Reaching Financial Banquet Goals...

Did you know that Mike G. Williams is the author of How To Fearlessly and Successfully Ask For Money?

SUCCESSFUL BANQUET PREPARATION MADE SIMPLE... not easy...

Successful fundraising banquet are measured not in friends made, or organizational exposure. They are measured in dollars. Prayer is a key role, but prayer will not replace improper banquet preparation or poor presentations. What you are about to read is the whole truth as witnessed by myself over 700 times. I have seen the victories and I have seen the failures. This rather lengthy banquet preparation manual will prepare those who are willing to invest their time, in great success. We live in changing times. Knowledge grows. Don’t settle for last year's banquet training, and certainly not training from five years ago. Don't produce an AM radio banquet in a Bluetooth world! If you are ready to have the best fundraiser ever… print these twenty-one steps to banquet success, and share a copy with everyone on your board. Board members play a key role in the success of every fundraiser. Every passionate board member will want to be a part.

100 people (ages 30 - 60) X $430.00 = $43,000.00. DO THE MATH... If you are not receiving $430.00 X Guests (between the ages of 30 and 60) you are not reaching your potential. The stats don't lie. You must stop believing that you are the only center in America that cannot reach potential. We have helped many whose manta had been,  "Our Supporters Never Give Well" to find out they could be success stories if they prepared the right way.

SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING BANQUET CHECKLIST / WORKSHOP

YOU ARE ONLY 21 SIMPLE STEPS AWAY FROM GREAT FINANCIAL SUCCESS!

#1  Keep Men Happy! A table with 8 women at it will statistically bring you $700 total. The same table with 4 married couples will statistically bring you over $2500. Men control the number of zero’s written on a check. Women are already on your side and pulling for your success.

a. Many organizations are doing simple “shotgun or a gift certificate to Bass Pro gift card” giveaway at their banquet. Some centers will have a golf "Putting Challenge" before their event. The winner receives a very nice putter. Men like a challenge! Give your married women the resources they need to encourage their husband will attend. A husband and wife team will give 400% more than a single woman.

b. Less is more! Men have short attention spans. Eliminate long intros, long stories, and long programs. Present what is needed to present your case. Those who are praying without sermonizing and never include an ask for money. Move the program on by eliminating the need for an emcee. Let each speaker introduce the next person speaking or that person can introduce themselves. Print your “guest speakers introduction in your program so he/she needs no introduction.

c. Publish only your total largest number of yearly client services. Include the unborn lives (babies) as viable clients in your count. If we don’t count the unborn child as a viable client, what does that say about the very premise of our mission? Men will give according to the lowest printed number, make that “one” number big!

d. Many men find special music boring. Men do not like songs they do not know. It may be very moving to you, but unless the words are “commonly” known, they matter little. Songs simply eat away at fundraising time. If you have to have music, keep your live music limited to preprogram times. Consider the benefits of having good “noise-free” table conversation. Music can limit that conversation.

e. Men hate to have to wait for anything ... including waiting to eat. Require your caterers to have the salad and dessert preset. Publicly announce that the audience may begin eating at least ten minutes before your program officially starts. “Please begin your dining experience tonight. We will have a group prayer when everyone arrives.” Same goes for a buffet, get them through the line early. You write the checks, tell the caterer to meet your demands what they will do.

Never trust a caterer to be on time, especially if they are giving you a discount or a Christian company. You must schedule “mistake time” for your food service provider. A hotel banquet coordinator's job is to sell you on their product. They want to get the most profit for the hotel as possible. So consider this axiom with great care. Would you buy a thirty thousand dollar car without a guarantee? What about a fifty thousand dollar boat without a written promise? What amount do you need to receive at your banquet? Likewise, don’t put your ministry budget on the line without some guarantees from the hotel food service or local caterer. Explain to the food service the necessity of having the dinner served quickly and by a pre-determined time. Ask how many staff members will be on hand to accomplish this, and if they can guarantee you that they can get your group served in a predetermined amount of time. Know in advance that they will most often exaggerate their ability to serve you quickly! Many centers are asking for a performance guarantee. In writing. Like a home contract... there should be penalties if they cannot deliver on time. Emphatically require that you have the desserts and the salad pre-set. Some caterers will complain that there's not enough room on the table. Who cares? So be it. Tell them to short-change the number of roll plates or that seventh fork. Do not waver on this. Honor your guests with a salad and dessert waiting for them at the table. The age-old fundraising axiom says, “any program going over 2 hours looses $1000 a minute in potential income.” Consider if that coffee refill time worth the money you are paying for it.

#2 Keep The Entire Production Simple!  Your organization will not be judged by your daily work - but rather by your ability to do a banquet. It is better to be simple and well produced than complex and mediocre. Less is more!

a. Simple centerpieces work best. The more you spend on centerpieces the more your audience will wonder what their donations are going for. Use pictures of the children you have saved. The 8X10 frames you can save from year to year. Your photos act as the testimonial that your expensive Flowers never would offer.

b. Simple birthday cakes or cupcakes centerpieces on each table will help you save money and promote the passion of your event. Put a candle in every cake. Stop somewhere in your program and sing “Happy Birthday” to all the children who will have birthdays because of your Center. Now you have a strong emotional benefit from your cost-saving dessert. Wrap a shoe box with birthday paper and keep all your response cards and pens in the box. Let the audience return their responses cards to the box after the "ask" process.

#3  Large Response Cards. A "full" sheet of paper with the right information makes the best financial response card. Seniors do not like small lines. Do you really want to frustrate a donor when they are writing a check? Do you really want to try a decipher an email address written with a cheap banquet pen on a tiny line? Of course not. (See example in blue below)

Thank you for your generous support of the Women's Resource Center of Clark County

ONE-TIME PARTNERSHIP GIFT
 Here is what your one-time gift will accomplish:

A gift amount of $9600 provides a full year of Abstinence Education in 4 schools
A gift amount of $4030 provides a full year of Parenting Curriculum & the Classes
A gift amount of $2491 provides a full year of ultrasound insurance and maintenance
A gift amount of $1400 provides one month of rent for our center
A gift amount of $423 provides one month of internet advertising
A gift amount of $318 provides one month of Electric and water
A gift amount of $235 provides one month of phone and internet services
A gift amount of $200 provides all of our testing supplies for a year

Every gift amount results in lives saved...

My gift tonight (or within 90 days) will be $___________

MONTHLY PARTNERSHIP

[   ] A gift of $1.97 a day will rescue one child and cover the cost for 
that mother and child to go completely through our program. ($59.00 monthly).

[   ] A gift of $3.94 a day will rescue two children and cover the cost for 
two mothers and their children to go completely through our program. ($118.20 monthly).

[   ] Please use my monthly gift of ________ to rescue as many children as you can.

NOTE: Some centers use $2.97 / $1.40 / $1.65 a day to save one child.

(  ) I have enclosed a check            (  ) I will complete my gift within 90 days

Name_______________________________________________________

Address  _____________________________________ City __________   Zip ________

Phone_______________________________________

Email _______________________________________

NOTE: Always gather their name and address information after their gift decisions. When they go to your financial form they need to answer the gift amounts first, before they get bogged down in paperwork. Never frustrate a donor in any way when they are making their decision.

(  ) Please use the following credit card information for my special love gift.

Credit card type _________________ (Visa/MC/AmEx)  Expiration Date _________________

Credit Card number __________________________________________________________

(  ) Please contact me personally so I may complete my donation privately.

Signature___________________________________________________________________

What moved you the most tonight ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

Place your response card in the envelope provided, and return that envelope to your larger table envelope.

Thank you so very much for your generous support for life, The WRC Board

NOTE: Never place your cards where the donor can get to them before the appeal is made. If a donor can fill out their gift before the Director and the Fundraising Speaker makes the appeal, there is no reason to have anyone make an appeal, they already finished their decision.

NOTE: Do not give options that include [  ] Prayer Support or [  ] Volunteer Time. Each of these is (non-financial) options that rarely materialize. This is a "fundraising" banquet, make it totally about fundraising.

NOTE: DO NOT LET WAITERS CLEAR TABLES OR SERVE COFFEE DURING THE ASK. It does not matter who the server is, or how discreetly they can serve. Do not interrupt the continuity of the receiving process.

