Communities of Faith at Risk

Faith-based nonprofits and religious orders have reason to be concerned with the outcomes of the coming election. Government agencies at every level are on a path to completely secularize our society and any organization whose services have a basis in faith and promoting spiritual life-change.

Hillary Clinton has stated that religious (i.e. biblical) beliefs that are contrary to modern liberal dogma must be changed. She got strong support for her view this week from a newly released report by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. This report attacks religious freedom and declares that religious liberty must be subordinated to civil rights laws. The report is a declaration of war against religious freedom.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (USCCR) report, "Peaceful Coexistence: Reconciling Nondiscrimination Principles with Civil Liberties," is a shocking example of the war against religious freedom in America. The recently released Commission's report is a shameful anti-American and anti-God document that trashes religious freedom.

Martin Castro, named USCCR chairman by President Obama in 2011, says that the words "religious freedom" and "religious liberty" have become merely code words for intolerance, Christian supremacy, racism, sexism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and therefore must yield before LGBT anti-discrimination laws. Regarding sexual orientation and gender identity, this report also does not support those people who hold to the religious belief that marriage is reserved to one man and one woman as they provide services such as marriage licenses, photography, cake decorating or flower arranging. (I wonder when we'll see people of other religions face this issue)

The focus of the "Peaceful Coexistence" report states that granting religious exemptions to nondiscrimination laws "significantly infringes" on the civil rights of those claiming civil rights protections on the basis of "race, color, national origin, sex, disability status, sexual orientation and gender identity." The report calls for laws that eliminate exemptions or accommodation for religious convictions.

Chairman Castro is out of touch with reality and with our Constitution. He and the other members of the Commission who agree with him want to throw out the First Amendment and trash religious freedom whenever faith and practice collide with an intolerant secular agenda. The report is literally a declaration of war against religious freedom. George Washington said anyone who works against the twin pillars of religion (faith) and morality does not understand the foundations of our Republic.

I feel that time is limited for faith-based ministries to continue serving as they do now. There have already been HUD supported lawsuits claiming discrimination by those who had voluntarily requested a shelter's religious program, who later chose to stop participating in it but demanding to stay in the shelter. They sued even after the shelter assisted in finding alternative shelter for them. This shelter came very close to losing the case. HUD is using very broad language to define a "residence", thus, trying to force long-term shelters that offer biblical recovery programs to abide by Fair Housing and Employment regulations.

Another at risk issue is the lawful ability of an organization to fill positions by those of like faith. Imagine being forced to allow an atheist to teach a Christian discipleship course . . . It's already been in the courts!

Communities and organizations of every faith need to join in supporting one another as we protect the integrity of our programs.

Demonstrating Donor Due Diligence

As a major donor to a large nonprofit charity or foundation, what due diligence do you perform to ensure the board leadership is making unbiased decisions as disinterested board members? If your answer is none, you are making poor investment judgments. Just as you would examine an investment prospectus, you should perform similar due diligence ensuring the board director's decisions are being made "at arm’s length." 

Especially during an executive search, directors may make decisions based upon their personal bias or connections, not solely on the ability and experience of the candidate who will best bring sustainability and move the organization forward.

As an "investor" in a nonprofit or foundation, ask for search committee and board minutes to examine their hiring policies, process and judgment. If the search committee is limited to too few members, lacks transparency, fails to include major donors, or other directors are told not to refer candidates, I would question the board’s process and lack of policy and transparency. If the evidence indicates any of these issues, at the least I would address these issues with the board - at the most I would immediately remove my investments.

As representatives of the public, 501(c)(3) corporation directors are ethically and morally bound to leave self-interest at the door, seeking only the interest of the organization, donors and those receiving public benefit. Your investments and your community deserve no less.

Online Assessment Tools for Identifying Organizational Issues

Nonprofit Leader,

As an Executive Director I often wanted to know how well my board and staff understood our organization’s mission and vision, and if they were being clarified well enough.  I needed to assess the awareness of my board of how critical their understanding our programs and networking was to the organization and to our position in the community.  

Each time I looked over an organization’s financials and fundraising, I found areas needing improving, and fundraising issues that the staff and board had not recognized had changed over time.  It was that process of discovery and analysis that helped me revitalize several stagnant nonprofits and help them thrive. 

It was the fresh perspective of an outsider that made the difference.  In many cases a consultant is hired to show an organization’s leaders what they have been missing and help them make the right changes.  Some of the leadership and/or staff may recognize the issues, but may not be able to be the agents for the needed change.  Thus, the third-party consultant is engaged.  But how do small, struggling under-funded nonprofits afford the rates for an experienced consultant?  They can’t, and so they keep struggling through tough organizational issues, ineffective programs, staff turnover, disconnect with the community, and loss of funding as a result.  And what are the options for well-run organizations to take an occasional fresh look at their organizational dynamics and leadership?

