In development, we get out what we’re willing to put in. How are you utilizing your board members and committees? There’s untapped potential – let’s tap into it in 3 ways today!
Wartime Priorities
You are the general of your ministry organization. It’s time to enter the war room and not reemerge until you draw up war plans. What does this mean? Two steps, endless possibilities!
Noteworthy Meetings | Tools of the Trade
When you ask a question, there is power in the answer. Are you listening? Are you harnessing it? One notebook has the potential to guide you to do just that!
Bored with your Board?
I often hear complaints from development and advancement directors and teams working with faith-based nonprofit organizations, schools, and missions. “Our board doesn’t get involved.” “Our board doesn’t contribute.” You’re bored… with your board. At times, this can be completely confounding. The Christian mindset is to build one another up, to defend the widows and the […]
To Delegate is to Disciple | Leading Well Through Mentorships
Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.” As leaders, we carry the amazing responsibility of raising others up to stand on level ground, and even to push them above and beyond. In so many areas of our faith, we are encouraged to think […]
Growing Pains
May I be blunt? I don’t really have any interest in you learning for the sake of learning, though I’m the first to admit I have a teacher’s heart. I’m more interested in what you and your team are going to do with the skills, tactics, and tools we discuss. Keeping this in mind, let’s […]
Discipline Can Be Deceiving
From the outside, as I hiked with several leaders after a long and productive day, it likely looked like I was a diligent, structured, disciplined person. I say this because several people commented on just that. However, that was merely a reaction to evidence available at the moment. I love discipline. I admire it. I […]
Evolving as a Leader | Doing More With Teams
As leaders, it’s imperative we deal with both success and stress in healthy ways so as to not discourage future generations of leaders. One of the most common questions clients and colleagues ask is, “How can I do more with a team?” I’d like to suggest today it’s not what the team can do, but […]
The Exception is Not The Rule
From the thousands of interviews with major donors and from the constant conversation with our major donor advisors that I have, there is one word that keeps coming up. Flabbergasted. They will say that they are “flabbergasted” at the size of gifts they are being asked for in a first meeting. Too many operate with […]
Importance of Influence During 2020
The ongoing work to grow giving that saves and changes lives is just a set of skills and disciplines. Why, then, is it so daunting in any season, but especially so amidst these extraordinary challenges for 2020. Along with countless other skills each of us have picked up in 2020, development leaders must add growing […]
Are You Thinking Big Enough
When it comes to resources, I think many of us often feel constrained. We don’t have enough giving or we don’t have enough money. We know what we think we need, and we know what we hope for to meet these needs. We may even have a vision in our minds, but others wear it […]
Challenge Calls for Courage
Stephen Covey wisely said, “Keep the main thing the main thing.” For development leaders and team members, Spring is the time for updating your prospect plan. It’s hard, if not impossible, to take massive action if we don’t have a good reminder of the structure we’re following and what we truly need to accomplish in […]
Building the 200
As we grow increasingly intentional in 2020, I want everyone to call to mind those on your list of people you’re shepherding. Ideally, you call to mind your master list of the 100 to 200 people you’ve focused on relationally this year. As development directors, the most we can interact with yet still create and […]
Going Virtual in a Viral World
We are living day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, or so it seems, when it comes to event planning in our current pandemic circumstances. It’s springtime and for many leaders this season is synonymous with the big event. The large gathering. The fundraising mothership. But, we can’t. So what can we do? […]
Redefining Success | Navigating COVID-19
Many of you have reached out with the same basic, but ever so complicated, question: What do we do now? Although many things remain to be sorted out, we have three important steps for you and your organizations to take today for a stronger tomorrow. Update Timelines At this point we have no way of […]
Reframe to Regain | Bringing Purpose to Perspective
The higher your degree of ownership, the higher your standards. I’ve found this to be true both in my professional and personal life. I’ve also found these standards to be hindering… or rather I once did. If nothing else, I want your takeaway to be this: You have options. Oftentimes being an achiever is a […]
The Process of Bearing Fruit
These are challenging times. It’s important, and I believe helpful, to call to mind those who came before us and have stood where we stand. While we’ve no proof that any of the disciples were ordered to shelter in place due to a virus, we DO have proof that they faced many trials of all […]
Positioned to Achieve | Resetting and Hitting Giving Goals in These Unusual Times
How do you know that you are putting yourselves in a position to achieve giving goals in these remarkable times? No one can see the future, but we can lean on God’s promises and steward well what we’ve been given to predict our financial future. Today I want to look at two areas to place […]
Keeping the Faith | When Leaders Need Encouragement
Earlier this week, a member of our team was approached with an amusing question. Her younger son asked why we celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and even Grandparent’s Day … but not “Kid’s Day” in America. Not wanting to sound bitter or patronizing, she simply replied that every day is a day to celebrate awesome […]
Momentum Motivates
I know exercise is good for me. I know I feel better when I workout. I know my physical health directly connects to my mental health and attention paid to one directly benefits the other. So why do I stop? Why do I have days or even weeks where I don’t exercise at all? Why […]