NOTE: Be prepared for electronic money. If you are not prepared to take electronic gifts, you are not prepared to have a fundraising banquet! We are in a modern world. People use credit cards for everything, even in your town. Electronic and automated checks are the new normal. When you have not provided this you say to your audience you are not prepared for modern-day ministry.   I have heard it said that small towns do not use electronic giving. Welcome to the new world friends. Electricity has made it to rural America, and along with it comes the next generation of giving. If for nothing less than showing that your organization is not "stuck int he 70's" you need to be able to accept automated checks and credit cards.

NOTE: Let a professional speaker do your appeal.  Who in your room has the most experience in doing appeals? Is it a professional speaker who does this every week, or a member of your board? Does Billy Graham ever have anyone else come up and give the invitation after he speaks? Why is that? If you want a professional asking for you, make sure that you book a speaker who will do that for you. Some speakers will not do the appeal under any circumstances.

#4 Keep The Program Positive! You are not there to promote what the abortion providers are doing! You are there to promote children being saved, families being educated - transformed from at-risk to thriving, Abstinence being taught in schools, and women receiving forgiveness and healing. Give those items alone the spotlight. PEOPLE GIVE BECAUSE YOU "MEET" NEEDS - NOT BECAUSE YOU HAVE NEEDS! Share how you are winning... not the winning stats of the enemy.

a. How do you talk about this work without talking about abortion stats? Good question. I am not afraid to say the word abortion - I am just not giving the abortionist any more stage time than I absolutely have to. Your Center fights abortion this way - one baby’s life at a time - and this method is “not” conditional upon a congressional approval or law that might be passed next year - this way is working every day. You are not anti any other life supporting group either - you just know that reaching one woman at a time is working best for saving lives today. Talk about saving lives! People want to support an genuine life-saving team.

b. When you start broadcasting abortion stats you are giving your enemy free publicity. When you start broadcasting abortion stats you also sound much like another wonderful pro-life group who seeks to raise money from the same demographic as you. Don't connect with them. People want to join winning teams! You are a life-saving winning team... promote that you save lives. Show what sets you apart from other groups is that you are actively saving lives every day! In this day of tighter wallets, somebody is going to get left out of the donation pool. Don’t let it be you.

c. Positive events lift people up. Remember that as many as 35% of your audience has been involved personally in an abortion. Statistically half of those people have never told anyone about it. Do those little golden feet pins as a table gift put them in a good mood or does it make them sad? Happy people give more. God loves a cheerful giver. Don’t give the enemy an inch of control over the emotions of your groups. Find another venue where little feet pins are very helpful in making people feel positive.

d. You are not responsible for the abortion stats of the entire country. Stop using those stats as if your center is part of those. You are a local center and should only mention the local stats when you can say, “We saw a 32% decrease in Planned Parenthood abortion services in our county (or area). This is some abortion stats you could mention.

#5 Financial Privacy. Never publish your financial breakdown information on the screens or in the program folder. Your fundraising banquet is a celebration of lives saved. It is not a time for people to decide what they think your ministry should cost to run. You don’t need a pie chart that breaks down ministry funds from operating expenses! You are a ministry. Your lights, your rent, your postage make ministry happen. It is all ministry! Fill your program folder with testimonials from clients and from supporters who love you (examples in blue below).

“The way I see it, more babies have been saved by donations to your center, than with all the millions of dollars spent on unsuccessful legislation trying to overturn Roe V. Wade in the past forty years.” -TLW (This is a donor feeling testimony)

“Supporting your Center allows me to know that my pro-life dollar will actually save the life of a child this year.” -MDS (This is a donor feeling testimony)

“Thank you for the Tuesday night Forgiven and Set Free Bible study - I have been forgiven and set free.” -SDL

#6 Never print a program order in your program. It is just filler. Why is it needed? Are there people who would leave if you didn’t have one? If you ever have to change a printed order you appear to be unprepared. Remember you are judged by your ability to do this banquet well. Fill your bulletin with testimonies written as shown in #13 and #14, or as shown above. Use your space to inspire people about your work.

#7 Make sure your speaker is giving a positive presentation. A program that nobody (including your board) would be afraid to invite their neighbor or their grandmother attend. Many board members have confessed to me that they did not bring guests to some of their own banquets for fear of the graphic nature of the testimony or slide presentation. The world is being bombarded with negative headlines, keep it totally positive and you will be financially rewarded.

#8 Reward your table hosts with a small gift. A little gift goes a long way with your table hosts. Personally, I believe a wonderful gift is a book written by the guest speaker. Certainly, you can give them their centerpiece, but that really appears to be a cheap afterthought. It is similar to the husband who takes his wife out to a nice restaurant, and then breaks off a flower from the table flowers and says, “Here, I got you a corsage.” Every speaker I know will gladly provide you with table host books for 50% off the normal price. Let me give you two examples below:

AWAKEN THE MIGHTY MEN by Mike G. Williams is an inspirational book designed to get men engaged in and participating in service with the local pregnancy center.  These books retail for 14.99, we sell it on the table for $10.00, and you can get it online for less than $4.30.

THANK YOU BOOK FOR SAVING MY LIFE is an encouraging by Mike G. Williams containing a collection of PRC Life-Saving stories designed to help explain why your PRC, Pregnancy home, or Christian Adoption program is so very needed in your area.  This book tells the stories that will enlighten peoples desire to support your work. This book "SELLS" your work! The front page includes a space for you to place your stamp, card, or label showing it to be a gift from you to them. These books retail for 14.99, we sell it on the table for $10.00, and you can get it online for $5.20.

#9  Do not place the Speaker or Director at a table at the front of the room. Often called the head table, it should be in the back where the leadership can read the room, watch the audience, and fix any problems without being an interruption. Give your best seats to your donors, not your hired help! As a speaker, I am NOT your honored guest; I am a servant of the ministry! It is very bad staging for someone to be introduced and have to arise from the front or especially the middle front of the room and make their way around to the side to enter the stage area. Director’s and speakers should be in the back of the room, and in control of everything happening during the event.

This also allows anyone to approach the speaker table during the event without completely distracting the audience. And if you, as the director, need to leave the table for a moment, it will allow you to do so in a less distacting way. This is probably the easiest to arrange axiom, but also the most often overlooked!

#10 Pre-Pay for your banquet.  Find banquet sponsors. A banquet sponsor is a group, individual, group of individuals or combination of both who will pay the bill for the banquet. Usually, for this, they will receive honorable mention and even a write-up in the program. Having the banquet pre-paid for allows you to honestly say, "Every dollar from tonight's program is going to pay for work at the ministry center. No monies received here tonight are going to a speaker, a hotel, or a caterer." People like that concept. Millennial minds require it!

Where do you find a sponsor? Start with your own board. Could the money received from your boards yearly donations pay for your banquet? If it could - problem solved. You may need to go outward. Is there a sponsoring church that would like to make their gift to you the investment of the banquet? Any Pastor will understand this fundraising axiom and realize that sponsoring a banquet is effectively quadruplicating (yes that is a word) their gift to your ministry. Then you can always hit the streets.

#11 Make all Denominations comfortable. Remember that your audience will be very diverse in their denominational preference. Instruct your presenters to eliminate any references to their own denominational preference and refrain from any “insider” church humor. Do your best to use ministers from various groups in the community. There are certain things that a Protestant group does that are very offensive to a Catholic group. Know your subjects. Paul, the great New Testament missionary became all things to all people for the good of his purpose. Try to find both a Catholic and an Evangelical Pastor to open and close in prayer.

#12 Use focused prayers. Are you going to have a professional fundraiser present the need, or are you going to insert a thirty-second financial reminder in the midst of a prayer? Let your prayer leaders know what their prayer is to be about. Ask them not to become part of the "ask redundancy" factor. If they are blessing the food, they should bless the food and refrain from mentioning the great need for financial support or political action! Ask them to limit their prayer to a certain time length. I have seen members of the clergy keep people standing for fifteen minutes. It is good to casually mention that you are on a very tight time schedule. Explain that they are there to pray, and someone else will deliver the presentation of the message. You may want to give them a copy of this manual. Ask them if they can adhere to that request.