It was recognizing these issues that led me to create several online assessment tools that provide the data nonprofits need to get the overall view of their organization and start recognizing the needed changes to make.  By limiting travel and time of on-site interviews we reduce the cost and still provide a needed summary analysis to help an organization: 1. understand the stage in their life-cycle, 2. examine Staff-CEO-Board relationships, 3. measure their fundraising effectiveness.  

By developing anonymous surveys administered online, I have been able to assist a number of organizations of various age, size and budget.  The survey results are graphed for ease of understanding, and a brief, interpretive assessment is provided of potential action steps for further considerations.  The next steps are up to your organization’s leadership and funding capabilities.  You may decide to engage me or other advisor to help you move forward.  In any case, you will have this very important data with which to help change your organization for the better.

I invite you to take a few moments to examine my website and my background, and the four levels of low-cost assessment analysis tools I offer at jklewis54.wixsite.com/charisnp.  Whether you decide to engage my services beyond the surveys is completely up to you.  I am available to you to discuss how these can help your organization and help you lead quality change.

 

Serving together,

James K. Lewis, m.a., ccnl, cfre^®

Road to Better Health March 12, 2014

Dear Ministry Leader,

As you focus on God's plan and priorities for your life, have you considered how to protect your mind and body so that you can stay happy, healthy and remain in the ministry you love?

Ecclesiastes 12:6 calls the human brain the “Golden Bowl” and instructs us to serve God before it’s “broken.”

Recently the leader of a national ministry (who also teaches at a nearby Christian university) was terminated from both jobs due to poor judgement and mental confusion caused by "sudden" dementia. He and his wife are heartbroken because they intended to stay in ministry together for another 5-10 years. With what we know about neuroscience it’s very likely this devastation was avoidable and certainly postponable if together they had make diet and lifestyle changes at least 10 years before the disease was actually noticed.

FACT: Dementia actually starts developing during our 30s and 40s.

Accelerated by inflammatory diets, toxins, trauma, unhealthy lifestyle choices, un-managed stress and genetic factors—unhealthy brains become progressively diminished by Dementia. Just as concerning, however, are projections that the number of people with Alzheimer's will triple in the next few decades.

The Narramore Institute appreciates your ministry and cares deeply about your health, your happiness and your longevity of service. That’s why I created the Road to Better Health 2014 luncheon for RM leaders on March 12th in Pasadena.

You’re going to love this event because the content is so relevant:

 LIVE BETTER AND LONGER

 AVOID LEADER DERAILMENT

 ENJOY MORE PEACE OF MIND

 SAVE YOUR BRAIN

I’ve invited Christian psychologist and author Dr. Earl Henslin (“Brain on Joy”) to share the latest and best ways to deal with depression, anger and other damaging emotions. A friend and mentor to many Christian leaders, Earl is passionate about harmonizing the brain with the soul.

Then, I’ll be discussing the myriad of health benefits that occur when you lower chronic inflammation. In fact, you learn the secret to reducing your risk for sudden heart attack death by up to 90%.

FACT: Every 34 seconds an American has a coronary event.
1/3 to 1/2 of heart attacks occur in persons with "normal" cholesterol.

Our last speaker is veteran Rescue Mission executive Rev. Jim Lewis. Whether it’s waking up in the middle of the night wondering how to meet this week’s bills, a concern about the welfare of a troubled staff member or a family concern, Jim will share some invaluable insights on managing daily stress and avoiding derailment.

I know how hard you work and the sacrifices you make every day to save others. So please join us on March 12, 2014 for a wonderful time of fellowship, renewal, to hear Christian speakers while enjoying a healthy and delicious lunch.

See you in beautiful Pasadena!

Kevin Narramore, Ph.D.

Narramore Institute, 844 Colorado Blvd. Suite 202 Los Angeles, California 90041 949-874-8000

Please CLICK HERE to register because space is limited. 

When do you need a consultant?

 

Numerous issues in a nonprofit organization rise to the occasion of requiring paid outside assistance. These involve acknowledging you’re facing something larger than your in-house skill set can handle alone. Accepting that help is needed is the first step in any weakness or dysfunctional behavior – whether of a person or an organization.

