“Here’s the dirty little secret: starting something is insanely hard.”
This is an opening line in Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis’s Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, Launch the Venture of Your Dreams. Written by practicing entrepreneurs and talented fundraisers still in their early thirties, the new book dangerously joins a long list of practical how-to manuals focused on one of the most critical aspects of starting a business—raising money. Yet Get Backed, unlike many others, is both accessible and relatable to anyone trying to raise capital—from entrepreneurs to church planters.
Baehr and Loomis write from the perspective of their recent experiences—not all pretty—in raising tens of millions of dollars for ventures being built this very moment. Their refreshingly narrow focus answers a simple question: What does it take to get funded?
Although there’s no shortage of advice on fundraising, “most of it is terrible,” Loomis notes. That’s why he and Baehr wrote Get Backed; it’s the resource they wish they had when they set out to raise money for their own ventures. It goes to great lengths to demystify the fundraising process, countering the popular view that some are just born to raise money while others have no business trying. And it encourages would-be entrepreneurs to break the fundraising process down to its core, its essential elements.
The Friendship Loop
Get Backed is divided into two sections. The first, “Create Your Pitch,” is rich with insight and strong examples. It gets into the nitty gritty of things like story-crafting and pitch book designing. If you’re interested in raising money for anything—a company, a nonprofit, a mission trip, or a church—their pitch book framework is for you. You’ll find that, in just 10 slides, you can provide effective context to any discussion with potential funders.
Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, Launch the Venture of Your Dreams
Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis
Get Backed: Craft Your Story, Build the Perfect Pitch Deck, Launch the Venture of Your Dreams
Evan Baehr and Evan Loomis
The second section, “Get Backed,” is about the process by which you identify, approach, and engage potential investors. Though it’s helpful and informative for folks looking to raise capital for any project, its wisdom is mostly contextualized for raising money for a for-profit venture. That said, in this section Baehr and Loomis introduce the gem of the book: The Friendship Loop.
The Friendship Loop is about developing a disciplined fundraising approach and regimen—and, as the authors point out, it’s been used (intuitively or intentionally) by every successful and well-respected entrepreneur they’ve met. In the end, the Evans present this Loop as a call to relational stewardship, highlighting a sad pattern we often practice in fundraising efforts when we unwittingly prioritize cash over relationships. As they rightly note, there’s no real capital without earning trust.
As Baehr and Loomis explore The Friendship Loop further, they offer practical tips for how to initiate, develop, and strengthen relationships, particularly those where there’s an “ask” expected somewhere along the conversational journey. You’ll easily grasp their Intro-Build-Delight-Invite (and repeat) process and, if you achieve their goal, you’ll likely agree that “cash isn’t king; friendship is.” It’s a unique and needed perspective.
The Role of Sovereignty
Since their audience is secular (even though they themselves are followers of Christ) Loomis and Baehr don’t explore one of the most challenging aspects of fundraising—the role of God’s sovereignty.
When we seek to advance a cause, further an organization, or raise funds, we use books like Get Backed to help us maximize our chances for success, but we don’t always bring home the bacon. This is because God rules—always—and we know his ways are mysterious. He has purpose even in closed doors.
In fundraising, all you can do is bring your best; once “the ask” is out there, you sit entirely at the mercy of the potential giver, investor, or backer. Investors can’t be coerced into participating in something they don’t like or understand. So you don’t just ready your story or your pitch book; you also ready your heart to potentially hear “no”—No, I’m not willing to risk my money. No, I can’t make a commitment at this time—even as you labor in every way for a “yes.”
This is what Nehemiah did.
Nehemiah was a cupbearer to the king when he received word that, though a Jewish remnant had survived the exile, Jerusalem and its walls were in shambles. Upon hearing this news, Nehemiah was deeply affected and entered a period of concerted mourning, prayer, and fasting. As he emerged from his retreat, he offered a beautiful prayer that fundraisers would be wise to consult:
O LORD God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father’s house have sinned. We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. . . . O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. (Neh. 1:5–11)
Nehemiah later finds himself in the king’s presence and is visibly sad. Having been trustworthy as the king’s servant over the years, the king is quick to recognize Nehemiah’s state as a sadness of heart, and he wants to help. Upon this inquiry, Nehemiah makes “the ask”: Would you bless my journey back to Jerusalem, and further, would you provide the letters I need to pave the way for rebuilding the walls? It’s vision-casting at its finest, and Nehemiah receives the king’s favor—thanks to the generous provision of “success” from the Lord.
Growing things—whether a company, a project, or a church—from scratch is hard business. It requires tools, vision, determination, and grit. But it also requires relationships and divine provision. Get Backed will prepare you in almost every way for your next fundraising effort. After that, it’s up to God to build the house.