#13 Provide a Donor Testimony. Give the donors a testimony that they can relate to. Our donors see the client ministry through the Client Testimony, but they see themselves in our work through the words of another donor. This video or live testimony should focus on the "felt need and camaraderie" of the donor. This testimony should happen right before your fundraising speaker makes his presentation. Unfortunately, many outdated training materials have overlooked this needed item. Have you? Below (in blue) you will find a sample donor testimony. It should not be longer than 2 minutes total.

"Hi I'm Mike Williams and this is my wife Terica. A few years ago we started supporting the A Woman's Choice with a small gift. Since that time we have become monthly givers. It has been a great experience for us. We love to support the Pregnancy Resource Center because we know that it is the only way to demonstrate our commitment to the sanctity of life and know that a child will be alive because of our gift. It makes us feel great each month when we receive the newsletter to know that we have had a part in every act of kindness, love, education, and a life saved from abortion. A Woman's Choice has become our ministry! I believe with all my heart that it will bring the same experience to your family.”

The donor testimony should “NOT” include the speaker asking them to give money. This is a more subliminal appeal to them to connect. let the speaker ask for the money.

#14 Provide a client testimony, but only through the eyes of the organization. This is a testimony from a client that declares how impactful your ministry has been in their life. This is “not” the life story of the client. This is the story of how your work impacted the client's life. NEVER ask a client to share “their” testimony. Ask them to help you share how your work impacted their lives. This is not “their” fundraising banquet, it is yours! I cannot make that clear enough. Banquets fail because they allow clients to control the information that is shared. This is wrong and a gross oversight of anyone in charge. This very edited 2-minute testimony is the responsibility of the banquet producer and the Executive Director who approves the client script.

Give your client a script and ask them to help you produce a video about your work. Explain that their story is very important, but this banquet is about the PRC ministry, and not about their life. You can then choose their clothing choice (we all know how judgmental audiences can be), and choose their wording. Any good video person can paste their statements together flawlessly.

I’m sure every client has a great story, and it moves your volunteer staff. But we are not there for stories. Let’s move the funding and share the stories in larger detail in the newsletter. When you tell “Your Story” you have more levity to help them write their part in your banquet or event. If you ask them to tell “Their Story” you have to practically take what they give you.

PIXAR knows how to tell a story. Any group that can make you cry while watching animated cowboys, spacemen, and rats (Toy Story / Cars / Bugs Life / Ratatouille / Brave / Finding Nemo) receive my vote every day! Look below at the Finding Nemo story presentation from PIXAR (below in blue). These communication principles hold true in every story they tell and every film they make. Pay close attention to the ease of the story when they follow a standardized outline as shown in the underlined sentence starts. Use it for your testimonies.

Once upon a time... there was a fish named Marlin, a widower who was very protective of his only son, Nemo...

Every Day... Marlin repeatedly warned Nemo about the dangers of the ocean and warned him not to stray far from home...

One day... in an act of independence, Nemo ignored those warnings and swam out into the open water and got into a load of trouble...

Because of that... Marlin sets off on a rescue mission, receiving the help of other sea creatures along the way... (You may use up to four lines that start with the “Because of that” line.)

Until finally... Marlin and Nemo reunite, celebrate, and reminisce in lessons well learned...

Let’s use that same easy outline to tell your PRC story through the eyes of a client (below in blue).

Once upon a time line (I was 16, living in an alcoholic & drug abusive family. There was no safety, it was a horrible place to grow up. Life was cruel and I eventually found myself pregnant from a man who promised to love me and to get me out of there...)

Every day/week/month line (For the next three months I woke up every morning wondering what I could do. My girlfriend told me to get it over with quick. I decided that abortion was my only option and called a number in the phone book I thought was an abortion provider....)

One day line (It was Thursday afternoon that I walked into the Sunnyside Pregnancy Resource Center thinking I could receive an abortion... and be on my way... and nobody would be the wiser...)

Because of that line (That day I received my first ultrasound and saw that this baby wasn’t simply a lump of tissue. I actually had a child living inside of me... a real growing living child...)

Because of that line (I realized I could not kill a living child, and spent the next three weeks in repeated counseling with Gloria at the center as to my options...)

Because of that line (Because of that I decided to place my child with a Christian family in Seattle, and now he is a successful19 year oldCollege student at SU...)

Until Finally line (Tonight I stand here grateful for you who have provided the Sunnyside Pregnancy Resource Center and thankful for the new life-skills that you provided me with, to see my life totally transformed through what I thought was the biggest crisis of my life....

I want to thank you in this room for making this happen. You are truly life-savers!

There is a client story that truly emphasizes YOUR STORY! And it is brief enough that anyone (including men) can follow along with the entire time. This is what your fundraising efforts need to be focused on... clear success stories. I hear an objection... “Won’t the client be offended that we are not asking them to tell their story?” Yes, and maybe every client you didn’t ask to speak will also be offended. When you explain that the banquet is about the Center’s Story and they are so loved that they are being asked to play a role in it, they will gladly help. You might also mention that many of the volunteers at your center have their own stories that will NOT be shared either.

Never have a client testify about the "STUFF" your center provided (diapers, wipes, lotion, car seats). Talk about the life-changing education that your center provides. We must not seem like "another" welfare program. Did the testimony above talk about “things” or about life transformation? Your donors want to support life transformation, not free diapers that their own middle-class children can barely afford. Control your fundraising narrative.

A picture is worth a thousand words! You don’t need a video. You can simply show a nice picture of the client and read the story for her. Or you can record her reading the story. You can also use a voice actor narration. The shorter the better. Less is more! When you use a photo, you control the entire scene. You don’t have to worry about an unruly child, a low cut blouse, a tattoo carnival, or a baby daddy who looks like a drug dealer. Listen, people want to think our world is neat and clean. Don’t crush their views. People give to what they think you do as much as to what you actaully do.

#16 Get rid of background music! Often a great testimony is killed because the background music is either too loud and covers up the vocal, or the music is not the style of your donor. If you must use a background track behind that 2-minute testimony, make it softer than you think it needs to be. Seniors do not hear well to begin with. Add in background music and you might as well just show a silent movie. Video companies often mix the music too loud. Just because you have a computer editor does not mean you understand the listening patterns of senior givers. As a leader, you have a responsibility to make sure your message is communicated in any format you approve to be used at your banquet.

LEGAL ALERT! You may not use a professional artist song in your DVD without written permission from the artist and the record company. Be aware that this is considered stealing by many in your audience. Do not offend donors by taking what is not yours. If you must have that Mercy Me or Casting Crowns song, please list at the beginning and the end that it is used with expressed permission to do so.

#17 Be racially sensitive. Use a testimony that is best connected to your donors demographic. In South Florida, we would always use a Spanish person giving testimony. If your donors are mainly African-American use an African-American testimony. If you donors are mainly White-American use a White-American testimony. You are there to raise money not argue prejudice.

#18 Invite the right people. I would rather have twenty of the right people at a small table than two-hundred people in an auditorium. This means that we have a responsibility to consider this when we fill our tables. You will not be able to control your donor’s invites, you can, as an intelligent board of directors, set an example of bringing the right people.

Sitting at your table should be people twenty-five and up. This is not a “show” for young people. It is better to pay for a sitter for your guests than to bring young people. Your organization should be doing some things for the younger age demographics. We will discuss that at length in the Banquet Follow-up portion of this guide.

Board members set the bar for the rest of the attendees. They represent the cream of the crop in your organization. Around the country, it is not unusual for a board member to fill two tables of adults. To help you prepare to be a great example please look at the following two invitational axioms.

A. Ask personally, and face to face. Nothing beats a face to face invitation. Express your great desire for your friends to see the successful side of the Pro-Life work. Let invitees know that this will be a positive banquet and a great meal. The banquet will move along quickly and they will be glad they attended. Use your friendship power to save lives. Tell them how "VERY" important it is for them to be a friend "WITH" you on this. Do not invite anyone under 20 even if they are your grandchildren. There are other events for them your center should be providing. A fundraising event should be focused on those who are capable of giving. (Note: Most board members fill at least one complete table with potential donors, often they work to fill two tables)

B. Invite Early.  Start your invitation of friends early (3 months out), and get a commitment before they have other things interfere. Example: "Look at your calendar. What are you doing Oct 23 in the evening? Will you put this date on your calendar and save it for me?  (wait for their response) I want to take you all out to a special dinner and show." Use the word “show”, not the word fundraiser. Lock in that date with them early and keep reminding your guests about it every two weeks. Repetition is the key to success.