Sometimes a struggling organization just needs help transitioning to its next stage of growth. Perhaps a well established organization needs help re-inventing itself. Facing reality is the most difficult when leaders and staff are deeply ingrained in the present organizational culture. It becomes even harder if the leader is a founder or long-term CEO, where he or she may be sensing a loss of control or that recent changes are becoming overwhelming. A lack of positive organizational dynamics keeps many dysfunctions hidden, and people are unwilling to be the one vulnerable enough to upset the apple cart.

Consulting with outside professionals isn’t limited to the need of addressing serious issues . . . most leaders could use regular coaching with peers and/or professional consultants. But some circumstances call for more serious consideration for outside help:

Strategic Planning. This process can require an anonymity that an independent consultant allows. Often I’ve found a key staff or board member who admits to not being sure of the direction or even of the organization’s mission and vision. In one case it was found that a new board member wasn’t aware of the organization’s religious core principles of faith. Appropriately laying the foundation before discussing strategy is critical to success. 

Analyzing fundraising effectiveness. In such a volatile economic landscape, it can become comfortable for an organization to stay the course with tired or limited funding appeals and stale communications. Organizations tend to stay with old metrics and “shot-gunning” rather than using new tools to target a segment of their donor base who are more likely to respond to different types of communications. E-commerce is still only effective in a small portion of demographics, and it is key to understand when and how to phase that in.

Closely aligned with fundraising is an understanding of an organization’s publics – those who can control or limit an organization’s ability to flourish. Many times an organization has “blinders” and they are not aware that they’ve grown myopic in their programs and vision. I’ve seen organizations atrophy due to ignoring the reality of their external context and relationships. This is where familiarity breeds contempt; stakeholders who once supported and helped form the organization can, if ignored or taken for granted, become the worse critics.

A most serious issue that desperately demands immediate assistance is internal organizational conflict due to a lack of unity in mission and vision. It's critical to quickly re-establish clarity of mission and unity between the leaders and the staff or board. This requires outside intervention. But choose the consultant carefully, as this requires a professional who is able to decipher the organization’s deeper cultural and personal issues – not merely personnel or HR issues that are on the surface. The former is ripe with personality clashes and broken trust, while the latter involves organization policy and procedure – which may need addressing, but is not the root cause.

I will mention briefly the need for a consultant and/or interim management through a period of crisis leadership change. Addressing this will require a separate blog, but it's most critical to contract with outside assistance rather than use internal staff in such a case.

These are just a few areas of concern where an independent third party will be able to increase awareness, broker unity, and ensure the stability and sustaining of the organization’s mission. Don’t wait until you realize the need – develop relationships with those you trust and who will be ready and willing to intercede within your organization when needed. While these resources may be costly, you will save time and money with the judicious use of consultants. They will be worth it to the organization, as you will gain much more than you spend. They may be reported as an expense, but they are an asset to any organization.

For more information on choosing Consultants:

http://strengtheningnonprofits.org/resources/guidebooks/Working_with_Consultants.pdf

http://www.first5la.org/files/Nonprofit%20Consultants-How%20to_Buttenheim.pdf

http://charisnp.com/
http://www.artiosinstitute.com/

http://www.theedgegroup.org/

The Sales Pitch

[One of our speaking modules from 1990]: Years ago friends of ours were lured to a sales presentation by the guarantee of winning a prize; either a microwave (that's what they wanted), T.V., refrigerator, etc. You've heard of those before.

If they bought a life-time supply, $2500 worth of soap – that would clean everything from the car to the dog – they would also get the prizes free. What a sales pitch! Someone went to great lengths to sell soap.

Back in 1978 after we were married my wife and I read Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot. You may know of it – the story of her husband, Jim Elliot, and four other men who were speared to death by the "Auca" Indians in Ecuador. They were martyred in 1956 while trying to take the Gospel to this unreached group. 

The actual reassembled remains of Nate Saint's Piper on
display at  MAF's headquarters in Nampa, ID

This story has been the initial motivation for thousands of people over the years to get involved in missionary service. And so it was with us. The death of committed missionaries led to our choice of a mid-life career change with Wycliffe Bible Translators.

Later, while attending a class at Wycliffe's support center in North Carolina, we all shared about how we were led into missions work. All ten of us had read Shadow of the Almighty. No promise of a washer, dryer or microwave . . . nothing to keep the dog clean. But we wanted to be involved in giving the Word of God, whose message received in faith, will cleanse the souls of those who have, as yet, never heard that Christ died for them.

That's how we were introduced to missions. We didn't know what that commitment would lead to, but we made it. If we'd known what we would go through later, I hope we would have had the fortitude to stay with it.

