It’s amazing the fantastic stewardship resources available at no charge and a mere computer click away on denominational websites. My latest find is a series of short (6 to 8 minute) video-taped conversations between renowned Old Testament scholar and stewardship teacher par excellence, Walter Brueggemann and Laurel Johnston, program officer for stewardship for the Episcopal [...]
Happy birthday, John Wesley. You’re my stewardship hero.
June 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
My blogger pal, Devin Manzull0 -Thomas, reminded me that today is the 308th anniversary of the birth of John Wesley, the patron saint of United Methodists and other Wesleyan leaning denominations. (This includes the Brethren in Christ Church, of which Devin and I are both members.) As would be expected for a blog titled “The [...]
Is your fundraising program punching above or below weight?
June 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The description of a small but feisty nonprofit as “punching above its weight,” caught my attention. Not that I’m a fan of boxing metaphors (or boxing, for that matter). It was the clarity of the message that got me. This is an organization that’s performing beyond expectations, the phrase suggests. This is an organization that’s using the [...]
Act now to break the insanity cycle in fundraising
June 22, 2011 By 2 Comments
I wish it wasn’t so, but the financial reality of way too many ministry organizations makes it tough to believe that God is enough. The specter of scarcity seems to lurk around every corner, and especially so at fiscal year-end. Organizational leaders can talk ’til the cows come home about confidence in God’s abundance, but the words ring hollow [...]
Bagging a different kind of CEO
June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
My recent involvement in three CEO searches (one as counsel and two as a member of the search committee) has given me a new appreciation for Flannery O’Connor’s lament about a good man [woman] being hard to find. It’s no small task for faith-based nonprofits — and especially those with modest budgets – to fill the seat at the top. For several years now, the average tenure of nonprofit [...]
Testing your board’s campaign readiness
June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
At the first hint that a major gifts or capital campaign is in the cards for an organization– even if the launch date is a year or two into the future — board members should begin immediately to prepare themselves for their leadership role. As many an expert on governance has observed, as the board performs, [...]
Speaking up for high touch in a high tech world
June 13, 2011 By 2 Comments
Can someone please get John Naisbitt on the line? For more than 30 years, his notion of high tech/high touch has held sway. But now, as social media takes the world by storm, the idea of touch seems as passe as a rotary dial telephone. Even the smallest, most grassroots-bound nonprofits are being urged (dragged) on to the technology band wagon. The push [...]
Teach your children (to give) well
June 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I have to chuckle when non-church folks trot out as something new, a bit of wisdom that’s well-known and long-followed in religious circles. Consider for example an article from Reuters Wealth highlighting the role of parents in shaping kids as “charity champions.” The writer’s advice to moms and dads? Generous is as generous sees. Perhaps the most important [...]