#19 Invite People at Your Church.  Take every volunteer, staff person, and board member. Contact / call their Pastor / Priest and ask for 55 seconds of time to say "Thank you to the Pastor/Priest, the congregation, and the (above-named person). Remind them that this only takes 55 seconds (see outline below in blue), and can be done via video. Remind the Pastor that "all" the other churches are allowing their people to be honored this way (Pastoral peer pressure). This will promote your work and the upcoming banquet, or baby-bottle drive.

Approach the platform with a plaque in your hand.(Hold up an award plaque / show a picture of recipient on the screen if possible) Began the following speech.

"Good morning, My Name is Shelley Long and I am the Director of your local Christian pro-life pregnancy center. On the back of this plaque, I am holding is written the words of Hebrew 6:10,  It says, “ God is just. He will remember the work and love you have shown to Him in continuing to serve His people.” Three years ago (name of the person(s) honored) had the AUDACITY to think she could save the lives of children. Today ... she serves as a volunteer at A Woman’s Choice Pregnancy Care Center (Use the full title of Pregnancy Care Center to avoid any misunderstanding) and Marjorie is touching the lives of hundreds of women and children in our community.  I am here today to say thank you to your Pastor, (his name here), for instilling in his parishioners a desire to save lives... and I am here to personally walk into your congregation and hand this plaque to Marjorie Harper, a life saver. Please come by our booth in the foyer today and thank Marjorie with me immediately after the service. Marjorie, here I come ... please give (name(s) of the person being honored) a hand.”

Your presentation has just encouraged everyone int he room with a bent for life-saving ministry to talk to you after the service and you have thanked your worker or board member in a wonderful way. Don't forget to hand out invitations to the banquet at the table in the back.)You should do this whether you are promoting a banquet or not. Honor your people in front of their church friends, not at your banquet where they are not known.

#20 Pray! Prayer is important to have... and have that prayer before the night of the event. Pick a goal number and pray for that number. Be able to justify the need for that amount and pray for that every day. Often boards will fast once a day for the month before the event. No matter how you do it... do it. Pray!

#21 Do it all in 2 hours or less. You need to be able to do this all within a two-hour window to receive maximum income. Can it be done? YES! We do it every week. It is not rushed, rather it is focused. We are there to raise money and we eliminate anything that distracts from that cause. Food service is the greatest cause of this failure. There is old adage int he fundraising world that says, “For every minute you go over two hours you lose 1000 dollars a minute.” Don’t learn the lesson the costly way. So you want to add a singer singing a 4 minute song. Will that one song bring you $4000.00? If it won't... don't sing it. Use this axiom for anything you are adding to your program. Be purposeful!

Create a banquet that every person looks forward to attending… every year. Make your event the “PLACE TO BE” every year in your community. Make your event grow organically through consistent quality. One bad year puts you back a few spaces, and sometimes to square one. Your audience will learn to trust you because you can be trusted to produce the best.

COMPLETE THESE 21 ITEMS AND YOU MIGHT JUST DOUBLE OR TRIPLE YOUR INCOME FROM LAST YEAR. LEAVE ONE OR TWO OUT AND THAT POSSIBILITY GOES DOWN EXPONENTIALLY.

Mike is scheduled through Gloria Leyda at Ambassador Speakers 615-370-4700 xt 235.

3 "MUST DO's" one week after the banquet: 

#1 Meet with the board and staff. Seriously and honestly look at what was excellent, and what needed to be done excellently next year. Be brutally honest. Reward what was excellent, and talk out that which was not. Make notes and use those as a guide when preparing for next years banquet. Decide if you want to use your speaker again. If you do, inquire as to that speakers ability to return and give you a completely new program.  

#2 Send Thank You Notes. Your PRC will of course send out the normal thank you responses, but your top 20% donors need to receive a small thank you note or phone call from a board member. A “Thank You” from the Director is expected. A “Thank You” from a board member may double your gift next year. Successful centers are doing this with great results.  

#3 Talk about your speaker. If your guest speaker hit a true home run for your organization or if the audience has asked you to have them back, contact the speaker to see if they have a “different” presentation that suitable for a follow-up year. Do not re-invent the invitation wheel.  

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7 "MUST DO's" four weeks after the banquet 

#1 Prepare a mid-year Friend-Raiser. What does it say to a donor if we only want to get together with them once a year to collect their money? We have to develop our donors and develop new donors. A “Friend-Raising” event needs to take place half way between banquets. These are not 5K walks or 2K runs. These are not Golf Events. These are community-wide events that allow for us to invite the entire family! Yes, the little ones, the teens, the college, the seniors, and those caught in the middle. Create a fun and entertaining event that appeals to a broad range of ages. Use this activity to locate new potential donors. These events usually cost about  $3500.00 to produce and bring in an average of $10,000.00. They will also garner for you a few new monthly donors. Here is that event that people can bring their teens and kids! Look at www.Laugh4Life.us for a great program successfully doing this for PRC’s well.  #2 Prepare a Women Tea or Retreat. Let’s go back to the $700.00 per table axiom from our Banquet Success information. We want to celebrate the women who love your work. But the best place to engage them as supporters and move them to volunteer is an activity they can actually have “time” to engage. Women engage differently than men. This kind of engagement time is not available in a banquet situation. This Women Tea or Retreat should be open to every church in your area. The smaller churches will love being involved in a program larger than their abilities, and your funding will give them the ability to play at a higher level. I recommend www.CecileKaiser.com as a woman who has an amazing abortion recovery story mixed with wonderful teaching and humor. Do not advertise this a pro-life event, or a post-abortion event. Make it a traditional women’s event, and your organization will simply be the sponsor. At the end of the event offer commitment cards to become a monthly partner of the center.  

#3 Secure a Date for your next fundraising banquet. You know who the competing charities are. Call them. Talk to their leader. Make a pact with each other to not be on top of their date. It will help you both. And while you are considering your date look at three axioms for date choice.  

#4 Be the first person asking for money. Don’t be the last fundraiser of the season. Be the first one to ask. The early bird gets the worm, and the early fundraiser gets the most money. Get into their wallets before everybody else has gotten in. If you don’t have time to prepare for it early, you are not starting your preparation early enough.  

#5 Consider a banquet luncheon and a banquet dinner. Some centers utilize an afternoon luncheon the day of the banquet specifically designed for seniors. Seniors do not like to come out at night. As they age, they also move down your giving ratio to cost scale. A simple luncheon buffet will delight many of your seniors, and give you extra room in your banquet room. If you are maxed out on available space, don’t go to a higher priced venue, go to a noon and evening banquet. Your speaker will come in on the first flight and should cost you no additional cost.  

#6 Consider a multiple night banquet experience. Monday night is the least encroached upon evening of many families week. Look at any great fundraiser’s schedule and you will see that Monday night is often their number two most booked evening. That is because Mondays work! Do a Monday night and A Tuesday night banquet. Keep your cost low and out of the large venues. You could have the banquet at two different churches as well, and two areas of town.  

#7 SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING THE PREGNANCY CENTER LEADERSHIP BOARD! 

The failure of most PRC Boards has little to do with the people. Rather, most board members have never served on a highly successful PRC board before. To prove this I might point out that more than 30% of PRC boards do not know that the acronym PRC stands for. Mike Williams and his associates Gordon Douglas and Paul Aldrich are certified to teach Simple Board Success. It is not a course that talks about committees and sub-committees. Most centers do not have enough people to even think in that manner. It does give an easy to follow (and fun) outline for financial growth and client growth for the next five years. If your board does not know the top three questions every board needs to ask every time they meet, you need this seminar. Usually, Mike Williams, Gordon Douglas, or Paul Aldrich can extend their stay for a day to share this 4-hour seminar with you board after or before your banquet. It is four hours that will save you hundreds of hours of wheel spinning and countless hours of frustration. Considering that most volunteers give an average of 6 hours a week, would your board invest 4 hours to make your center more successful? Let's talk. Please see the Board Training on video on this website.

#1 You Are An Important Part Of This Puzzle Piece written by Mike G. Williams 

Tonight we come to celebrate lives saved! Families transformed! And the spiritual restoration of forgiven women! Tonight is a night to revel in the victories of a year well lived. Tonight we may sing, or shout, or cry for joy… and then tomorrow we will go back and open the doors charged with a call to serve better than ever!  

