The human brain likes to group.
It generalizes.
It categorizes.
It organizes.
The first time you saw an Archie comic at the grocery store checkout line, I doubt the decorative cardstock indicating the cost also defined the comic book for you.
My guess is the more you encountered books with recurring characters comprised of drawings enclosed in gridlike patterns with speech bubbles exclaiming, “Wham!”, “Wowzers” and “$*@!” the better you understood, there was a category of books called ‘comic’ into which all of the above fit.
This is also why your brain quickly decided your parents’ latest issue of “National Geographic,” though also a magazine, did not qualify as a comic book.
I firmly believe in looking at what doesn’t work alongside what does. There are lessons to be learned from both.
Here are eight things not to do in, with, or for your ministry.
Don’t Fund your budget. Fund a plan.
I see this all the time.
It’s normal to think about your budget. To have budget goals.
“We have this fiscal year or this calendar year to meet such and such goal.” And you keep viewing the budget as something you must do to keep going.
The plans you have are above and beyond budget. Capital improvements, innovations, special needs, etc., exceed what you have.
All of this is important.
To you.
None of this is attractive – to donors.
Donors do not want to hear about your budget.
Though the budget keeps you up at night, it is nothing more than what keeps lights on to your givers.
If you’re honest with yourself, you will also start to hate hearing about it.
A budget is simply a plan to do amazing things in the lives of the people you serve.
Suppose you take your one-year plan and expand it to a three-year plan. In that case, donors are very interested in hearing where it is going, the projected growth, coming improvements, new projects, etc., which naturally encourages momentum.
Don’t focus on trailing indicators. Focus on leading indicators.
Your current month’s giving results from your thanking and reporting cycle. The time to impact it has passed.
Face-to-face work, the number of people you are mobilizing into small groups, the communications you lead them through, etc., are the activities that shape future giving.
Don’t fail to follow up, follow through, and forget to recover.
We communicate, but we don’t follow up.
Or we have a plan put in place, we get halfway through it, we haven’t followed through, but we’ve also mobilized a lot of energy, and we just have to move on to the next thing.
We don’t build in time for recovery.
All of the above squelches momentum.
Don’t have imaginary conversations.
Stop the pretend conversations in your head about what donors are feeling or saying, or not doing along the way.
You have all these explanations for what’s going on, good or bad, but you don’t have actual conversations with people.
Catch yourself by self-monitoring. Ask yourself, “Is this an imaginary conversation? Am I predicting how the donor will respond? Or do I know because I have talked with these people? Have I been in a room with these people or conversed with them on the phone?
Don’t wait until you have all of the information.
We frequently see organizations stuck in the habit of holding patterns, waiting to see how the economy unfolds for the final numbers on a project or how they’re tracking on a new budget.
When you have all the information, you’re putting givers in reactive mode, which is not where you want to be.
You want givers in a proactive mode with you, thinking farther down the road, even if some of that is uncomfortable.
Don’t seek excessive stability, certainty, or sustainability.
It’s easier said than done, especially when things are rocky on the economic front, but attempts to cement grappling hooks in any security the world can offer are mere illusions.
Instead, be faithful and diligent to create the stability you can, to create certainty that you can, and to create longevity in your organization.
When people start to throw around stability, certainty, or sustainability, I find it helpful to ask what number or numbers would bring them comfort. Is there a certain number of staff or people served that will help? Is there a certain amount of giving that will provide margin and breathing room? Move from a concept or an emotion to a measurable number you can plan.
Don’t stay stuck in overwhelm and burnout.
Though this is the soup du jour of American culture, it’s a quicksand to avoid.
Get unstuck through self-leadership and recovery disciplines. It’s not simple, but it can and must be done to move forward.
Every saint, every example we have in all the scripture shows that this is a normal part of being human, particularly of being a leader.
Just because this is normal does not mean that it is God’s desire for you and His plan for you to stay stuck forever.
Think of Jesus saying to the man who had been ill for many years, “Do you want to get well?”
The implication is we can stay stuck or get well.
Don’t get emotionally attached to the outcomes.
It is natural to feel passionate about your ministry, your outreach, your projects, your accomplishments, and the work your team is doing.
This passion is part of your gifting and why you are called to development and leadership.
However, we must remember the greatest among us will be servant-hearted. Proverbs is wise to remind us we make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.
Staying connected to the will of God, not the outcome, keeps you connected to momentum.
Ultimately we are here to serve and accomplish His will on earth through the vast array of channels He has positioned us in around the globe.
He’s already secured the most significant victory, which we must tether to.
By avoiding these eight missteps and mishaps, you and your organization will keep the momentum rolling into this next season.
I look forward to hearing how it blesses your team and how you put these tips into practice. Don’t hesitate to reach out via text! I will respond personally. Keep moving forward.