Here is an excerpt from the Diagnostic Elements section of the manual. The 10 Step program is built on this and other foundations.

Appreciating the Six D Pyramid

Up to this point we have looked at the foundations from the perspective of the potential missionary. Since there is a yearning to get the response you need, we have looked at your side of the process. You see, that is your business. Until your business becomes their business you’re not in business. But the fact that you and your ministry exist, and that you have placed information somewhere in the marketplace which individual donors could have run into, doesn’t make much difference. You must engage them. You must get their attention. You must own the initiative to do so. You must scatter invitations to participate with you as widely as you can afford. You can only give the opportunity to people; they must process their own response.

It is fundamentally impossible to understand all the factors your potential donors will consider before deciding to become your partner. It is complex for them. Any attempt to quantify or describe the exact track a potential donor walks is futile. However, it is possible to describe in general terms the path potential donors travel. Most people will drop out at one of six levels for a variety of complex reasons. When you understand this you will be more relaxed. You will find it less perplexing that the majority of people who could support you financially will not in fact do so. There’s no point in getting discouraged or angry with individuals who don’t make it through all six levels. You must not let their non-participation rob you of personal fulfillment.

In this section bear in mind that we are looking at what goes on in the mind, heart and life of potential donors. If they do not climb all six layers of this pyramid they will not become your financial partner. They may make a donation from time to time but they will not be one of those true partners who bond with you in your ministry for the long-term.

Layer #1: Dormancy

The lowest and broadest layer on the pyramid we will call Dormancy. At this level your potential donors may not know anything about what is going on. They may know your name. They may have some general idea about your location and lifestyle, but in terms of an active relationship with you as a missionary they are dormant. They may be prepared to relate to you as relative, workmate, neighbour, church worker or friend—but not as a missionary. Generally speaking, when given the opportunity to move up the pyramid about 25% of the people will not take this opportunity. They will choose to remain dormant. You have a long way to go to get to the top of the pyramid. Don’t let this bother you. If your motivation is shredded because some people simply don’t care at the outset, you just won’t make it.

Layer #2: Discovery

The next layer on the pyramid we will call Discovery. If they say, "I really don’t want to hear about it" there will be no Discovery. It is over. Accept it. They may be willing to enter Discovery at some other point in time but just now it’s not possible. There are a multitude of reasons for rejecting the Discovery phase. If you ask them, sometimes they will give you a complete and valid answer, most of the time they will not. The first objection people give is seldom the real reason anyway. What are you gonna do? If they say "No" believe them. Don’t bother to explore the negative response with a view to changing it. It won’t help you to know. There is no point in putting energy into the problem. Save your energy for your plan.

On the other hand, sometimes a rejection at the Discovery stage will be an indicator of their personal and perhaps internal overload. This could be the opportunity for ministry. It may be they are carrying some private grief and need some tender care. Sometimes in life people simply are not ready to take in more information. Sometimes people have given all they can. While you need to be sensitive to the potential of such cases, they will be the exception. If you assume everybody rejects the Discovery of your ministry because they are hurting, your perceived melodrama will only further dampen your cause.

Layer #3: Desire

Once an individual has made the choice to discover your ministry, there is the evolution of Desire in their heart. It is possible for people to discover the facts about your ministry and have those facts simply roll off of them like water off a duck’s back. Your information will for them be about as engaging as a television documentary. Strangely, sometimes people feel they are your partner simply because they have, as it were, watched your documentary. They know the story. End of story.

Information retention is not sufficient as far as you are concerned. But remember we are looking at things from their perspective just now. There are three elements to the Desire phase. All three must be present for them to move up the pyramid.

1. The Desire slab on the pyramid starts with a belief and commitment that the cause you are describing is worth achieving above other alternative causes. While it is your responsibility to help them see the validity of the cause you are identifying with, if they have some predefined belief structure that eliminates your cause, not much is likely to happen in their minds and hearts. If they have had some former negative experience with an individual connected with a cause similar to yours, it will be difficult to get them to listen at first. You must differentiate your ministry from the one they have rejected.