Listen with me to these selected verses from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Though a body is one, it has many pieces, but all its many pieces from one glorious mosaic…  In fact, God has placed every different piece of His great body, just where he wanted them to be. You are an important piece of this great tapestry, each one of you, for the glory of God in Christ Jesus…  

Hello, my name is _______________ and I am the Executive Director of the Women’s Choice Resource Center. The word Executive Director is a fancy corporate way of saying that I have the privilege of coordinating the efforts of a great life saving-team of servants. From our staff and medical team to our wonderful volunteers and board, and of course you… our most respected partners in ministry. I am the servant of God and the servant of you.  

I hold in my hand a piece of a puzzle. By itself, it may seem small or even insignificant, but when it is put together with other pieces, it becomes a beautiful painting. This is truly a wonderful illustration of what we are all part of… a great painting… painted by the creator of life… The Heavenly Father.  

Tonight we come together sacredly… bringing our lives, our talents, our resources, and, because of the grace of this Divine Creator… we somehow all fit together… we will form a beautiful picture of life. If you are new to our life-saving work this evening, let me give you a quick explanation.  

Her name is Wendy. She is 19 and wants to be the first one in her family to graduate from college. One night her emotions overtook her and she let her guard down. The boy said he would pay for an abortion, but he had no long-standing feelings for her. His "loving" words were just the things guys say. She was just something to do between football games. She walked into our office broken, torn, and feeling totally unloved. Deep inside her mind, she wants to be encouraged that the best thing is to give life to this child. She needs someone to hold her hand and give her permission to take on the challenge of mothering by herself. She needs to be told she can do it, and that people will stand with her. And we do just that! We see lots of girls like Wendy.  

Our Center advertises in various ways to reach women who are at risk for an abortion, and for women who are seeking an abortion, and even for women in great need. We use the latest in ultrasound technology to prove to them the “so-called” blob of fetal tissue is more than a blob, it is a tiny and growing person with fingers and toes and eyelids. When our clients see this, over 90% of them renounce the abortion lie and choose life for their child.  

Many of our clients come from unique circumstances. Some are young, and some are older. Some have never darkened the door of a church, some have even grown up in the church and their families are in the ministry. It matters not the background, it matters to Women’s Choice Resource Center the future of these women and their babies.  

We have an intensive training program. It is a life and parenting skills university. Many of our women have never seen good parenting skills modeled. We teach them to be a good parent, to develop good stewardship skills, and healthy living practices. What we do is change the future of both the mother and the baby through our counseling. In the church world, we call that life counseling… discipleship. Along the journey, many of our new mothers give their own life passionately to Christ and join the church.  

Did that explain to you what we “primarily” do? I hope so. There is more. We of course help women overcome the emotional scars of past abortions with love and grace. We do lots of abstinence counseling, often in schools. Last year we provided public and private school abstinence training for ____students. We continue to be a telephone hotline for all things baby. We continue to strengthen the church and we see ourselves as a local mission arm of the local church. We certainly reach a lot of unchurched people. I trust the video testimonials we played earlier this evening have brought faces to our story.  

(If you have a special building project or funding need for mobile unit... talk briefly about that here)  

Now let’s get back to this puzzle piece I hold in my hand. You all have one on your table. You all received one in one of our event mailings. I want you to hold a puzzle piece in your hand right now. Go ahead, find one on the table and hold it in your hand (pause while they locate one). Let’s imagine a scenario. You are completing a puzzle. The whole picture is beautiful, with one exception. There is one missing piece. Yes, the picture itself is already gorgeous, but there is a small missing piece. And then… you lovingly place the piece in your hand into the puzzle void and “AHHH” there it is. It is as it was supposed to be… whole… complete… and beautiful.  

I want to thank you who have been so gracious in “being” your piece of the puzzle with others who are actively pro-life. I cannot say thank you enough for your time, your resources, your connections, and your financial partnership. Many of you bring all of those to the table. This evening I say from my heart... THANK YOU... THANK YOU... THANK YOU... Now let's reach more in the coming year.  

OPTION NOTES: 1. Use puzzle pieces for your theme. Send single puzzle pieces in all your correspondence to guests. We can provide you with material to help this puzzle theme stand strong for you.  

2. You can simply introduce your speaker at the end by saying, “Our guest is a 2017 Dove Award winner, an author, and a missionary. He has written eleven books, four of those books involve the work of the local pregnancy centers like ours... He is best known for his book entitled Men Moved To Mars When Women Started Killing The Ones On Venus... Please welcome Mike G. Williams.”  

2. Seventeen and Totally Lost written by Mike G. Williams 

      Good evening... thank you for your attendance... my name is Jane Adams... and I am thrilled to be the Director of the Red Rock Un-Planned Pregnancy Center.      As Director at Red Rock, most of my life is spent working in the resource center, serving clients, counseling young ladies, sharing the love of Jesus, and encouraging volunteers. I get to see babies rescued from abortion. I get to see mothers lives turned around because of an unplanned pregnancy. I get to help your children and grandchildren learn the importance of abstinence until marriage. I get to help post-abortive women pick up the pieces and start again. I love my calling!      But tonight... is the one night of the year I am expected to put on a fundraising hat and do something completely different... I have to somehow motivate you beautiful people to fund all the great work of the Red Rock Un-Planned Pregnancy Center... so you can bet that I feel a little pressure tonight.       I know that some of you have been with us for many years. That in itself is a testimony to how people feel about us once they connect with us. Some of you started with a small gift years ago and now you are the supporting backbone of this work. We thank you so very - very much. Your longevity is a living testimony to everyone in this room as to how it feels to be a life partner with Red Rock.      Some of you are newcomers tonight. WELCOME! We are sure glad that God, the one who orders the path of His people, has brought you here tonight. I have a feeling that you are here for more than a good meal. I have a feeling that you are searching for a place to become involved in a “Pro-Life” ministry that is actually saving the lives of children. You have come to the right place. We are not about picketing... we are about child, mother, and family rescuing.      Tonight I could list all the tremendous victories that we have seen this year, with over 1800 individual client visits. I could tell you about the 124 children that were born with the help of the center. I could tell you that 65% of those children came from mothers who were “Abortion Minded or Abortion Vulnerable”. I could tell you of the many young ladies in our Earn While You Learn training classes. I could tell you about the great success of our Men’s ministry, reaching and teaching young men how to be Godly fathers. We are seeing great victories, but those numbers will not be my emphasis tonight.      If you are like me, you are not 17 years old anymore. The world you grew up in is very different from this current one. I want to take us on a little journey into the lives of many of our younger clients. Rachel is 17 years old. Her grandmother was the last person in her family to attend church on a regular basis. She has been in one church for a wedding, but that is about it. Even the old church Sunday School buses don’t come to her neighborhood. All Rachel knows about the church is what she has heard her friends say condescendingly when some church impropriety was reported on the news. Her friends see the church as irrelevant and boring. Rachel doesn’t know if she even believes in God.      Rachel is in a public school. At 13 years old she went to some type of sexual education class where the emphasis was placed on using condoms to prevent STD's. There was no discussion about abstinence. Biology class has taught her she is a highly evolved animal doing what animals do. Any unplanned pregnancy is taught to be dealt with quickly through abortion. Rachel knows that 60% of everyone under 40 years old around her has had one. It must be no big deal, for Planned Parenthood is largely funded by her own government.      Like many teenagers, Rachel’s life revolves around Facebook, Twitter, tweets, and YouTube videos. She has seen enormous amounts of sexual acts on her phone. The boys and girls in her class have snap chatted inappropriate pictures of themselves, and themselves with others every week.      Rachel is growing up in an era where sex is something the young people do because they are bored with watching the Disney channel. Sex is not sacred, it is not even embarrassing to talk about. All your friends are doing it, or saying they are doing it, and you better too if you want to fit in.       Rachel is like every other 17 year old, and every 13 to 80 year old. Rachel really wants someone to truly love her. She is told by her television shows, and those her single mother watches that when you love somebody, you sleep with them. Her mother has men over from time to time looking for love.       With all this bad information, with all this negative peer pressure, without a church family in her life, is it any wonder that our Rachel is headed for danger? Is it any wonder that the Rachel’s, Jessica’s, and Lindsey’s, end up in our office. It is going to happen to good church kids too. The Christian abstinence message is being outshouted by the secular media, and Rachel is now pregnant.       Through a miracle, Rachel finds herself in our office. She might have misunderstood our sign and is looking for an abortion. Of course, you know, we do not do those. Many times our Rachel’s have come because down deep in the DNA of her heart is the knowledge of what is right. Rachel asks for an abortion, but what she really wants is for someone to intervene in her life and rescue her and her baby. She wants to be given permission to get off the bad road she in on. She wants to know the truth of the good news, the Gospel of Jesus, and she wants to have her life changed, and the life of her child.        The Red Rock Un-Planned Pregnancy Center opens it’s doors to Rachel’s every day. We stand at the corner of Desperation Street and Decision Avenue and help young ladies make a decision they and their babies can live with. We help them do what they know they deep inside that they should do.       Most of you have seen our display in the lobby as you came in. Most of you have read all the stats in your program. So now it is up to you. God brought you here to be part of a genuine life-saving organization. We are not political, we are life savers, and we need you to be victory partners with us in saving the lives of unborn children and transforming families. Will you be a victory partner? Will you join us and know next year that one of our babies was saved by you? Please watch these video testimonies (Play video testimony here).      In a few minutes, you are going to have the opportunity to do just that. I ask that you please become a monthly partner with us. Thank you for allowing me to share my heart for the young ladies in our community. Thank you for being people of God and people for life...  

