Some potential saints are helped along in their cause by active boosters at the local level or in Rome. For example, some saintly candidates move extremely slowly through the various layers of canonization or may be, in fact, stalled in the process. Their cause languishes in musty files in Rome because there is no group lobbying for their canonization.

Money can also help a would-be saint's cause. While no one who is worthy will be sidelined because of a lack of funds to advance the cause, backers have much to spend their dollars on: fundraisers to bring in more money for their cause; high-quality — and fast — research on their candidate's life; the ability to fly witnesses and supporters to Rome when needed for testimony; publicity, perhaps with a regularly published newsletter that can also bring in word of miracles to be studied; and in general, public relations, never letting the candidate's name drop from sight for too long. If all else is equal, these folks can often steer their saintly candidates to canonization more quickly than those with no public relations effort behind them.