Mike Williams has been America's busiest Fundraising Speaker
It was an honor to have you speak at PCC's 6th Annual Fundraising Banquet. With your help, we were able to raise more than $195,000 in pledges and gifts! -Cindi Boston CEO PCC Springfield, MO
I appreciate your wisdom in asking us to allow you the
responsibility of making that appeal on our behalf. I especially
appreciated the quiet time of prayer - you could hear a pin drop. We were able to
raise $186,000 for the center. Again,
thank you for partnering with us and helping this ministry to continue
to make a difference in the lives of so many in our community." -David Misner Director /Hope Center PRC Fort Wayne, IN
"When Mike Williams was asked to take the spotlight at Focus on the Family for their Director’s Conference in 2002 he had no idea that it would lead him to become the most scheduled and re-scheduled Pregnancy Resource Center speaker in the country. After years of sharing his talents in the church and corporate world, Mike found the place where his unique gifts could be used to the greatest ability and for the greatest importance. When you hear Mike's heartrending testimony along with the adoption story of his son, you will understand why PRC's continue to schedule him to present in their communities. Mike does more than motivate people to give, he moves people to become long-term legacy partners with your ministry. His phenomenal www.BanquetMoney.com website and video blog helps many PRC's around the country double their banquet income every year." -Gloria Leyda
From the desk of Mike:
"You are having a really good time up there!" I hear that all the time. Yes, I am having a great time. When you are allowed to work within your giftedness, and you understand that very gifting will save lives, it is the perfect combination of purpose and fulfillment. I am not really a comedian. People call me that. I am just a funny serious speaker. My gift has always been in presenting serious material in a way that made people want to join the team, and not run away despair. So please read my testimony. I believe that if you know why I do what I do, you will understand why I do it with passion. Let me share a small portion of my journey with you.
In 1962 I was born the in Chicago Illinois. It was a very poor family that did not have the resources for four children when my mother found out a fifth child was on the way. This family had all the traditional trappings of inner city life, alcoholism, addictions, absent father, and the list could go on. To give you some additional family history, my brother was killed in the streets of Chicago at seventeen years old and another brother died in a prison cell also at seventeen. My two sisters made tragically unfortunate decisions as adolescents. I met my biological father for the first time and last time when I was twenty-seven years old. This could be a sad story, but it is not, because I was rescued! Yes, my mother did one of the kindest acts a woman can do, she gave me up for adoption. My life was saved, given opportunity, and rescued because of that amazing act of selfless love. But there is still so much more to be told...
Let's fast-forward to 1997 when my wife received a call about a little boy who was in much the same place I was so many years ago. The girl from the center told the story of a little eight-month old boy with a really tough family situation, coupled with many medical problems, and pre-natal complications. This little boy who had been miraculously saved from the scourge of abortion was now being graciously offered to us for adoption. The story is a great success story as that young boy has grown to be a thriving healthy intelligent young man. There is so much more to tell... You will hear about a turn around in the life a a birth parent too. This story will bring you to tears of great joy, as it does me every time I tell it and it will motivate your audience to support your work. Every time I step on the platform I am saying "Thank you," on behalf of other rescued children like my son and I. I am representing every child your ministry rescued, and every parent your organization provided parenting education classes for.
Now let's fast-forward one more time to 2008. My son Chapman (12 at this time) was finishing the last day of the 40 Days for Life. I had just returned from 10 days on the road doing PRC banquets and he asked me to join him. On this final day everyone who had prayed over the course of 40 days would gather at the local abortion clinic, encircle the building and pray. On our drive there we talked man to man. We talked of how hard it is for me at certain travel-times of the year to be the Dad that I want to be. Even when you travel for a purpose, a good godly purpose, there is still sadness at leaving the family you love. I think you understand. He expressed how he wished I could be home more. As the group formed a circle around that center, my son and I found our place to stand around the back of that nondescript building, starring into a double-locked chain link fenced eight-foot square. Through the privacy louvers you could see the containers, also locked, and labeled for medical waste disposal. I knew what they were. I did not know that my twelve-year-old son did. There are still some things that I prefer to protect him from. I'm sure you understand. We prayed, we sang, our hands dropped and we went to leave. The tug came on my left sleeve and I bent low. "Daddy, do you know what is in those containers?" "Yes, Son I do," I said as tears filled my eyes. "Daddy, that's what they wanted to do to me... that's what they would have done to you if they had gotten the chance," he said. "Yes son, but God had a better plan for our lives!" My son looked at me, in a moment that makes you proud to be a father and said, "It's really tough when you are away at these banquets... but keep doing what you are doing Dad... keep doing what you are doing."