2.  Our Phone Rings... written by Mike G. Williams       Good evening. Thank you for coming. Some of you have been with PRC of Oceanside for many years. Some of you were invited here tonight and have no idea what a Pregnancy Resource Center does. That is okay...The question comes quite often. What do you do at the pregnancy center? I hear that all the time. I like to have a little fun. I often say, “We run an answering service for Churches and individual Christians.” Let me explain by telling you about six phone calls we get every week.       The phone rang. The school teacher calls. We have the opportunity to do an abstinence program for a group of 8th graders at the local middle school. Do you know of someone who can come this Friday and talk to them for 90 minutes about abstinence? It will need to be someone who is not a Priest or Pastor, we have to separate church and state. Can you help? We are ready to take that call. We have a list of people we can call. We have material on hand suitable for that age group.       The phone rang again. This time it was a young and scared voice. She had bought a pregnancy test at the Dollar Store and it was showing positive. She is very afraid. Her "BFF" girlfriend told her to go down to Planned Parenthood and get it taken care of quickly. She knows it is a baby. She believes her parents will kick her out of the house. She has to talk to someone now. She is barely 15. She needs good counsel and she needs it fast. We will stay late tonight and talk to her. We will help her talk to her parents. We are prepared to answer her questions, give her long-term counseling, and help her make good decisions. We are glad that we were prepared and trained to take that call.       The phone rang again. This woman is in her forties. She is crying. It is hard to understand her words. She had just seen a video that had been posted on Facebook. The video fully exposed what abortion really does to a baby...it stops a beating heart. The video also exposed what it does to a woman...it eventually breaks her heart. She cries. She has had two abortions. Seeing the video helped her understand why she had been hurting inside for the past twenty years. Her husband does not know about her college life twenty years ago. Her two daughters do not know that they had older siblings. She needs counseling. She wants personal counseling. She is going to need more than a short prayer over the phone. She is going to need emotional and spiritual healing. We are prepared to answer her questions and give her long-term counseling. We are prepared to tell her about Jesus. Most people would not have material on hand to serve this woman or the expertise to counsel her. Because of you, we are prepared and trained to take this call. We are ready.       The phone rang again. A young man looking for places to get an abortion. He was right to the point. “How much does it cost for an abortion?” I responded vaguely, “Young man, the cost can be higher than you might ever think.” Nervously he responds, “My Dad will give me the money. Her parents don’t have to know...do they? We can just get it done privately right?” I convinced him that we needed to do get a real ultrasound done immediately to know their options. I made an appointment for them to come in the morning. He has agreed to meet with one of our men for counseling while she is at the appointment. We are prepared to answer her questions and his. We are prepared to give them both long-term counseling, and help them both make godly decisions. We are prepared to help her stand by herself if need be to save the life of a child. We are prepared to tell her about Jesus. Most people would have no idea how to talk to this young man. Because of you, we are prepared and trained to take this call.       The phone rang again. This time the voice was older, much older. A grandmother’s voice. I need someone to talk to my granddaughter. She is pregnant. She is being pressured by her boyfriend to have an abortion. This boy is really pushing her to abort. You could hear the anguish in this grandmother’s voice...her great-grandchild’s life was on the line. Would you spend a few hours with my granddaughter? Certainly, we are prepared to spend those hours. We will answer her questions, give her long-term counseling, and help her make the right decisions. Anyone here could get this kind of call from someone who knew they were a committed believer. God led her to us. We are ready to take the call. We are ready for you to take the call and pass it along to us. We’ll take it from there.        The phone rings again. This time it is a young lady who is 8 months along. She has decided it would be better for her to give her child to a family that can care for the baby better than she can. She is in college and needs to finish. A baby will be more than she can handle. She has gone through all the emotions in the early months of denial. She contemplated suicide. But she was raised in a religious family and knows that one bad decision does not need to force another. She wants her child to go to a Christian family. She is choosing adoption. Her voice humbly asks if we can help? We are prepared to answer her questions, to provide good adoption counseling, to provide her long-term counseling, and help her make well thought out godly decisions. We are prepared to help her find Jesus in the midst of this moment in her road. Are you glad she called us?       Most Churches are not equipped to handle these calls, nor do they have the team ready to step in and literally perform a rescue. Most Christians are not prepared to handle these calls. Nor do they have the time to dedicate to the long-term specialty counseling needed in most cases. Would you be prepared to answer these calls? If you have to answer “No” you are not alone. Before I came to this ministry 12 years ago I would not have been.       I know you would do everything in your power to help. I know you would. In fact, we are here because 23 years ago some caring people like you met to set up this answering service. They met because they cared and wanted to be able to answer those questions. We are thrilled that you are here tonight because you believe that Taylor County still needs to have those questions answered. Please give yourselves a hand.       Right now I would like for every one of my staff and volunteers at the center to stand. (wait for them to rise) These are the people who have been answering the calls for your church, for your Christian community. These are the folks who have answered the calls for you. Please give them a hand?       This is my team. I love them. I am proud of them. They are the heroes of the ministry! These people save lives. They literally, really, truly see children born who would not have been. This is what a life saver looks like. (look at your team) I love you guys, please be seated. We stand every day as the arm of the body of Christ that provides life to those who would have been denied it. We have the awesome glorious responsibility of touching the lives of the unborn and making sure they get to open their eyes to the arms of a loving parent. We get to share the love of Jesus with every woman and man who walks through our doors!      We get to see healing come to those who have been lied to about abortion. We get to see women and men set free from the guilt associated with taking that which belongs to God. We get to talk to students about abstinence and see them make genuine commitments to purity.      We get to teach and train young parents...parents who never had the advantage of seeing a good parent themselves. We get the privilege of taking these new parents through our Earn While You Learn program and they graduate as parents who know how to raise children in a healthy, safe, and godly way. We are seeing healthy babies because of our pre-natal programs.      Jesus said in Luke chapter 10, and I paraphrase for brevity... “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself, and you will truly have life. One onlooker asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”       That is a good question. In reply, Jesus tells of a man who has been brutally hurt and stolen from. The man has been left in a ditch to die. That sure parallels the way our last few generations have been lied to about abortion. Jesus tells the story of three people who passed by the injured person. Two people pass and pretend not to see the problem, even crossing over to the other side of the street.      The Samaritan approaches the scene. This Samaritan is a person who knows what it is like to hurt and to be broken. They too have been hurt and broken by situations of life. The Samaritan has pity on the man. The Samaritan uses his resources to orchestrate rescue, restoration, and healing. The Samaritan calls for some helpers to bandage the man...some specialists to deal with the hurt and healing. In fact, the Samaritan pays the bill for the restoration. Jesus speaks out the question to the crowd, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of evil?” A Rabbi, an expert in Old Testament law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” That is right! Jesus declared! That this was the way they were to live as truly loving neighbors in a broken world.      What a powerful illustration, And to think that you are here tonight because you believe the words of Jesus. You understand that many people have been deceived. You are willing to help those who have been broken and deceived. You, many of you, who have also experienced hurt and healing from a Samaritan. You are ready to provide it for others. PRC of Oceanside stands as partners with you. Our specialty is life-saving. We are trained and equipped. We have the medical equipment. We have counselors and training ready in place. We have the time needed to provide care.       Alone we can’t meet this need. Together, those of us here tonight can provide the kind of Samaritan care that is needed. Together we can answer these phone calls for the Church, the Body of Christ, and for you when it comes to issues of life.       I want to suggest that tonight when it is time to close, that you prayerfully allow God to speak to you about allowing us to be your partner in ministry. That’s right, I said we want to be “your” partner in ministry. We want to come along side of you and help you fulfill what it means to be a godly neighbor. We will work together. It can be a team effort. Please ask God to lead you in how you can support the PRC of Oceanside in a monthly way.       I close with a celebration statement. Are you ready? Because of our partnership with many in this room... in the past 12 months... we were able to touch the lives of 2147 Children, Women, and men in the name of Jesus, and we were able to provide abstinence education to over 2500 students in Taylor County. Please give God a hand for his mighty work through all of us... (Applause will naturally start). Please welcome our special speaker tonight...  

