Embrace the one thing for which God has established your ministry, which helps galvanize your staff, invigorate your financial partners, and set you apart from other ministries!
More and more ministries are joining the tournament/”-a-thon” craze that, like most events, require ridiculous amounts of time and attention in executing while resulting in proportionally smaller returns on the investment. It’s not just that I hate events, and I do despise event fundraising, it’s the fact that ministries engage in them for all the
While Giving Tuesday has proven to be the best donor acquisition tool for younger donors, ministries are finding that it’s the best tool period, and this year’s event, which is November 27, will be no exception. Along with the shift in the way people think about their giving, they also view non-profits differently, which is why traditional
In a survey of more than 16,500 people who had recently donated to 17 of its member ministries, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) finds differences between both millennial givers and those over the age of 35 that helps to create a profile of the millennial Christian giver. Almost all millennials surveyed gave to
Many ministries experience high levels of employee dissatisfaction because misperceptions often go unrecognized or unaddressed. Interestingly, the single most common employee complaint, regardless the industry or mission, is not being heard. When employees don’t feel heard, it stands to reason why misperceptions continue to proliferate an organization. It often leads to gossip (someone is finally
The loyalty and dedication of those that work inside a ministry is unlike most not-for-profits or businesses. They often work long hours and for little money and often work inside even the most dysfunctional organizations, because the eternal reward is their real payoff. Most ministries begin on shoestring budgets, understaffed with everyone doing a little
Developing major partners is about building relationships. From the online giver who makes a $15 gift to your organization, to the partner who gives $1 million to your capital campaign – in some way, you have built a relationship with each, which was key to their gift. Partners at every level value relationships and none
More than twenty-one years ago I married a Kansas State Wildcat, which has made for some fun in-home rivalry, especially before my beloved Texas Aggies joined the SEC. One of the things that I love about the Kansas State Wildcats (they were originally the Kansas State Aggies) is something you’ll see virtually everywhere in &
I was intending to write about how large an impact that a simple handwritten note can be to ministry partners when I got inspired. Every year certain neighborhoods in Dallas are victim to some species of migrating birds that can overwhelm a community with their incredibly loud squawks and unbelievably voluminous and noxious projectile excriment.
While it’s inherently true that most people do not like being asked to give money, I have found that the reason why most bristle when the opportunity to invest in a ministry’s Kingdom works is simple, there’s no real relationship. Many ministry organizations don’t talk to their financial partners at all or the only time
The Federal government requires all 501(c)[3] organizations be established by at least three directors. The reason behind the law is to prevent a not-for-profit organization from being controlled by a single individual. Governance is synonymous with accountability. It reflects biblical community, where we build up one another by holding one another to a higher standard.