2013: Well, we did stick through it and continued to serve - and have since in various ministries. Now I found myself back at the origin of our missionary quest. As I arrived for an interview at MAF's headquarters today, I came face to face with an element of that story of 1978 when we read that book, and others since. What an emotional moment as I stood in front of what has been for thousands a call to give our lives in Kingdom service. 

Mailbox Missionaries

Overhearing a conversation between my wife and me about bills and our limited funds, our 9 year-old daughter piped up, “Maybe there will be a check in the mail today for $200!”

In 1989, after being accepted as approved missionary candidates with Wycliffe Bible Translators, it was recommended that I get further training in avionics and acquire my FAA General Airframe Mechanic certification in order to better serve in Communications – my technical support missionary position would require installation of radio equipment and antennas on aircraft. Having recently left my position with Eastman Kodak as a Field Engineer – and its relatively secure salary and benefits – our family of 6 was residing in East Tennessee while I attended Moody Aviation.

But while we were only approved candidates, we could not raise financial support through Wycliffe until this course was completed and we were ready to continue our Wycliffe training. So, we had written our friends, explaining to them our quest toward missionary service, and left it to the leading of the Lord through them for our personal support . . . we were now “Mailbox Missionaries.” 

Later that day the mail was opened and there was, indeed, a check for $200; the faith of a little girl and her family was fulfilled and strengthened. Through these vignettes of God working through His people, we were able to trust that our support would be realized and His work would go on as an extension of those who supported and prayed for us.

Such is the plight of para-church ministries and nonprofit charities that do not receive government funding, but rely primarily upon the generosity of donors in order to provide critical relief and services to the remote, disadvantaged, victimized, homeless, poor and needy. This work is only possible through the partnership of others who sense the call to reach out and fulfill the command of God to treat these people as we would the Lord Himself.

Many bemoan the numerous pieces of mail that tend to flood our mailboxes. But I realize that educating the public on services ministries provide and the opportunity for changed lives is often the only way the average person will know of that work. Many times I’ve heard donors make the comment, “I didn’t realize you did all this”; and this from those who have been supporting the organization for years!

Public concern for the percentage of donated funds used for solicitation is warranted. Interested donors can check out charities on websites such as Guidestar.org and review nonprofits’ 990 reports. If a 990 is not available, it is often an indication that the charity is reportedly operating as a church, and therefore not required to file a 990. Donors should carefully consider religious charities transparency in reporting information such as program, administration, and fundraising ratios as good stewardship of their giving.

However, the mechanics of fundraising and accountability should not be allowed to overshadow the ministry accomplished by small charities that exist primarily as “Mailbox Missionaries.” The response envelopes that come in the mail each day are the lifeblood of critical services and can often limit the ability to sustain ministry. When you consider supporting a ministry beyond your normal church tithe, consider if that organization is utilizing every inch of its facilities, every donated penny, and every offered prayer for the service of others and to the glory of God.

And the next time you see that envelop in your mailbox, remember a little girl and a young missionary family whose faith was answered through someone responding to a need. The possibilities that your support provides toward the faith of the organization and those individuals and families that benefit are endless. Your investment is an extension of the church’s responsibility to reach out to a needy world – and often, it is through a response to a piece of mail. 

"We CAN do what we do without you, However . . ."

As a ministry leader and fundraiser I have to confess that I have disliked the phrase from the first time I heard it . . .“We can't do what we do without you.” The misguided mantra we use in an effort to convince our donors and volunteers how valuable they are to the ministry.

After over a decade of feeling this way, my perspective was finally confirmed by my good friend Doug Shaw in his recently released book, “The Rules of Fundraising.” Doug’s Rule #9 states: You don't have to lie to raise money [or get people to volunteer].¹  This admonition is included with a few of the “little white lies” we advance, along with overstating the impact of our organization.  

Now don’t get me wrong – what ministry partners do and give is no less than critical to a successful and effective ministry. But to make such an overstatement robs the glory from the true origin of all our available resources and abilities to serve people in need . . . that of our heavenly Provider.

God is the true owner and provider of all that we have – and all that the donor and volunteer share with us. Those who share are merely His chosen stewards of what is His. I actually verbalized this a few times when thanking those who served my ministry by saying that while we could still do most our work without their involvement, their participation made it so much more meaningful and less challenging . . . and our success wouldn't be such a blessing if we weren't sharing it with them. I wondered though, if that resonated as much.

If what I feel is right, in what way can we make our gratitude known to those who invest their time, treasure, and talents in the ministry? We can appreciate them and their investment by acknowledging that they empower us to serve in a manner that is enhanced and more effective – and which pleases our Lord. I feel the more important idea to convey is the vital impact our partners bring to the table through their efforts.