3 Schindler’s List written by Mike G. Williams       Fifteen years ago three people met at Denny’s Restaurant to pray that God would raise up a Pregnancy Resource Center in our community. At that meeting, the Hope Center was born. Because of that meeting, over the past fifteen years, we have seen seven hundred and fifty children have been given life in the name of Jesus. Praise God, and welcome to our sixteenth annual Hope Center banquet! My name is Stacy Stanfield and I am the Executive Director.       The same spirit of camaraderie and unity that was present at that first meeting is still alive and well today at the Hope Center. We are excited that so many great churches are represented here, and tonight we celebrate fifteen years of children receiving life. We celebrate with greater resolve than ever before, and we celebrate with a history of experience that allows us to reach greater numbers of women and children with the best gift of all ... life.       I have the privilege of serving along side of 23 other champions for life. Each one makes our center function at a high level. These dear servants put in thousands of hours of work to make your gifts have an incredible impact for life in our community. Would you be so kind as to give our staff and volunteers another hand of applause for their fantastic service? * It is my desire that you will be inspired tonight to partner with us in saving lives in our community.       I am often asked “What do you all do?” or to describe a day in the life of the center. I say that we run an Information Station. We counsel young women who have been lied to and told they have no choices. We share with them the choices that they do have.       Do you know that most young girls who find themselves pregnant really believe they have very few options? We also get to counsel those who were lied to by the enemy and told that they could never be set free of guilt from their past mistakes. Through a program called Forgiven and Set Free, we see women set free. We counsel parents. We explain to them the choices they have in how they parent. They do not have to continue in parental ignorance.       We educate them in how to be a good parent and in doing so we stop the chain of poverty and abuse in that family. This ministry is changing the future of our community. We teach abstinence in an age when the nobody is talking about it anymore. Please watch this wonderful video testimonial from one of our clients (Play video here).       The testimony you just heard is not unique. We are experiencing great testimonies every day. In the past twelve months, we have ministered to over 600 clients. That is right ... 600 people received our services in the name of Jesus because of the support of individuals in this room. I am happy to report that 98% of our abortion-minded clients chose life for their child! * It is my desire that you will be inspired tonight to partner with us in saving lives in our community.       Let me give you a few Praise God Updates! Our Abstinence Program will reach over 2000 students by the end of the school year! That is 2000 student who would not hear the abstinence message anywhere else, not on HBO, not watching GLEE, not watching Jersey Shore, and not watching MTV. In a world where most parents have given up, we are the last voice of clarity and reason for most of these students.      We are now offering our services in Spanish! We will Open a new satellite office in a neighboring town in June. It will be right next to the college! This is a fantastic place to meet the most vulnerable of them all. Keep that work in your prayers. We just received our new 4D Ultrasound machine! It is like having an IMAX camera for the ultrasound scanner. It is fantastic.      The men from First Baptist Church and the Knights of Columbus got together and finished our Baby storage shed. We are thrilled. Could I have all the Pastors in the room stand? On my right is Dr. and Mrs. Ira Staining from First Methodist Church, in the back is Pastor and Mrs. Maysmith from First Baptist Church. (Introduce all you know and ask the names of anyone you did not know). These are exemplary Pastors who understand the difference between shouting about life and actually doing something about it! Please give them honor tonight. (Start the clapping) **I sincerely hope you have been inspired tonight to partner with us in saving lives in our community.      Acts chapter 10 and verse 4 says, “ And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” Oh that our work will one day come up before the Lord in memorial to the work we have done for Him. Tonight is an investment in that day.      We all remember the movie Schindler’s List. Who was not moved to see the passion of this man of God? Who among us was not inspired to live a life to that degree of life-saving impact?       It was Oscar Schindler who saved the lives of 1100 Jews in 1943. He did this not by changing the Nazi government, but rather by simply saving the ones that were in front of him. That’s what we are doing every day. That is what your support does each and every week. We rescue the perishing, bind up the brokenhearted, and we proclaim liberty to those held captive by the guilt of sin. I sincerely thank every one of you for making this happen. May God bless you richly. Thank you. Thank every one of you for making this happen. May God bless you richly. Please make welcome our guest speaker....  

4 Starfish Everywhere written by Mike G. Williams      Noted speaker and motivator, Zig Ziglar once said, “A good speech is always supposed to start off with a joke.” So... here goes... A painter got a call from the gallery that was showing his work. The gallery owner said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is... A fellow came in this morning and asked if your work is the kind that would increase in value after the artist’s death. I said yes, and he bought all fifteen paintings. The bad news is ... the man was your doctor.” Okay, now that we have the opening joke out of the way... Good evening.      It is a joy to have you all here tonight. We have been looking forward to this night for many months. I’m glad it has arrived. We have gotten very little done this week at the center for trying to get this evening together. Twenty years ago, five extremely caring individuals met together for lunch to talk about making a difference in the lives of women and children in our area. From that simple meeting has sprung what we now know as Choices PRC. In those twenty years, we have reached thousands of students with the message of abstinence and saved hundreds of babies from abortion. What a heritage we celebrate this evening of people who made a difference. *You are part of the twenty-year heritage of life-saving champions. Pastors Acknowledgments...(if not done earlier in program)      Tonight is the one night that we attempt to find a way to condense everything we do at Choices PRC into 90 minutes of time and let me say it is no easy challenge. How do we tell you about the great work that has been accomplished this year in mere minutes or condense them into one story or two?      It would be virtually impossible, but let me attempt to give you a brief look into the world of our staff and volunteers. This year we saw two-thousand and forty-five people come through our doors in need of ministry. (A staff member should start applauding at this point. Join in the clapping so as not to receive it for yourself). And with the help of God, through the resources of many of you here in this very room, we were able to share with each one of them the love of Jesus. Many received much-needed spiritual counseling and many received post-abortion counseling. And yes, many received those “free pregnancy tests” that we are known for. Many received STD counseling - many received abstinence counseling. And   Praise the Lord... Many responded to the call of Jesus Christ into their life. Praise the Lord we are able to offer our services in both English and Spanish! Yes, because of the wonderful people that support this ministry two-thousand and forty-five people were touched. That my friend is a cause for celebration!       I am thrilled to say that this past year we have been able to bring abstinence talks to fifteen different schools in two counties! This is a huge thing! When you think about it ... your ministry here at Choices PRC is more than likely providing the only abstinence training that our students will ever receive, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to provide this. * You are the champions who are providing these life-saving services. As I look around the room tonight I see our excellent staff and wonderful volunteers. Each one of them could stand before you and tell you stories that would warm and inspire your hearts. Time restraints keep us from attempting to share them all, but we do want you to hear a few.       Please adjust your chairs so you can comfortably see one of the screens... and watch this short video testimonial presentation (play testimony video here). It is our joy to be “your” hands extended at Choices PRC. You can know that we humbly represent your gifts to this ministry to those who walk in our doors. We are your partners in this ministry for life. We are your hands extended! I’m sure you know this story... but it deserves repeating ... Once upon a time, there was a man walking along the beach... On the beach lay millions of starfish that a riptide had washed up onto the beach. Millions of starfish were trapped... stuck... out of the water... and now dying.      Seeing that the starfish were dying there in the summer sun, a good Samaritan, a passerby, began to pick up the starfish one by one, and toss them gently back into the salty waters of the sea so that they might live. Another beach walker saw the good Samaritan and commented on his actions. “Why are you doing that? There are millions of starfish out here... you can’t save them all. What difference can you make?” And we all know the answer that our good Samaritan gave, don’t we? He looked down at the starfish laying helplessly in his hand... and said, “I can’t save them all... but I can make a difference to this one.... Yes... I can make a difference to this one.”      It is my sincerest hope that the message of that story will connect with each of us tonight. For out beyond these doors are many children and women who are in need of our help. There are many students who desperately need to hear the abstinence message before they become another statistic. Their future and literally future generations are dependent upon it. To be honest with you, it would be easy to see a great need and let that cause us to also question if we can really make a difference in the grand scheme of things... To wonder if the two-thousand and forty-five that came to the center, plus the school students really make a difference compared to the millions that are still in need. I dare to say IT DOES! Because we are not just saving one ... when we save one... we are actually saving many. When we touch one life we are touching many.       So tonight when it comes time to make your gift... I want you to realize that the gift you give is making a huge impact. Your gift is not just a gift to another good ministry... Your gift will actually go to make sure that a God breathed life ... comes to fruition. Your gift will bring healing and even faith to many others. **You here tonight are part of the twenty-year heritage of life-saving champions ... and now the future.  And on behalf of the board of directors, the staff, our many wonderful volunteers, and Jesus Christ Himself ... I say ... thank you. Thank you for saving lives.       An interesting quote from Mother Theresa of Calcutta came across my desk. She is quoted as saying, “What I do you cannot do ... but what you do ... I cannot do. The needs are great ... and none of us ... including me ... ever do great things. But we can all do small things ... with great love ... and together we can do something wonderful.”         (Optional prayer) Allow me to offer a prayer? “Heavenly Father we thank you for allowing us to be part of your life changing impact in this community. Thank you for allowing us to see the lives that are changed and the lives that are spared. May you bless mightily those who continue to carry the banner of life for those little ones who cannot speak for themselves. Bless these dear Men and Women whose gifts literally save lives every day... Amen Now please welcome our guest speaker tonight....  