2. The second element of desire is a belief that you are a desirable participant in meeting the needs of the cause. People are very discerning. Based on even a limited experience with you, your personality, your ministry passion or gifts, they can make a quick judgment about your suitability for the cause you describe. One of the boulders to climb over for you may be that the individuals you are seeking to build a partnership with simply do not know where you are at. They know more about where you used to be. If you have had a significant life development since their encounters with you, you will need to illustrate for them some of the changes to gain their confidence. Third-party endorsements can help considerably. If your contacts don’t know you in your present state which qualifies you for your new role, but other credible witnesses are vouching for you, it can make a difference.

3. The third element of the desire layer makes what seems to be a subtle distinction to the potential missionary but it may be a significant element to the potential donor. Potential partners must not only believe in the cause and your suitability for that cause, they must want to become one of your partners. This can be a very personal thing. When you think about it, you realize that you do not necessarily want to become a partner with all the people in the world you believe in. You maintain your personal autonomy by deciding who you want to partner with. Sometimes you click. Sometimes you don’t. It is curious, but we all tend to perpetuate the belief, "If you really knew me, you would want to become my partner." That seems emotionally suitable from our side of the relationship; it sounds foolish or arrogant from the other side. The reasons for most people who opt out will remain an enigma. Trying to figure it out is a ticket to long-term therapy. That is not to suggest you should become cold or resistant to feedback. It is simply an acknowledgement that individual differences in life will take people down different paths. People are going to do what people are going to do. We can give them information, opportunity and encouragement but we cannot move them without a greater Sovereign Lord giving them grace to make the right choice.

Layer #4: Decision

Once you have quickened the heart of your potential donors you are on your way. But once again, let’s be sure we’re looking at it from their perspective. The information you communicate must take root in their hearts and spring into some level of passion and motivation. If you can’t get people to nod their heads up and down and lean forward in their chair, they are not really going to decide in your favour. They may throw you some crumbs. Sometimes rich people throw big crumbs. But crumbs they are. Take the crumbs and be grateful but look elsewhere for true partners.

The Decision layer on the pyramid is subtle. Usually you simply don’t know when the decision is made. Decisions are made with almost split-second timing. Sometimes it is simply one word or phrase that tips the balance one way or the other. In fact, most donors could point to the time when they decided to become a partner of a given missionary or cause. Conversely, most non-donors cannot identify their negative decision. As previously discussed, they start in the "No" position. If something doesn’t move them from "No" to "Yes" they are not aware a decision has been made. Some people would rather remain in a dormant position. They don’t want to be bothered with another decision. It can be irritating for them to be required to articulate their response. However, by the time you reach the Decision layer, most of the dormant people will have been self-eliminated. Most people are going to say, "No." And most of them will have the personal character to recognize their decision if they, for any range or combination of reasons, choose a negative response.

A somewhat common kind of decision is a positive decision with a stated or unstated "If clause." By this method the potential donor puts the ball back in the potential missionary’s court. "If the missionary takes the initiative to visit me in my home, then I will give." "If the missionary corrects some flaw in their life, then I will give." "If the missionary gets to 90% support and announces a departure date, then I will give." There are many variations on the theme.

Sophisticated larger donors will often put the challenge to a potential missionary with an "If clause." "I will give $500 a month if you can find nine others who will commit to the same amount." "I will give 50% of what you need if you can raise the rest by such and such a date." You may have already heard something like this. It is almost always intended, not as a way to get the potential donor off the hook, but as a way to motivate the missionary to higher intensity. This kind of donor wants to know that you take the cause very seriously and are willing to back it with your own initiative. They also want to know you have a broad enough ground of support. However, the challenge of their "If clause" may not suit your situation. If all of your "If cause" donors had the same "If clause" it might not be so hard. The problem is, too many people may want to structure a different "If clause." The only way to overcome this is to develop an "If clause" challenge yourself and offer it to potential donors. For example, you might say; "Mr. Jones, I have six people in mind that can make a substantial monthly donation in the range of $1,000. If I could get two of them to commit to that amount could I count on you to be the third? If I can’t then you would be off the hook."