Their involvement has a direct bearing on the breadth and depth of the ministry to, and the life-change produced in, those we serve. That impact is the mantra we should voice – and not understate.

¹ Douglas K. Shaw, The Rules of Fundraising, Naperville: DSA, 2013, pg 58, brackets mine.  

Community Renewal as Incarnational Mission

Missonal, Incarnational, and Stewardship are terms that are too easily tossed about these days. In order for the people of God to bring about flourishing in our communities we need real definitions and concrete manifestations, rather than vague illusions of what they mean.   

Urban Homeless Shelter

I believe to be, or take part in something missional is to become part of what we recognize God is already doing in the community (missio Dei). This requires examination of the sociological, historical, and political conditions in which the Church—and our ministry—must become the visible expression of God to the world. When these realities are properly merged we see truly incarnational mission at work – through which we become stewards of God’s grace, justice, and resources of the Kingdom.

An incarnational mission involves our “real and abiding presence” in the community that bears fruit for both the local church and the urban environment. One cannot become part of the organism of community unless he or she becomes intimate with its “cultural rhythms, life, and geography” (2003a, 39); as Ronald Sider shares, “Holistic ministry is incarnational ministry . . . it’s God fleshing out the truth of the Gospel.” It is not only helping others in the community, but inspiring the church member and stretching themselves outside their traditional sphere of influence (2002, 27). Are we bold enough to commit to an incarnational model as sufficient to match the changes in culture and polity we face in this new millennium?

When efforts are not incarnational, little of lasting note gets done – this can lead to negative issues . . . and those seeing themselves in the “crosshairs” of perceived do-gooders begin to see themselves as “targets” rather than in community (2003b, 108). Becoming part of our community through assimilating its culture and recognizing context takes time and effort, which is necessary in order to build a missional bridge of any permanence. 

Fresno Rescue Mission's new Save the Children Home

This integration will take visionary church leaders who are able to assess the needs of the community, as well as considering the strengths within a congregation, and to build individual team leaders who can lay the groundwork for a safe and appropriate missional outreach (2006b, 32). I mention “safe” as there is danger in not considering the full impact of an urban environment when developing programs. This type of missional outreach can allow people to step beyond the “soup-kitchener” experience and into a more personal and contextual missional expression of their faith and lifestyle. 

Such change can only come through a concerted effort of our church leaders, ministries and community agencies in creating a bias for action through educating congregants in missional stewardship of all that they control – time, treasure, and talents.

Frost, Michael, and Alan Hirsch. 2003a. The Shaping of Things to Come: Innovation and Mission for the 21st Century Church. Peabody: Hendrickson.

Linthicum, Robert. 2003b. Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in Your Community. Downers Grove: IVP.

Roxburgh, Alan J. and Fred Romanuk. 2006b. The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sider, Ronald J., Philip N. Olson, and Heidi Rolland Unruh. 2002. Churches That Make a Difference: Reaching Your Community with Good News and Good Works. Grand Rapids: Baker.

Vocations Empowered for the Common Good

This morning’s speaker at Grace Brethren Church Long Beach, Dr. Steven Garber, founder and principal of the Washington Institute on Faith, Vocation and Culture spoke on being stewards of our common grace for the common good.  His comments related to how the grace of God in a life committed to Him can impact the world for the Kingdom.  Our vocations, when empowered by God’s grace, fulfill the Church’s responsibility to impact the Kingdom life here and now, not just in the hereafter—socially, politically, and economically.  This discussion recalled my studies at Fuller on social advocacy and in particular one particularly powerful statement by Dallas Willard which gave credence to thoughts I’d had on charitable programs.

Willard makes a similar point to Garber’s in The Spirit of the Disciplines that “charity and social welfare programs, while good and clearly our duty, cannot even begin to fulfill our responsibility as children of the light to a needy world.”  He then boldly calls upon the people of God to “assume the responsibility, under God and by his power, of owning and directing the world’s wealth and goods” (1988:202).  He points out that by doing so, with Christ, the church would be able to reduce the causes of poverty.

That is a level of stewardship the church has not attempted on such a large scale—and likely will not—without realizing that the sacred calling of God is not just within the church, but in all vocations and careers. He continues the challenge by declaring the church should commission men and women into “farming, industry, law, education, banking, and journalism with the same zeal previously given to evangelism and missionary work” (1988:214).

Once the people of God are involved as stewards in influencing the marketplace for the community’s good, they can have a hand in advising public agencies in serving the truly needy.  This culminates in the people of God showing how the church “enters into full participation in the rule of God where they are” (1988:218).  That is true stewardship of all that God has made and put under our authority, including social service to those in need.  Religious control of social functions, as it has been in the past, can be seen as an authentic Christian response to need.  P. Beyer, in Religion and Globalization states that this validates the Christian message (1994:197).

