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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Mission or Movement?
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 […]
What’s the Plan?
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 […]
Shaken, Not Stirred
“For behold, I am commanding, and I will shake the house of Israel among all nations, as grain is shaken in a sieve, but not a kernel will fall to the ground.” These words from Amos 9:9 are resonating with me and I feel called to share them with you during the latter part of […]
Shaped by Sway
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 […]
Playing the Long Game
Think back to when you were a senior in high school. Try to place yourself back into the mentality of the world being your oyster. The future was wide open, and yours for the taking! Or was it? Did your parents help guide you through it? Perhaps you found an out-of-state school with all the […]
Virtual Vision
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 […]
Ordinary for the Extraordinary
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 […]
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!