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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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.
Lead Well by Reinventing Yourself
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!
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 […]
Growing as a Leader | Doing More With Teams
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 […]
The Exception is Not The Rule
From the thousands of interviews with major donors and from the constant conversation with our major donor advisors that I have, there is one word that keeps coming up. Flabbergasted. They will say that they are “flabbergasted” at the size of gifts they are being asked for in a first meeting. Too many operate with […]
Importance of Influence During 2020
The ongoing work to grow giving that saves and changes lives is just a set of skills and disciplines. Why, then, is it so daunting in any season, but especially so amidst these extraordinary challenges for 2020. Along with countless other skills each of us have picked up in 2020, development leaders must add growing […]
Are You Thinking Big Enough
When it comes to resources, I think many of us often feel constrained. We don’t have enough giving or we don’t have enough money. We know what we think we need, and we know what we hope for to meet these needs. We may even have a vision in our minds, but others wear it […]
Building the 200
As we grow increasingly intentional in 2020, I want everyone to call to mind those on your list of people you’re shepherding. Ideally, you call to mind your master list of the 100 to 200 people you’ve focused on relationally this year. As development directors, the most we can interact with yet still create and […]
Going Virtual in a Viral World
We are living day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, or so it seems, when it comes to event planning in our current pandemic circumstances. It’s springtime and for many leaders this season is synonymous with the big event. The large gathering. The fundraising mothership. But, we can’t. So what can we do? […]
Redefining Success | Navigating COVID-19
Many of you have reached out with the same basic, but ever so complicated, question: What do we do now? Although many things remain to be sorted out, we have three important steps for you and your organizations to take today for a stronger tomorrow. Update Timelines At this point we have no way of […]
Reframe to Regain | Bringing Purpose to Perspective
The higher your degree of ownership, the higher your standards. I’ve found this to be true both in my professional and personal life. I’ve also found these standards to be hindering… or rather I once did. If nothing else, I want your takeaway to be this: You have options. Oftentimes being an achiever is a […]
The Process of Bearing Fruit
These are challenging times. It’s important, and I believe helpful, to call to mind those who came before us and have stood where we stand. While we’ve no proof that any of the disciples were ordered to shelter in place due to a virus, we DO have proof that they faced many trials of all […]
Positioned to Achieve | Resetting and Hitting Giving Goals in These Unusual Times
How do you know that you are putting yourselves in a position to achieve giving goals in these remarkable times? No one can see the future, but we can lean on God’s promises and steward well what we’ve been given to predict our financial future. Today I want to look at two areas to place […]
Keeping the Faith | When Leaders Need Encouragement
Earlier this week, a member of our team was approached with an amusing question. Her younger son asked why we celebrate Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and even Grandparent’s Day … but not “Kid’s Day” in America. Not wanting to sound bitter or patronizing, she simply replied that every day is a day to celebrate awesome […]
Momentum Motivates
I know exercise is good for me. I know I feel better when I workout. I know my physical health directly connects to my mental health and attention paid to one directly benefits the other. So why do I stop? Why do I have days or even weeks where I don’t exercise at all? Why […]
4 Simple Questions for Complicated Seasons
Too much to do, too little time. Sound familiar? For most leaders, end of year can be a stressful time. With mere days left in the giving year and calendars filling up with holiday celebrations and obligations, December can be a tricky month to navigate. It doesn’t have to be. At all times, but especially […]