Tammy Doci joins Katie and Michele for a Coaches Roundtable about raising support during the summer months. How can we keep the MPD ball rolling while also having time to rest and enjoy the season? It's possible!
The Six Week MPD Focus
Tammy Doci joins Katie and Michele for a Coaches Roundtable about raising support during the summer months. How can we keep the MPD ball rolling while also having time to rest and enjoy the season? It's possible!
The Six Week MPD Focus
Welcome to The Cru MPD podcast with Katie Johnson and Michele Davis. We love that the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. We are driven to equip and inspire Christian workers to be Christ centered, fully funded, and financially faithful, so that missionary staff can come alongside all people to help them to know Jesus. This process is more widely known as Ministry Partner Development, or MPD for short.
Katie Johnson:Hey guys, welcome to The Cru MPD Podcast. Today we are going to have a coach's roundtable with Tammy Doci, and she's here to talk with us about raising support this summer when you are not on full time MPD, which I think a lot of staff will be able to relate to. And Tammy is our mastermind behind Summer Reconnect, which is the summer assignment for senior staff who raise support all summer. And so that would be different than someone who's just working on support outside of their summer assignment, which is what we're talking about today. So, Tammy, welcome.
Tammy Doci:Thank you. Great to be with you
Katie Johnson:We are so excited you're here. Could you just introduce yourself? Give us a little bit of your staff history. And yeah, where you live and anything you want to share?
Unknown:Awesome. Yeah. I currently live in Colorado Springs, which has been one of my favorite places to live. I'm from the Chicago suburbs. And this is I'm entering I think the summer I enter my 30 my 29th into 30 year on staff. And so I need to do that calculation, but(You'll get a present, won't you?) I know, I was like trying to anticipate what is my 30 year you know, gift and stuff. So but but a big chunk of those years I was in Albania. So for 19 of those years, I was in Albania. And then after I came back from Albania in 2013 is really when I dove into the MPD world and awesome coaches community that we have in MPD and have been a part of different teams, first serving the former Great Lakes area. So back kind of in that Chicago area focusing on Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. And then we moved to the Springs three years ago and I joined the MPD lead team and was a coordinator for...am currently a coordinator for kind of the Rocky Mountain region which covers 10 states from Alaska down to Texas. And then I also dabble in stewardship, our Faith and Finance courses as well as what you shared the MPD Reconnect, and kind of some specialized MPD focuses with with teams. So I'm married to Bani who my husband is fifth. We've been married 15 years. And we have both of our moms nearby here in the spring. So his mom lives with us. And my mom is about five minutes away. And so that's kind of our family circle here. So
Michele Davis:that's really nice. So Tammy, I've told you this before. So you may be this, it won't be a surprise. But I do like to say that if I need an MPD coach, I always want it to be Tammy. Tammy is like wise, she's thoughtful. She has so much experience. And yeah, I just really respect you and your voice in MPD. So when we were dreaming up this episode, you know, how do we help staff to figure out how to fit MPD into the nooks and crannies of what might not on the surface look like a place to do like summer? Should I be thinking about MPD? You know our answers? Yes, but I knew we needed you to like kind of help round out those conversation. For sure.
Tammy Doci:Yeah, I really love coming alongside senior staff or veteran staff that have been on the field for a long time. So I mean, I especially love coaching new staff, but there's something really sweet about engaging with senior staff and so it's just yeah, it's fun to kind of jump into those conversations and I appreciate you guys thinking of me.
Katie Johnson:Yeah, so the first question that we want to kind of tackle is why might summer why summer Why would summer be a good time to put a little focus towards MPD.