By becoming stewards of God’s love and compassion through charity, the church becomes a centripetal force in the world.  Serving societal needs as part of the soteriological effort of the church is the greatest stewardship of all God’s resources, and becomes the attracting light the world seeks.  In the words of Bernhard W. Anderson, “The nations are attracted to Zion, the spiritual center, because the teaching that goes forth from that source appeals to the deeper human longings for šālom (peace, welfare).  Mission is at its best when it brings something to a people that respond to their deepest desire and quest” (2006:116).

• Beyer, P. Religion and Globalization. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1994.
• Okoye, James. Israel and the Nations: A Mission Theology of the Old Testament. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2006. 
• Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. New York: HarperCollins, 1988.

Leveraging the Passion of our Emerging Leadership in Philanthropy

Just a year ago in an article discussing the changing culture of nonprofits and the failing economy, I examined the decline of the nonprofit sector due to its failure of facing the realities of a changing market and demographic.* Following this marked decline, in just a few years we have seen an increasing flow of new blood in the sector . . . young leaders (I dislike tagging them “millennial”) are bringing a new passion and desire to impact their society.  

To this aging Boomer, having served most of my vocation in nonprofits, this brings a surprising feeling of promise and a desire to see them become empowered in a way my generation failed to realize through our efforts in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

This upwelling of philanthropic youth is more than evident here at the 50th International Conference of Fundraising in San Diego. The San Diego Convention Center is teeming with young people, wherein such a conference a decade ago would have witnessed an older attendee. In a review class for the CFRE – a certification for those with fundraising experience – there were quite a few young people who obviously did not bring experience of the level normally expected to such a class. I propose that not a few of them thought some of the material and processes discussed a bit mechanistic and antiquated. Additionally, the crowd was standing room only and overflowing the room of the First Timers orientation meeting.  This leads me to wonder what is the impetus of these new fundraisers? 

For those of us who have long been involved in nonprofit fund development, we may recognize the surge of funds now flowing from our generation’s estates, and how best to help divert them from the government and invest in charitable efforts. I sense, however, that the new conference attendees are not so much interested in investing these funds, but rather investing themselves in the empowerment of others. They recognize the weakness of government and institutions to meet the growing gap in services and bring a new paradigm to the task.

While wanting to encourage and empower this new generation, we need to sensitively guide them and their enthusiasm into this sector. Just as the ‘90s saw a growth of nonprofits that was impossible to properly fund, we can allow them to be change agents within existing organizations, as well as lead collaborations, acquisitions, and mergers which will increase capacity, reduce duplications, and bring a new face and paradigm to, not just the nonprofit sector, but to the for-profit sector and world-wide commerce as well.

How we assist, educate, encourage and empower this emerging leadership will be the fulcrum on which their impact is leveraged.  

http://ym.christianleadershipalliance.org/?CriticalShift

Unexpected Inspiration

It was March 1999. I was nursing a failing business, going to school at night, working part-time for FedEx, and driving a limousine. I was pretty low.

After our furlough in Palm Desert, CA from a three-year missionary term with Wycliffe Bible Translators in the Philippines, we were unable to obtain a new assignment there. I completed a Management course at Summer Institute of Linguistics in Dallas, and was referred to International Relations work, but the director of staffing in Manila office would not allow my wife’s position as a teacher to be our primary assignment so I could intern in the Government Affairs office. Likewise, stateside opportunities were being thwarted by a personnel director refusing to allow me to serve JAARS (our technical service arm) in a field representative position as I had for six years at Eastman Kodak. I was at a stalemate; and so, we resigned a 10 year tenure as technical support missionaries.

Now what to do? Leslie was already teaching in public school, which left me seeking a technical management position in the Coachella Valley where few tech jobs existed. My lack of an undergraduate degree kept me from several promising positions, even though I was told I was overqualified. After the rejection of Wycliffe and these interviewers, I was a bit desperate.

My wife suggested I start a business, as I knew a lot about radios; so I did. I developed a business plan that thoroughly impressed a business loan manager. With an SBA loan and my retirement funds I dove into self-employment. Setting up shop, a sprinkling of sales, repairing CBs for truckers, and developing a tracking system for the local transit company was a great challenge for me. Ultimately, my small draw against a meager net profit slowly drained the business. When the transit manager gave the contract to a relative rather than putting it up for bid, and a ruptured appendix put me in the hospital, I was down for the count.