You can be grateful for the fact that most potential donors will either not think of the concept of introducing an "If cause" or they will not think it appropriate. Such elements usually confuse more than they motivate.

The key point to this layer is that the Decision is formulated in the heart of the potential donor. The Decision might not yet include the dollar amount. But it may be a Decision to give some undetermined amount to demonstrate partnership. You cannot tell what that Decision is until you move to the next layer on the pyramid. It will likely be in the form of a one-time donation not a monthly amount. It will also likely be similar to other donations the individual makes. If you know they have given $100 before they will likely do the same again. But there is no point in planning on anything based on your speculation.

Layer #5: Declaration

Adding this layer may seem like splitting hairs, but it is not. In some ways once the potential donor has decided to become part of your partnership base they must declare the Decision. They don’t necessarily have to declare it publicly. They may not tell you or one of your friends their Decision. But they must declare it. Sometimes the Declaration can be as simple as writing a number for themselves on a note pad. But they must focus and quantify their Decision. Once again, the Declaration they make for you might be as noncommittal as, "We will see what we can do after the crops are in." But in their heart and mind if they haven’t made a Declaration beyond that, it is unlikely they will actually follow through on their Decision.

Of course, if your decided partner will declare their commitment to you orally, on a pledge form or to one of your friends, that makes a significant difference to you. You can know where you stand once they make a Declaration. Most people who have made a positive Decision are quite willing to follow that Decision with a Declaration to you. Some are simply more private than that and will wish to keep it to themselves. Others will hide their non-Decision or meagre Decision in their resistance to make a Declaration. You can’t know who is who. If they don’t want to declare out loud or on paper but maintain they have made a Decision in their heart, take it for what it’s worth and be thankful. But, for now, write it down as a zero.

Layer #6: Donation

As you can imagine, by now your pyramid is becoming rather narrow. That is why you must start with a very broad base. Once the financial transaction is completed there is a relief on the part of both the donor and recipient. If potential donors only knew the anxiety in the heart of recipient missionaries over delayed donations, they would probably be much more conscientious. In secular fund-raising causes the budget is often set based on a 50% fulfillment rate. The fulfillment rate for your cause, assuming your personal participation in that cause, will likely be over 80%. Usually unexpected sources and undeclared sources top the missionary up to about 100% of the Declaration amount. More often than not, people need help to move up the pyramid. They need the encouragement to pay attention to your situation. If the situation remains in the background of their life as unfinished business, they will not be satisfied with themselves. The most kind thing you can do is develop mechanisms that help people through the process. The individuals will usually not recognize the distinctions in this pyramid. But you do. As a skilful minister of the good news you can learn to discern where people are by asking skilful questions that stimulate them to consider the next level. As you complete the Bible study in Chapter 6—particularly in the section on II Corinthians 8-9, notice how Paul makes some of these distinctions as he encourages the Corinthians to give.

The complexity of people’s giving patterns is informed by their understanding of what is right and wrong in this universe. Not speaking of any particular cause, it is clear from the study of Scripture that giving is a character issue. That is difficult for people to accept in the immature early stages of Christian living. It is possible for an individual to live in the Christian community, be very active in their church and still be limited in their understanding of the subject of giving, particularly as the subject is framed in terms of what is right and wrong.

People might give at first because they are afraid that someone, including God, will notice if they don’t give. They may give simply to avoid being reminded, intimidated or belittled by some authority figure—even you their missionary friend. With people at this level of moral development if you should in any way declare to them that you have noticed they have not given, they may respond similarly to a child who has been caught with the lid off the cookie jar. Any explanation will do for them in such a circumstance to explain their non-performance to you. Their words will make sense to them but will sound quite silly to you.