Tammy Doci:Yeah, well, we're all chiming in on this. But you know, it's interesting. I've sometimes thought about like, when, when is the best month to do MPD? And, you know, sometimes we think of the calendar year, the school year, like, what are months that are more difficult because people seem busy. And I kind of feel like, there's no better time to do MPD than the present. And so if that is the space that you have for the summer, usually, you know, like, it could be before summer mission, or before, starting again, as a team. Now I know some teams don't follow the school year calendar. And so I don't know that there's like, the ideal time. I mean, I mean, I, I have some thoughts about maybe some favorite months, but I just think the summer is a great time to be, you know, connecting with partners and taking new steps, you know, or just taking the few next steps in your MPD. So that's my initial thought. I'd love to hear what you guys think.
Michele Davis:I really like what you said about there's no time like, like that. The present. It's a good time. That's really, that's what makes me think that.
Katie Johnson:Um, yeah, I think summer, I agree with you, Tammy, I think summer is a really great time to think about MPD. Because most people are not doing all their normal job responsibilities. And so in some ways, some people might not feel this way. But some ways you might have a little bit more brain space, right to work on MPD. Unlike the rest of the year, when you're on campus, and you're going going going or the normal rhythms of your staff life might have more space over the summer. And even if you go on summer mission you usually have a few weeks before after, that are really great times that maybe you want to travel to see family, and you're already home where your ministry partners are, why not work on support while you're there? Right. And so it just seems like a natural time to kind of take time to think about MPD and reset your MPD for the year.
Michele Davis:Yeah, I totally agree with all that. And even for the non campus staff, it does seem like they're still somehow fewer meetings and more people going on vacation and more people take their sabbaticals. So there's like, when other people are out of the office, there's just some things that you're not going to do because you're not in like a full sprint sort of mode. Workwise. maybe it's part of the legacy of being for so many years Campus Crusade for Christ that even though even our non campus ministries, still a little bit run on the campus calendar, in some ways, in some ways, I know that, you know, for some summer, it can maybe even be a really, really busy time. But I also maybe this is a Midwest thing. I haven't really thought this through fully, but when the days are longer, like there's more sunlight, I, I you know, more people just have more energy and like I'm personally more likely to like want to go have an appointment in the evening. This is maybe a sound like, I don't know, do I have a vitamin deficiency better? Yeah, there's some nights where I kind of want to go to bed at 7pm. in the winter, you guys, I just, I don't fall asleep at seven. But it's so cold and so dark. I just You can't get me out there to talk to somebody about vision. When it's like a blizzard.
Tammy Doci:I definitely think that plays into the longer days, you know, like, your evenings feel definitely more open. Whereas when it's dark at four or five, you know, it's like everybody's kind of just ready to shut inside and, you know, hibernate or something, you know. So I think I think there's something about that, that feels like the day, it's longer with the sun. And so you've got actually more time as well, which, you know, is a nice illusion, I guess.
Katie Johnson:Yeah, definitely. Um, so what are some things as staff start to think about their summers, which everyone is hopefully already thinking about their summer, in some way or another? What are some things that we can plan now? Or what are some things that you guys have done to kind of prep for your summer MPD efforts?
Tammy Doci:Can I first I think this is just helpful for every staff member is just to know their current reality. And so I would say to use the simplified senior staff calculator on our Cru MPD Resource Site as kind of a starting point just to be, you know, reality is our friend just getting, you know, kind of what are the numbers? What are the needs, you know, and that breeds more confidence as we think about what we need to ask for from others and and trust the Lord with, you know, in terms of the things we want to invite people into is just helpful to know, what are the gaps, you know, what's changed is, you know, a lot of that is fluctuating and, and so that's that's kind of my that's where I would start is probably just what is what is my number, you know, what do I need? And I know we'll talk about special needs and stuff too related to the summer, but I think even just with monthly support, just kind of gauging where you're at?