In case you are wondering, that is the biggest reason I do these banquets! I sit here with tears of joy as I type this memory. It is one that I share often when I return to a center for the second time. I have never forgotten the experience of that day. I want to help your audience feel what it is to really save a life. When they can experience that emotion, coupled with the knowledge that their gift is working, they will want to give to your cause. The banquets I do are filled with joy, because saving lives is a joy. We are not celebrating what the enemy is doing; we are celebrating the lives we are saving! People want to join a winning team and I present your PRC as the winning team. I don't present abortion statistics... I share life-saving statistics! We clap and laugh a lot at these events because that is what victorious people do! The Bible says that God loves a cheerful-hilarious giver. I know why. Experience has shown me that cheerful-hilarious givers give more.
Every night I end my presentation by saying, "There is no place else I know of where people can give a dollar and know that the dollar given WILL go to save a life like the work of the local Pregnancy Resource Center." I believe in your ministry. This is the work that stops the mouths of the lions and the liars of the abortion industry. Let me provide the encouragement to move your donors into becoming planned-givers. It can be done. We have seen it all over the country.
If I can help you have a very successful banquet, I stand ready to serve. I seek out only those Directors who really want (and need) to be successful. I stand behind what I do with years of actual experience and my name. I know you can call anyone I have ever worked with and be assured that I come to work and not to play. If that is what you want to do, let's talk about how I can serve you. Call the office and Gloria will gladly give you my direct phone number. I schedule one day each week to work with PRC's and help them get ready for their fund raising events, even the ones I am not speaking at. May God bless your work in saving the lives of children and providing healing for hurting hearts.
Mike G. Williams
*What does scheduled and re-scheduled mean? The people who brought Mike in for a banquet asked him to return and the do the same thing the very next year. Some have used him more than twice. So... Mike get's to personally be part of a large amount of these events. Last year Mike spoke 142 times. That number is four times the amount of the average speaker.
PRC Fundraising References:
“Financially tripled! Nothing but positive comments.” PRC, Evansville, IN
"The count so far is at $330,000.00 but we have more still coming in..." Springfield, MO
“I wanted to let you know that Mike Williams was a great success. We tripled our donations from last year! I have heard nothing but wonderful comments from the community on what a tremendous performance he gave.” Life Choices
“We were especially please to receive so much positive feedback from the men, who are usually harder to please than the ladies that attend. Our one-time giving was up about 75%. Our new commitments went up 500%...” -PRC, Bakerfield, CA
"I also want to thank you for your words as you transitioned into
the appeal time. I appreciate your wisdom in asking us to allow you the
responsibility of making that appeal on our behalf. I especially
appreciated the quiet time of prayer - you could hear a pin drop. We
will not be having chicken and green beans next year! We were able to
raise $186,000 for the center. This will allow us to expand
some ministries that we wanted to expand. The lord certainly blessed us
that night, and for that we are thankful. I wish that we would have had
more time to spend together, just to talk and allow me to pick your
brain a little. Perhaps next time we have you come to town. Again,
thank you for partnering with us and helping this ministry to continue
to make a difference in the lives of so many in our community." -David Misner Director /Hope Center PRC Fort Wayne, IN
“You've come to our rescue yet again, and thoroughly surpassed the earlier record you set for us two years ago. We truly appreciate the talent -- and the personal commitment -- that you poured into our banquet.” -PRC, Lynchburg, VA
“We have far exceeded our financial goal. I sincerely hope you will consider coming back.” -PRC, Carrolton, GA
"We had many people say it was our best banquet ever. The comedy was very refreshing. People are still laughing and remembering his jokes with each other and asking if we can get him to come next year. He seemed to understand the mission of our ministry and was able to articulate it so that people were very moved and wanted to invest in it. PRC, Knox
“I have know Mike for many years. He knows how to lead a group to give. Many of the centers that Mike speaks at double and triple their goal through his passionate appeal. Mike is gifted at moving people to take their "one time" gifts and turning them into a strong repeated monthly gifts. If you need to raise more money than you did last year, I would make him your first call.” -Pastor Robert Lash, Grace Church
The best Banquet financially ever! We brought in $96,000 in cash and pledges. We have had tons of people to say that it was the best Banquet we've ever had. It was wonderful that we had so many new people there to get "initiated" into pregnancy care ministry in such a fun way. -CPC, Greenville, NC
At PRC fundraisers, Mike shares his personal story and gratefulness to the parents who adopted him from less than desirable circumstances. Then Mike shares about the adoption of their first child. You will laugh and cry, but most of all, you will believe that you too can make a difference through the support of your local center.
PRC events are scheduled exclusively by Gloria Leyda at 615-370-4700 xt 235
