Imagine a minivan parked on the side of the road. Now imagine shifting the van into neutral. Please give it enough oomph to make it 500 feet to a gas pump right up the road if needed. What if this same van was on a slight incline? Feel confident? You may need a friend to […]
Now Is the Time for Massive Action
If you are serving in a Christian school or ministry, we firmly believe that NOW is the time to take massive action to grow significant giving that moves you forward. YOUR potential donors likely feel a sense of opportunity and even urgency in finding and giving to deserving impactful organizations. Will they choose your ministry […]
Reinvention IS Innovation
The start of the calendar year is an excellent time to take a step back and look at the big picture. To look at what you’re working on within your organization. To look at who you’re working with at your ministry. At Development and Leadership Coaching, we hear weekly from one organization or another that […]
5 Numbers to Know in the New Year
The start of a new year is when people are driven and willing to sit down and look at what’s working and what needs to be reworked. A clean slate is more than just exciting – it’s a prime opportunity to clarify who your organization is and what it stands for, allowing for disciplined planning. […]
Planning With Purpose in the New Year
For some of us, the dawn of a new year represents a clean slate, a fresh start, perhaps another opportunity to get going on all of the resolutions we set aside last year. For those of us in development and leadership, a new calendar year also signifies that it’s time to determine a strategy for […]
Are They Picking Up What You’re Putting Down?
Think about the members of your team. Picture them in your office or workspace. What do you see? Who’s listening to music? Who can’t work unless their space is tidied? Does anyone have a variety of colors and textures in their area? What about seating selections? Does everyone use a classic chair or do some […]
Giving | How to Talk the Talk
Leaders in development are aware there are deficits – costs that must be covered and debts that must be paid. This is not, however, what donors are interested in hearing. What’s an organization to do? What Do We Focus On? It’s important not to think or talk in percentages – even internally – about development. […]
Approval or Affirmation?
There’s an old saying: ask for forgiveness rather than permission. If you’ve been in advancement for more than two minutes, you’ve been tempted to take this same approach with your board of directors more than once! How can people who don’t see the ins and outs of how you and your team are killing themselves, […]
Relationships That Reach
My dad always said, “Your salvation will not drop from a distant sky.” Practically speaking, there’s no way to identify and discover large donors from out of nowhere. The work is called development – it’s a journey, a discipline of connecting the dots and being an excellent steward of the relationships that God has already […]
Unplugged or Unglued?
Many are still reeling and suffering from the past two years due to a once-in-a-generation health crisis among other challenges . All are still facing the daily working definition of returning to ‘normal’ and what that looks like in ministries. Reality is a significant challenge that we continue to lead through, and it will continue […]
The Power of Thoughtful Leaders Using Artificial Intelligence
In the waning days of 2022, we formed a Task Force at Development & Leadership Coaching to consider a specific question. How should generative AI be utilized by leaders who seek to grow significant giving and unlock the hidden capacity in their faith-based organizations? This position paper captures the latest thinking of our team on […]
Motivate Your Team to Get Moving
One of the best ways to re-engage energy from a team is to go through a process of planning. It doesn’t have to be a very complicated process, and the plan itself doesn’t even have to be that ingenious, but the process itself has tremendous value, maybe even more value than a written plan. Re-engage […]
Metrics that Measure
Any development director worth their weight has figures and facts on the tip of their tongue for use at any given moment. You have a brand to market. Is your marketing based on measurement or the other way around? Statistics are magical – they can show whatever it is that you want. You have the […]
Growing Church Partnerships
God created us to live in a community with others. Writing to the Romans, Paul makes our mutual dependency a focal point of his letter. “I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to make you strong— that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s […]
Reflections on Mom
Mothers and their children have a powerful relationship like no other. I am a witness to this. I’m a son, and I’ve walked with my incredible wife Paula as she mothers our two sons, who are now grown-up young men. As your life from childhood to adulthood unfolds, a slow change occurs. You begin with […]
Inform to Impact
Development is a journey of moving from treating everyone equally to treating everyone individually. You’re never going to do that perfectly. You’re never going to be able to treat all people individually ideally, but you always want to be moving toward that. One step in the right direction would be to use input and feedback […]
Evil is Eliminated
Let’s face it – we are living in a crazy time. Let’s just look at the past several years…a global pandemic, war torn countries, ever increasing interest rates, and soaring gas prices (just to name a few things) have likely impacted you personally, and quite possibly your ministry. I want to speak to the doubt, […]
Facing the New Year
As we embark on our next year together, it’s important to point out the value of the face-to-face meeting. In our world, there are countless ways to communicate without actually connecting. At DLC, we’re focused on building and growing relationships. Guess what? So are your donors! Efficient communication has its time and place. Effective communication […]
Who’s Who in Your What?
I once heard Chuck Swindoll say Paul was a recovering people pleaser. Galatians 1:10 says it best as Paul asks, “Am I now seeking the favor of men or of God, or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” Paul […]
Engaging Endowments
“Endowment” is a harsh word for many, but it need not be. I suggest, instead, we think of it as an allowance. When our boys were younger, they completed certain chores around the house as part of our family. In return, they received a small allowance. Knowing they would most likely complete their assigned tasks […]