Michele Davis:Yeah, I like that. I do think like this time of year, it's like a natural time to kind of think through future budget things, you know, and so kind of thinking ahead and trying to like is, is everything good? With my? Do I need to raise more for reimbursements, or medical reimbursements? Or do I need to increase my salary this year, it's just a good time to think about that. I think it's a good time to also clean out your MPDX. I think I've said this before on the podcast, but my first thing I always do is I first look and see if there any thank you notes that it's generated, I should write thank people who, you know, maybe like a gift has snuck in there. And I haven't, for some reason, saw the notification or missed the notification. And just kind of like, get a little bit of a lay of the land reality of you know, are there people right now who are on my team to follow up with or check in on? Or Has anything changed? And it kind of does feel better to do that now and then think through the neck? You know? I guess looking at the calendar, I don't know Katie, your your calendar is like a bit crazier than ours with you, I feel like a, you know, like you are more mobile than I am and friends and a lot of places like, I bet you have some thoughts about that. Yeah,
Katie Johnson:I think one of the things that I do before, like jumping into MPD is really like organizing my contects, which I think goes back to MPDX. But, um, even outside of that, like, once the summer comes, you don't want to spend the only time you have like getting your contacts and your list together of who you want to contact, whether that's for increases, whether that's for new support, or even referrals. And I would even say like, if you're able to meet with people before the summer, like people you want to ask for for referrals. You could even start the summer with a with a brand new list, possibly to contacts. And so um, I think that, that prep really goes a long way. Otherwise, what I end up doing, I just feel really paralyzed by like, all the different directions, I could go like, where do I start current partners, referrals? increases? I don't know. And then I can easily spend, you know, the whole time. Just prepping. And then I look back on my summer thinking, Oh, well, I didn't actually contacted you. And so I think carving out like, time in your schedule is good, but also Who who are you going to contact? And what are you going to ask them for? And being ready to reach out? First thing, when you start your Summer and start your MPD efforts, I think goes a long way.
Michele Davis:Yeah,
Tammy Doci:I have a couple other thoughts that came to my mind. One is just like putting together some of the stories or what are the highlights of this past year? You know, just what are the one or two things that you've been just so encouraged by in your ministry or what you've seen God do throughout the year, like just kind of capturing those so that you can have a couple of visions stories ready to share. But then also, I would say, the cultivation piece before you actually dive into new, you know, new MPD whether it's through an increase ask or new partners, you're inviting, can be really key. And I think sometimes a spring is a great time to do that. It's like Easter, I don't know that we always think of like, How can I encourage my partners at Easter? Can I send an Easter card? Can I reach out to them also our day of prayer and in April is another day to like really be act proactive and reach out to partners more to check in with them and just see how they're doing. And again, it's kind of like you're building that relational credibility and just care for them, you know, before you kind of go into the asks, later in the summer. So those are two thoughts of preparation.
Michele Davis:That's a really good idea. I guess I've never really thought about sending a card that wasn't a Christmas card, but I do like the idea of maybe even a postcard or just some sort of thinking, thinking of you thing I yeah, I like to write down the idea like I could send an Email before the worldwide day of prayer, and like, I have like a, I'd love to pray for you like, reply back and let me know some prayer requests. Like, you know, even if I only heard back from a few people it'll probably actually remind me to pray more for my partners in general.
Katie Johnson:I think something that I feel like you guys are all saying, and I'm hearing is even carving out a little bit of time now, in your schedule, right to take time to plan for MPD is important. Because some of these things like sending cards to your ministry partners, and like that's going to take extra time, right? And so what would it look like for you to take a couple hours every week to to prepare for your summer and doing MPD? And that could look like cultivation, a couple of names storming. Um, and as you're talking, Michele, like, I wonder if I can even find I've been really into like, the color by numbers or paint by numbers lately. Would it be fun to find little like, activities for really? Like ministry partners, kids? Just a little thing of like, an Easter? Right, like color by numbers or something?
Michele Davis:And that cute idea?
Katie Johnson:Yeah. And the story of Easter. I don't know. I don't even know if those things exist. You guys. I'm just talking here. Um,
Michele Davis:but I bet that I bet something like that does exist somewhere. And I do it does make me wonder like maybe Family Life has it has a thing, too, you know?
