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 […]
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, […]
The Core 4
How can you know where you’re going when you don’t know where you are? The same holds true in reverse! Paying attention to the CORE FOUR will keep you on track!
Reminders for Relating
Little nudges make for big impacts in the minds of your donors. In the unknown, make sure current and past givers know where your ministry stands…and how to stand by you!
5 Wrongs Don’t Make a Right
Do you learn more from success or failure? I am a firm believer in the power of using what went wrong to make something go right. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid.
Covered NOT Cancelled
Ecclesiastes 7:21 states in part, “Do not take to heart all the things people say…” Ignoring what others say about something or someone you care about has always been easier said than done, but never more so than in these past few months. Divisions from cultural movements have swept the news cycle, filled our social […]
Clear Skies Ahead | Flying Above Overwhelm
I’ve always been mystified with flight. The fact that those who came before us were so bold as to see the birds of the sky and think, “Hey, we can do that!” is astounding in its own right. Add to it that two young, adventurous, North Carolina boys made that dream a reality blows my […]
Idea of Stress
Anxiety takes many forms, but it all comes back to wanting MY will over THY will. Learning to differentiate between GOOD & BAD stress can make all the difference.
Battle Ready
Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. It’s vital for your ministry to evaluate what you want your impact to be as you move forward into the unknown
Choose Your Battles
Do you find yourself discounting your opportunities before they even happen because the donor prospect is difficult? It’s time to move past that way of thinking.
Creating a High Impact Board
In real relationships you talk about things that are important to you. That’s how you know a real relationship from others. Let’s look at 3 WAYS to get REAL with your board to make REAL change.
Keep Moving Forward
Leaps of faith are thrilling in movies, but not in business. There is, however, something to be said for moving forward with purpose, on purpose.