Having moved the business into my garage, I started a three-quarter load at the community college at night and found three part-time jobs to help keep the family afloat. I was now determined to complete my BS degree so that I could advance in management. In addition to school, and fixing radio and data equipment for two FedEx stations, I started driving a limousine. Although the clients were often glamorous, the level of my self-worth was not.

I picked up the Lincoln Town Car and the client order and headed west on the 2 ½ hour trip to Claremont to pick up a Mr. Drucker. As the elderly gentleman settled into the front seat and we began some small talk, it occurred to me who he was. Wait a minute, I exclaimed . . . “You are THE, Dr. Peter Drucker!” He smiled and said, “Ja, that is me.” I almost wrecked the car.

I am sitting with the worldwide guru of management captive in my limo for two and a half hours . . . as the commercial says – Priceless! He asked about me and I poured out my story, leaving out no detail or the current state of my frustration. He was a most gracious counselor and mentor to me during that drive back to the desert as the keynote speaker at some conference. He put off those interviewers as the loser, not me; the unethical practice of the transit manager; and shortsightedness of the Wycliffe personnel managers. Quoting Teddy Roosevelt, he said, “Failure is the backdoor to success.” Experience is much more valuable than the degree, he said; the piece of paper says nothing of your actual abilities to succeed in business. However, he did encourage me to finish my studies, promising that they would complement my experience.

Of course I told the dispatcher that I would drive Dr. Drucker back the next day. A tired Dr Drucker slept most the way back, but took the time to further encourage me in my endeavors, telling me that he saw great promise in someone with the courage and fortitude to keep up such a load to provide for his family.

Within months I became Administer for a commercial business, then General Manager of two RV Resorts, and subsequently CEO of two ministries in need of restoration. After completing a graduate-level certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management at UC Riverside, two years ago [now 7 years ago] I took a shortcut into an MA in Global Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Thank you, Dr. Peter Drucker, for your inspiration during a limo ride.

“All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Rom 8:28.

PS: On June 11, 2011 I walked across the stage and received my MA in Inter-cultural Studies: Global Leadership from Fuller.

Telling your story in freedom

When you share a past failure do you feel the bile creep back up your throat and your heart constrict...you begin to relive it? Telling your story from the pain indicates you haven't yet dealt with it and have yet to realize healing.

Henri Nouwen wrote a journal during the most difficult period in his life. He was encouraged to publish it, which he did (at least some of it).*  In it he mentions addressing his past failures and pains in such a manner that they come to no longer revive the pain and hold onto him. His personal testimony has helped me get past much of a lifetime of hurt involving past abandonment, injustice, false accusation, and apparent failure.

Through the Holy Spirit we can come to a new place wherein we can tell our story from the other side of the pain and failure . . . and "the need to tell the story becomes less pressing."

If you are free from that past, and no longer depending upon it for identity, you can then share your story in freedom and from a new perspective. Its weight is gone and your story may release others from their pain, and get to the other side of their story.

Seek that release and freedom to tell your story from a place of reconciliation.

*Henri Nouwen, The Inner Voice of Love

Fundraising isn't about the ASK

The ASK is all about relationship and trust.

I have a lot of experience in nonprofit ministry wherein we are dependent upon others for support of our programs, operations, and our salary.  A difficulty of most organizations in this sector is fundraising; asking people for money.  I believe that is due to a lack of a focus on trust and relationships.

Much of nonprofit fundraising training and practice focuses on marketing and communication.  Too much, I think.  What that focus may not clearly understand is that people want to be an integral part of the doing of good – of the ministry which meets needs and changes lives.  What they don’t want is to be seen and used as a “target.”  But all too often nonprofits see and use their clientele and donors as targets: one to do good to, and one to fund it.

Both our recipients and our donors want to have a relationship with us – but on their terms, for their purpose.  I think the secret of successfully providing services and responsible fundraising lies in how we relate to them. For both, respect must be openly given, without expectation of reciprocity.  How do we provide respect?  Through our relationship and building trust . . .

My learning curve began as a technical support missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators as we learned their partnership development (i.e. fundraising) mantra of “Full Information, No Solicitation.”  When Leslie and I built relationships and communicated the mission and vision of Bible Translation, this brought buy-in and people desired to trust us with their investment. It didn't hurt that we traveled across the country with our four children in a '74 VW Camper and people we stayed with saw us interact as a family, warts and all.

This paradigm was clarified for me so powerfully today through a video from the TED Conference and an unlikely teacher of the ASK, “Amanda Palmer: The art of asking” (click to view)  I think you will understand as you share in Amanda’s experience in building relationship and trust as you watch.