Katie Johnson:Alright. Shout out to Family Life. Yeah, I'm
Unknown:They have the resurrection eggs, right? If you guys haven't used those,
Michele Davis:we have those. And they're so cute. They would be a lot to well, I don't know. Yeah. I mean, like me before, like local gifts are something that they're like, it's the size of an egg carton. You know, it's 12 eggs, and it tells the story. But yeah, those are really fun.
Tammy Doci:You know, you choose to kind of do that with right.
Michele Davis:Yeah, totally. I think I think this is maybe just like a good practice in a lot of things. But it really helps me to like, think about my life in smaller chunks, because I can get overwhelmed by all the options. And even the whole year is overwhelming, right? So like, what, what can I just do in these three months now? You know, and like, what, what is like realistic in my season, what is like the the thing I'll focus on and then to have like, seasons of positive evaluate to, to choose a new practice or a new strategy or whatever, but like, this is, I think a good time before. For those who have kids before your kids are out of school, or before summer vacations and things like that start to just find some time to just think through in this season this summer. What are the couple things I can focus on? Yeah,
Katie Johnson:yeah, I mean, that's a whole nother element. I haven't even thought of Michele. Like kids being out of school, and how that can really add to trying to raise support in the midst of the summer.
Michele Davis:Yeah, I think that could it can work to an advantage or disadvantage. Some you know, it just it well. I don't know. And then there's like layers of other things going on, too, with like, pandemic or whatever, who knows what the summer will be like. But on one hand, if the kids don't have school, they could be up later jumping on their trampoline, while you hang out in the backyard with a couple or something or invite people to your home, you know, like, kind of like put it on your territory a little bit like those things are helpful. I don't know. So complicated.
Katie Johnson:Yeah. Speaking of complications for the summer. We all like to travel over the summer, I think it's a natural time for staff to also take vacation. Between summer mission, and summer assignment. And so how can we combine traveling and vacation with MPD? Without feeling like we're just working all the time? So balancing the rest and work?
Tammy Doci:Yeah, I think that is kind of the challenges because when you're, if you're really focusing on MPD, it's there's kind of that emotional drain that accompanies that. And that can kind of carry over into either, you know, family visits or vacation time. And I and I, I don't know in recent years, I've really wanted to be more fully present, whether it's on a vacation or with family. And that emotional energy drain from MPD sometimes is wearing you know, in the midst of that, so I do think though there's there are opportunities to visit with partners and so, you know, thinking through okay, you know, who would you know, how can you tag on an extra day or two to be focused on that, or have it be something where it's a little bit more of like a dropping by to drop off a gift or an encouragement or where it's not necessarily I mean, I think there's great value, if you can meet up together and have a meal, share a meal, or do an activity together. I mean, those are always well worth the time. But you know, I mean, just kind of taking all things in in terms of the logistics, sometimes even just dropping by with something special leaving at the door, you know, just knocking, saying hi, I think can be very encouraging. And just let them know that you're thinking about them without it having to be like this big, tactical, when are we going to meet? What's the date? How do we combine our schedules? You know, so? Yeah.
Katie Johnson:I feel like I really value vacation. And so I almost lean towards being like, Don't mix the two, if you can, which I know it's not always possible, I get that. But I mean, like, protect the time you need with family or to rest. And then as you have capacity,
Tammy Doci:right, right. That's it on, like, either it can be a front end or back end thing, you know, like just adding on an extra day. You know, so we go to Milwaukee this summer for Cru22. And I've got partners in Chicago, you know, suburbs and stuff. So I'm trying to think through, okay, when do I stop by and who would I want to visit and not necessarily feel the burden, or the need to meet everyone that lives there? You know, even though I may not have seen them now for a few years, you know, but it's, you know, not everyone has that expectation on me, but there are people that I would definitely want to see if I can, you know, so thinking through that.
