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You are here: Home / Archives for development

Approval or Affirmation?

by Zach Clark

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, […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: affirmation, board, Christian leaders, development, dialogue, feedback, leadership, leadership skills, ministry, support

Relationships That Reach

by Zach Clark

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: assess, Christian leaders, christian leadership, coaching, development, engage, enquire, identify, journey, leaders, leadership, relationships

Facing the New Year

by Zach Clark

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: communication, development, development and leadership, facetoface, leadership, leadership skills, ministry, stewardship

Mission or Movement?

by Zach Clark

What came first? The mission statement or the movement? Like the age-old chicken or the egg, there isn’t a definitive starting point that always hits the mark. If you’re in development, you may find organizations and ministries for which you could ask – and never answer – this very question.  Sometimes, organizations hit the ground […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: @zachclark, development, developmentandleadership, leadership, ministry, ministry leaders, mission, prospect planning, strategy, vision

What’s the Plan?

by Zach Clark

Resting in peace, not dead.  Between jobs, not unemployed. Thrifty, not cheap. Unique, not odd. Golden years, not old age. Euphemisms are proof of just how much the English language loves to spin.  It’s time for a spin in development. It’s time to present the possibility of Planned Giving. Organizations faced with the stress of […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: development, donor development, generosity, giving, leadership, ministry, nonprofits, Planning, prospect planning, relationships, strategy, vision

Shaped by Sway

by Zach Clark

As humans, we cling to what is tangible when defining our success.  In the world of advancement, it’s tempting to measure success by funds raised and the number of zeros before the decimal point. But, to get to the top, we look at the bottom line.  Development is the work of raising money.  We must […]

Filed Under: Articles, Uncategorized Tagged With: belief, development, faith, focus, fundraising, God, leadership, ministry, ministry leaders, mission, relationship building, success, vision

What’s Your Type?

by Zach Clark

Years ago I adopted a strategy when addressing board members in a way that’s direct but gentle, effective but compassionate. When working with board members who serve at schools, a colleague of mine likes to ask new board members how many children they have attending the school. As most parents do, a smile will spread […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: boards, christian schools, development, development and leadership, encouragement, faith, inspiration, leadership skills, ministry

Virtual Vision

by Zach Clark

Have you ever purchased a lawnmower and then decided you’d rather use it as a shower curtain? Probably not. Form follows function – in more ways than one. You’ve heard us advocate for hiring better rather than hiring often. What does that mean when you hire an individual for an office position and they’re now […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: calendaring, development, hiring, leadership, ministry, strategy, team building, virtual, vision

Ordinary for the Extraordinary

by Zach Clark

Missionary and evangelist Jim Elliot once wrote, “Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.” Elliot had a heart for unreached people and a passion for sharing the Gospel. For more than three years, Elliot worked with four other missionaries to orchestrate Operation Auca. The Huaorani people were an […]

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: christianschools, development, faith, followup, generosity, giving, God, leadership, ministry, mission, missionary, vision

Don’t Build Your Foundation on Foundations

by Zach Clark

Don’t Build Your Foundation on Foundations

Today I’d like to share my advice on how to determine if such a path is right for you or not and what to keep in mind.

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, @zachclark, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, motivation, Planning, productivity

Reflect to Connect

by Zach Clark

Reflect to Connect

Recording personal reflections is a discipline I have worked to develop over the years. I believe knowing where I’ve come from helps inform where and how I move forward.

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, @zachclark, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, motivation, Planning, productivity

Lead Well by Reinventing Yourself

by Zach Clark

Lead Well

In your budgeting spreadsheet, how much have you accounted for the amount of influence you have on those around you? Today is the day to reinvent and reimagine your impact!

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, @zachclark, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, motivation, Planning, productivity

Development Committees | Setting the Standard

by Zach Clark

Development Committees | Setting the Standard

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!

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, influence, leadership, leadership skills, management, mission, motivation, Planning, productivity

Wartime Priorities

by Zach Clark

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!

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, influence, leadership, leadership skills, management, mission, motivation, Planning, productivity, team building

Noteworthy Meetings | Tools of the Trade

by Zach Clark

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!

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, influence, leadership, leadership skills, management, mission, motivation, Planning, productivity, team building, training

Bored with your Board?

by Zach Clark

Bored with your Bored?

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, influence, leadership, leadership skills, management, mission, motivation, Planning, productivity, team building, training, vision

To Delegate is to Disciple | Leading Well Through Mentorships

by Zach Clark

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, influence, leadership, leadership skills, management, mission, motivation, Planning, productivity, team building, training, vision

Growing Pains

by Zach Clark

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @effective, @giving, challenges, Christian leaders, christian leadership, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, leadership, leadership skills, management, ministry, mission, motivation, relationships, self-leadership, vision

Discipline Can Be Deceiving

by Zach Clark

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @giving, @zachclark, Christian leaders, christian leadership, core values, cultivating, development, development and leadership, developmentandleadership, influence, leader, leadership, management, motivation, Planning, relationships, self-leadership, success, team building, training, vision

Growing as a Leader | Doing More With Teams

by Zach Clark

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 […]

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Tagged With: @giving, @zachclark, Christian leaders, development, developmentandleadership, leadership, motivation, relationships, training

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