5 Life Savers Speech written by Mike G. Williams       Isaiah wrote, “And they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint!” (pause) I love that verse. (This opening line is used to draw and focus their attention.) Eight years ago, six extremely caring individuals met together for lunch to talk about making a difference in the lives of women and children in our area. From that simple meeting has sprung what we now know as the (LaSalle Street Pregnancy Center). In those eight years, we have reached countless thousands with the message of Abstinence and saved hundreds of little children. What a heritage we celebrate this evening.        I am here to share with you the wonderful miracles that are happening at the (LaSalle Street Pregnancy Center) today! My name is Jesse Taylor and I have the wonderful privilege of serving as the center director. I serve along side of 4 other amazing staff members and 32 incredible volunteers to make a difference in the life of children and families in this community.       Earlier tonight you got to meet many of the staff as they came by your table, and many of you have center volunteers seated at your very table. These awesome people go to church with you and work with you at your jobs. You can see we are normal people. But these normal people are making a difference in this community. These everyday people are being the arms and hands of Jesus reaching out to a mainly un- reached people group ... that being mothers who are pregnant and scared ... and children who cannot speak for themselves. Give these volunteers and staff your hand of appreciation again for all they do! (Begin the applause yourself) Pastors Acknowledgments...(if not done earlier in the program) *Tonight we join to say Thank You to the life savers of this community!        Most people in our community think that all we do at the center is pregnancy tests... they are so very wrong! (This is to be said humorously) Our center is on the cutting edge of ministries that reach this entire community through Post- Abortion counseling, Family Education, Parenting classes, Abstinence Programs for Teens, baby supplies for poor mothers, Bible Studies, Prayer and Counseling in person and by phone, and... those free pregnancy tests. Volunteers from our center can be reached literally 24 hours a day ... and they are!      We offer Spanish language counseling for our ever growing Spanish population. This is an area we wish to expand in coming months. So you see that we are so much more than pregnancy tests! Our work allows us to share the good news of Christ with those who might never darken the door of a traditional church. At least not until we get through with them.       Our fabulous new ultrasound machine is up and running and reaching women every day! God is good. I am thrilled to report that this year ... are you ready for this? In the past 12 months, the Lasalle Street Pregnancy Center has touched over 3200 people with the message of life and the wonderful love of Jesus Christ! (Have a board member begin applause at this point.) *Tonight we join to say Thank You to the life savers of this community!       Here in (Lasalle County), the abortion rate is down by sixteen percent over the previous years statistics! WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! This number was reached because of you... those of you who supported our efforts this past year! You are truly heroes of life! Who would have thought that a little volunteer-based ministry planted (8) years ago... yes we have been around for (8) years ... would be reaching so many people every year? God is good.      I hope you have taken time to read your program and some of the other information around the room tonight. It is a wonderful testimony to what God is doing through people just like you. Can you believe that you were responsible for saving the life of that beautiful little child in the picture frame on your table? One day I believe there will be rewards given in heaven ... because of this ministry, it will be a great day for both of us! Please move your chair so you can comfortably see the video screens. Let’s watch a short video testimonial (play video testimony here).       Tonight is a night of celebration! Tonight is a night for victory! Tomorrow the staff arrives early at the center and we get back to the trenches. But tonight for a few minutes we rejoice in the victory. I cannot say that it has been an easy year... it hasn’t. But it has been a good year!       I wish we had time to expound on every ministry that happening as part of your Lasalle Street Pregnancy Center... but we don’t. I can tell you that we are on track to see even more women and children in the coming year.  We have the option to go to a full medical center in the coming year. Reaching a goal of $25000 will put us there. This means that we will be able to do ultrasounds in our very own facility. And what does that mean? I’m so glad you asked. It means that we can save over 87% of the babies that come into our center. That’s right. The statistics show that 80% of the women who see their child on that little screen will NOT abort their child. WOW! God is good!       **Tonight we join to say Thank You to YOU ... the life savers of this community! Thank you from the children who will not be old enough to even talk for a few years. Thank you from the mothers whom you have impacted with the love of Jesus this year. Thank you for those who are receiving healing from the scars of past abortions.       Thank you for the students who will make good choices of abstinence this year because of your support and prayers. And if this isn’t too much to say ... I believe I could stand here and represent the Great Father in heaven and speak for Him saying, “Well done thou good and faithful servants.” Friends, your gifts have created these glorious life-saving situations. You in these seats who gave a dollar or a thousand dollars last year ... you are life savers! Thank you...       (Optional closing) Let’s pray... “Heavenly Father we thank you for allowing us to be part of your life changing impact in our county. Thank you for allowing us to see the lives that are changed and the lives that are spared. May you bless mightily those who continue to carry the banner of life for those little ones who cannot speak for themselves... Amen” Please make welcome your guest speaker tonight...  

6 Cups Of Cold Water written by Mike G. Williams      Good evening and welcome to our banquet. I am Mary Hunt the Executive Director. I want to start out by acknowledging the Pastors in this room. Pastors, please stand. We are able to do the work we do because of the great work of these men in our community. They are the leaders of the church, and we know that all ministries that are going to be honorable to God serve in cooperation with the church. Please give these pro-life leaders a hand.       Twenty years ago, five extremely caring individuals met together for lunch to talk about making a difference in the lives of women and children in our area. From that simple meeting has sprung what we now know as Life Choices. In those twenty years we have reached thousands of students with the message of Abstinence, helped hundreds of women find peace with God, and saved hundreds of little children from abortion. What a heritage we have to celebrate this evening, and tonight is definitely a celebration of life!  

      I guess the toughest question I have to answer is... “So what exactly is it that you all do down at the center?” That is a good question. I like to tell those who ask this question that, “We run a water cooler!” (give a giggle) Yes, and they look at me the way you are looking at me right now. Nevertheless, there is truth to that. We provide cups of cold water to the those who are thirsty.       Those cups of