Michele Davis:Yeah, yeah. When I think about like, meaning, seeing current partners, I, I like trying to, like go to a church where several people are, you know, visit a church, or I'm actually now or an event, you know, I mean, I come from small town, rural Indiana. So going to the 4-H Fair, I see lots of people who are both ministry partners, and as old friends, I get to watch my nieces and nephew show cattle and it's so fun. I, yeah, I think that I think you do have to kind of like, protect the time, like Katie said, you know, for rest. But then like, it's also okay to when you're on an MPD trip plan, some fun, you know, I think that we kind of can look at it like, oh, this MPD trip, I can't have fun. But you can. And you should you should have fun with. Yeah, where if you're going to a new city, or I don't know, just, we we all in Cru do a lot of work travel. Right. And so I think that we just have to, like use those skills that we have from going to conferences and going to things that you know, yeah, there's work, and then there's some play, and then there's some, you know, just try to have balance.
Tammy Doci:Combined fun with partners. That's kind of better. That's the best, right? Like,
Michele Davis:That's the sweet spot. Yeah, for sure. Yeah,
Katie Johnson:Yeah, I think that makes sense. I have some good friends that are also partners. And so meeting with them, is kind of like, you know, hanging out with your friends, but also working and talking about ministry. And it's a lot. It's a lot of fun, actually. So, yeah. Um, so, Tammy, we've talked about doing MPD over the summer, but I'm sure people will wonder, are there any resources to help us do MPD over the summer? If we're not on full time MPD this summer?
Tammy Doci:Yeah, there are. First of all, I would just say, like, the podcast is a great resource that more and more content is being added. And I just think, you know, just to add encouragement and wisdom and just different insights and hear different stories about MPD, I think that's, that would be a great place to start. I also think of our Cru MPD resource site, too, that's kind of continually being built up and added to, because those are just great places to find resources. We do have kind of a six week guided, self guided MPD course that anyone can access. This came from, I would actually say Nancy Dickens put a lot of work into it. Originally, it was part of kind of some of our former summer MPD boot camp resources are part of that. And then we updated it about two years ago, you know, kind of heading into the pandemic, for people that weren't going to be a part of a special MPD Reconnect, which is more of a community focused accountability, encouraging MPD you know, six to eight weeks so this was something that they could access on their own like, I just want to, you know, I need to step into MPD. But I don't need to be a part of like a special summer assignment for that. And so it's currently available on Core, the Core Platform, which is core.cru.org. And under the MPD resources, and it says six weekend MPD course, and it may get a little bit of a refreshment this spring. But I would say it's a great place to start, if you haven't really had opportunity to engage with MPD for a while, and you just want some videos and encouragement. I think it's a, it's there's definitely good resources there that we do use in our other, you know, our other mission courses and stuff too with with say, MPD Reconnect. So that's one resource as well.
Michele Davis:That is, I'm so thankful that was put together and we can link that in the show notes. And but also, let's just like walk through so someone can go to the Core Platform that we use for training, and I'm pretty sure there's a drop down that says MPD, right. Yes. And the exact title of this is called
Tammy Doci:it is called Six Week MPD Focus.
Michele Davis:That's very self explanatory. That sounds great.
Tammy Doci:Yeah, and it has kind of a sprinkling of a few videos, just some thoughts, some reflection questions based on those videos to kind of, you know, journal about or just think through, and then some different resources, you know, just that we've gathered and that might be available in other places to you know, whether on staff wherever, but just some different Yeah, kind of different topics each week and stuff.
Katie Johnson:Awesome. Well, thanks, Tammy. For being here with us and talking about how can we continue to do MPD in every season of staff life, including the summer, we really appreciate it.
Tammy Doci:My pleasure.
Michele Davis:Thanks for listening to The Cru MPD podcast. Please help others find our show by liking, sharing and readiness on Apple iTunes and wherever you listen to podcasts. You can find us on social media by searching for The Cru MPD podcast. Check out the show notes for more information including the various resources we mentioned in this episode. Till next time, we encourage you to be faithful and full of faith in all things, especially in MPD.