Another more advanced level of giving occurs as the individual donor evaluates what they will get in return for their donation. Actually in terms of personal character, fulfillment, appreciation of others and even the appreciation from God, there’s much to be gained by becoming a generous giver. In Part III Implementation, Chapter 15, Adaptable Resources, study the section My Top 14 Reasons for Making Generous Gifts. There is ample evidence that the return on the investment of a generous gift is astounding. You will do well to become an educator for your potential donors on this subject. They will be interested in all the things the Scripture says they will get if they become generous. If you are the one to teach them these things there is a high probability they will be generous with you.

As people consider their individual impact on the total work of the body of Christ, they become concerned about their part in the grand scheme. And there’s a great sense of belonging that comes with knowing you are a part of a group achieving a great purpose. The missionary depending on individualized support is at a disadvantage here. Often their group of supporters is amorphous. That is, they are not a body; they never meet together. In fact, many will not know the others in the group. Their primary connection will be with the individual missionary. All other awareness of others in the group will be incidental. Since people do not like to make their decisions in isolation, it makes sense to put groups of potential supporters together along with committed supporters to create a sense of community and encourage others to become part of that giving community. They will feel very much less a part of that group if they are not committed to giving for the missionary. Therefore, much in the same way as we might hold evangelistic Bible studies with believers and unbelievers in the one group, it makes sense to put supporters and potential supporters together so they can meet one another. Supporters have a different glow about them because of their commitment. Potential supporters need to see that glow. It will help them make a decision to become part of the cause. To be a little more precise, such groups of people must be drawn together for the purpose of meeting with or about the particular cause or missionary. By way of contrast, a group of people gathered for a church prayer meeting at which the missionary speaks does not meet this qualification. Even though the entire meeting is focused on the missionary, the missionary’s cause was not the purpose for the calling of that meeting. This dynamic works with the meeting that is called for the purpose of learning about a particular missionary’s role or their cause.

The highest possible motivation for an individual donor is to do something simply because it is the right thing to do. While there is a blending of these various aspects of human motivation, it is rare that they will act independently or in isolation from one another. An individual gets to the highest level of conviction that what they are doing in giving is the right thing to do only as the other factors are used by the Holy Spirit to build that conviction in their life. When such a level of conviction grips the donor their continued giving will last a very long time. They will place the donations they need to make above their mortgage payment or anything else. The consistent testimony of those who have arrived at this level of maturity is that the sacrifices they make are no sacrifice at all to them. It would be for them a sacrifice to give up the blessing of God on their life that he has built in, both tangibly and intangibly, because of their generosity. Part of spiritual growth is the process of maturing in the manner in which people make their choices. Through the Scriptures, prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, participating in a Christian community and obedience, people grow. The ideal is to make choices based on principles of faith and life from God that cannot be shaken. In a world of shifting moral values, you can encourage others to stand strong making decisions on who they are—people created in the image of God, saved by Him with character shaped by the indwelling Holy Spirit and practiced, disciplined obedience.

It might be useful in your appeals to potential donors to meet each one where they are at in their spiritual development. Just as the same Gospel message is proclaimed in a variety of ways to reach all people, you can reach out to those who might support you with an appeal at their level of development. You can teach the fact that life works best when one lives a balanced life—that balance includes giving to God’s work. In fact, the best one can be includes a sacrificial heart that gives. Giving is a statement of one’s identity.

Having considered these matters which cut deeply into the nature of the donor’s being, it won’t help a great deal to try and peg a particular donor. Just cash the cheque. But by recognizing that people make choices based on different ways of looking at an opportunity to give, make sure that your message includes help to move them towards making the best decisions for the best reasons.

Give them the education they need but trust God and their permanent spiritual overseers with the moral development issues.