“A goal without a plan, is just a wish.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery  “If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it.” Abraham Lincoln We all know how important it is to plan. Yet, often we fail to act and therefore do not bear the fruit of a life lived on purpose. It’s a new year. Today is the day to start asking yourself questions that will lead you to live the life you were born to live ...Read more »

"The ear of the leader must ring with the voices of the people."  — Woodrow Wilson Major gift fundraising is more about listening than talking. You’ve seen it and know it's true. The fundraiser who talks too much tends to fail. At times it is hard to draw a line between expressing our passion and including people into our vision. We tend to talk more, where we feel in control and comfortable. But we soon find that we’ve left everyone behind—including the major ...Read more »

The key to your successful capital campaign is sitting in your boardroom. However, I cannot tell you if they’re ready. Sometimes I meet with ministry leaders that have forgotten the incredible opportunity the board has to impact their organization in tangible and profound ways. Many times, our boards get so focused on the day to day and other board duties. And we forget they were assembled to protect the mission and lead your organization to its fulfillment. Have you forgotten what ...Read more »

Board of Directors. Just saying this name can induce all kinds of emotion, ranging from great discouragement to great inspiration. But, as a non-profit executive director, you have a great opportunity to set the tone and strike a balance that will allow you to productively collaborate with your board in the best interest of the ministry. Here is a list of things you can begin focusing on right now to help you change the tone of your board meetings...

We, as Christians, are often afraid to say that we want to be great...somehow in our effort to pursue humility, we have confused the definition of great with arrogance...Read more »

We live in a day and age where it seems there is never enough time. I think we are starting to believe time is working against us, when really it may be a lack of direction getting in the way. Here is the thing. I meet a lot of people in this business who are passionate about what they are called to do.  Most of the passionate people I meet would verbalize that goals are an important tool to meeting mission objectives. However, the majority of those same people do not commit their goals t ...Read more »

Development officers, we are notorious for missing the point—at least I can be. It is so easy to fall into the pressure and excitement of fundraising and minimize our job to just raising money. Perhaps this is why I often run into discouragement and burnout in the field. Focusing all your efforts on fundraising for “the next big thing” is like being trapped on a gerbil wheel. You were created for more than that. Development officers are relationship builders. Imagine how w ...Read more »

God planted a dream inside of you. Maybe you believed that at one time...But, perhaps your dream is barely a memory now, lost in the thick of day-to-day and disillusionment.Read more »

You can’t give away what you don’t have.  That’s why growing ministries are led by people who are consistently growing themselves—personally and professionally...

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When is the last time you evaluated the effectiveness of your Board of Directors? The role of a Board is to protect the mission, live by it’s governing values, and help the ministry accomplish its vision. That’s a big job! Read more »