Asking someone to sponsor me for real won’t be nearly as scary. . . . It helped demystify the process of finding a sponsor—so valuable.
At our annual retreat, a miscommunication turned into a fantastic new workshop. When the leader of a session on sponsorship referred to “speed dating,” several members of the organizing committee thought we were going to experience speed dating for sponsors! It seemed a natural progression: we could move from a session on the benefits of sponsorship to a practical activity. The committee decided to try out the concept, though we had no idea whether it would be successful.
One retreat attendee had seen a speed-dating show on television and helped us set up a meeting room. People looking for sponsors sat opposite people ready to sponsor, and a three-minute timer started. After three minutes, the potential sponsees moved to the next sponsor until each person had spoken to every available sponsor.
Some initial questions were suggested for people seeking sponsors:
- Are you available to sponsor full-time/short-term/temporarily?
- Do you sponsor by phone, by email, face-to-face, or using a combination of these?
- How often would I need to contact you?
- What do you expect of a sponsee?
Other questions emerged as the potential sponsees participated in the activity:
- How many sponsees do you have?
- How much time can you give to me?
- How many meetings do you expect me to attend?
- How would you describe yourself as a sponsor?
The room filled with conversation, valuable questions, and answers. Three minutes seemed to be a good time frame.
At the end of the session, the committee sought feedback from participants about the value of this “Speed Dating for Sponsors” workshop. They provided many helpful comments:
- It really helped me to know what would be expected of me as a sponsee.
- Asking someone to sponsor me for real won’t be nearly as scary.
- Now I know who is available without having to try to find out.
- It was helpful to hear the many different approaches to sponsorship.
- It helped demystify the process of finding a sponsor—so valuable.
- It helped us put ideas from the sponsorship workshop session into action.
So it seems this activity, which came about by mistake, may in fact become a feature of our annual retreat. We trusted God with the whole process and were willing to accept the result. “Speed Dating for Sponsors” could have been a success or a big flop, but it was successful beyond our wildest dreams. God’s hand was in there all along!
—Christine D., New Zealand
