For all the parents who practiced philanthropy with their kids, a survey released this year provides some good news: The next generation of donors, who stand to inherit trillions of dollars and create trillions more in their lifetimes, has grownRead more…
Xenophon’s Cyrus the Great
I’m often asked to recommend my top leadership or management book. So, almost on autopilot, I hit play and blather the following: “It’s impossible to pick one leadership book. Everyone’s at different levels of experience and need. That’s why youRead more…
What Every Board Member Needs To Know About Fundraising
If you’re a board member for a nonprofit organization, I bet you are dealing with fundraising issues more often than not. As a board member, you are voting to support (or not support) various fundraising strategies. You are probably allocatingRead more…
The 5 W’s of Philanthropy
Too often fundraising appeals emphasize what the charity needs, not what the supporter wants. Customized, strategic communication should focus on identifying and building relationships to increase donations and support. Who are your fundraisers? What is the demographic makeup of your supporters andRead more…
7 Ways to Kiss Fundraising Goodbye [Slideshare]
Traditional fundraising is broken. It lock nonprofits and charities in an endless cycle of chasing low return activities. A much better approach is to create a sustainable financial model that aligns well with your mission and core competencies. Nonprofits must moveRead more…
6 Types of Stories that Spur Giving
As a fundraiser, you aim to change how people perceive your organization’s work and cause, then motivate them to give. Connection is the lubricant for this conversion, but the deadly dull way so many organizations discuss their work frequently getsRead more…
How Do You Define Success?
How do you define success in your church or ministry setting? In The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes, R. Scott Rodin, Wesley K. Willmer, and I suggest that most people define success in one of two ways, and thisRead more…
Workplace Ministry
Workplace Ministry. I seek every day to minister to those at work. I have to stay prayed up at the workplace. Satan is so busy and there are so many attitudes that we have to face each day. I alwaysRead more…
Papers from the Stewardship Summit 2014
Purchase the excellent e-book of the 2014 Stewardship Summit for $20 through the given website. The Stewardship Summit is a gathering of thought leaders and practicioners concerned with steward leadership and steward cultivation. Authors in the e-book include: An IntroductionRead more…
A Steward’s Relationship With the Owner
Most definitions of stewardship include in one way or another the concept “to manage resources that belong to another.” But what most definitions miss is a critical aspect of a steward’s role: that stewards manage those resources in order to achieveRead more…