cards for ambassadors with all the key contact information they need to share. 

• Show and tell them about all the presentation tips and tools you have available for them to use, including collateral, when making introductions to their church and demonstrate them. 

• Remind them of all the special events and gatherings on the annual calendar your ministry has and how they can invite their friends from church. 

• Provide the basic information you’ll need to be able to capture the new relationships they create in your management system. 

• Demonstrate your official opt-in form from their church so you can send email communications going forward. You can also show them how to use an online email opt-in tool. If you don’t have an email or list sign-up form, you need to produce one because it’s the law. You can’t just email people at the church without their consent. 

A sidenote . . . An ambassador’s time making new friends for your nonprofit counts for volunteer hours if you’re keeping track of those. 

Encourage the core. 

After the training, build a core team of key ambassadors to coach and train other ambassadors and help you maximize staff and volunteer capacity. Your training will result in folks letting you know if they do or don’t wish to be an ambassador. And if they do, when they will be available and how they wish to participate. 

Then, continue intentional relationship management with your ambassadors. 

• Monthly communications through email or set meetings allows for you to encourage your ambassadors and keep them updated on your organization and ministry. It also provides an opportunity to disseminate invitations or event specifics that ambassadors can promote to their church on your ministry’s behalf. 

• Express appreciation – yes this means a party or some form of acknowledgement annually for ambassadors. 

• Take the time to recap their participation and accomplishments. You can do this through a blog, newsletter or even a shout-out at your next event.  

• Remember to be kind and ask your ambassadors if they wish to renew their commitment each year. Never take them for granted. 

And a reminder that there’s no such thing as too much training for your ambassadors. The number one reason why volunteer ambassadors stop participating is because they don’t feel equipped to do the job.  

Consider These Cahoots Courses 

Subscribers can watch our Cahoots Course, Who’s Your Friend? Engaging Captive Audiences that shares a start-to-finish approach to engaging all the audiences that can support your cause. It’s ideal for those of you just starting your nonprofit, or those of you who need a refresher and some fresh takes on how to be introduced to more friends for your organization.  

And Champions for Your Cause – Building Generous Relationships that shares insight on what defines and motivates a champion [or ambassador], their characteristics and training, and how to keep them.