Are you willing to become as vulnerable to, and trusting of your clientele and donors?  It's what the ask is really all about.

Criticism of Leaders

Criticism is likely the most devastating issue facing all leaders (not just the church) . . . and how leaders face criticism will make or break them. Seeing and accepting what we need to change can help us move through it to successfully deal with hidden issues - or what we might be blind to.

Thom Rainer's blog post helps identify critics and our response to them:

First, realize that criticism is inevitable. Anyone in a position of leadership will face criticism. Deal with it prayerfully and courageously, but accept it as a part of your leadership that it will never go away . . . All criticisms sting, at least for most of us. But not all criticisms are bad for us. Indeed, in many cases our leadership and ministry can be more effective if we deal with critics in more redemptive ways. 

http://www.thomrainer.com/2012/09/five-types-of-critics-in-the-church.php

Starting a nonprofit revisited

Once again a recent question from someone starting a nonprofit brings me back to this topic. I will share an edited version of an e-mail response to some serious questions someone asked on seeking help getting funding, for what he sees as unique and critical services.

Bob:

Blessings to you! You are attempting daunting tasks.

First, be careful of making claims of exclusivity... other local providers do similar, if not identical work that you share here. Sometimes under the radar as you are. You may unintentionally alienate yourself from other providers you will need to work with.

Ensuring accountability is a first step for funding requests. To whom are you accountable? Who is working to assist you (church, board, committee)? Do you have a clear, well written case for support? In trying to understand all the areas you are attempting to serve I would ask if you aren't biting off too much and are at risk of choking on your own good works. Start with one thing, get good at it so you are sustaining it before adding an additional service.

It also brings up legal issues to ensure you are covering...to protect yourself and those you serve. For example: Are you a registered sober living home in order to be under the protection of state regs (so local codes don't apply)? Do you have appropriate program documentation to protect against federal fair housing laws and claims of discrimination? Funders will need assurance you have legal oversight as well.

"Tentmaking" (funding through outside income) is still a viable method of starting and funding a ministry, but the above questions are still relevant. God's clear leading should/will be accompanied with like-minded people wanting to help.

Quite a few people ask me about starting a nonprofit, and I always state, "DON'T"!

First couple yourself with a local or nearby similar organization and work under and with them -- and learn. (When my son wanted to get a horse, he spent a year volunteering at a horse ranch before buying his own) Oft times, after proving yourself, they will be open to suggestions in serving your area of interest. Then, and only IF that organization's goals do not match what you see as a clear leading from God, should you strike out on your own...hopefully with their blessing and support. I never endorse a new work too similar and too close to another viable current work unless the goals are significantly different. Dilution of your community's support and donor funding, along with a potential competitive spirit and confusion to the public serves to harm the ministry. This happens far too often.

These are just a few items for discussion. Let's meet at our fall conference and talk more about it. 

Blessings!  Read my article: Critical Shift

Want to start a new nonprofit? Don't!

Want to start a new nonprofit? Don't do it! Well, at least not yet . . . Instead, involve yourself in a similar existing nonprofit; increase or broaden their capacity; and learn from them... Then - and only then! - only if your service and mission are dissimilar enough, should you consider a new nonprofit. What usually happens with the growth of new nonprofits in a community today is a tragic duplication of services and a dilution of funding across the sector - weakening all nonprofits. Collaboration is the "critical shift" for both new and old nonprofits alike.
Click to read my article:

Do You Launder "Tainted" Donations?

Is there any donation for which the source of would require your nonprofit to refuse? What do you consider tainted money? Gambling, soft or hard liquor sales, non-PC investments....? When would you say "no thank you" to a donor? Or does it matter, and why or why not? When should the nonprofit responsibly scrutinize the source of charitable donations?

Nonprofits need to ask these questions.

Usually it is the Christian or other organization that takes a moral stand on issues, or serves at-risk clients, that questions the source of their funding. Some foundations limit allocating investments to those funds they consider socially responsible. Boards are now developing donor policies that prohibit investments and/or donations perceived as not being in alignment with the organization’s core values. However, in this season of economic decline, can nonprofits afford to be picky? As a nonprofit CEO whose organizations serve those affected by addictions, I’ve had to wrestle with this question.

During a round-table discussion with other homeless shelter executives, this topic came up and the responses were from both extremes: While one CEO based in California’s wine country readily accepted the lead donation for a capital campaign from a famous vintner, a fellow CEO denounced that, stating in no uncertain terms that he would never accept such a tainted gift.

A personal experience came after giving a tour of our homeless shelter ministry to a local businesswoman who owned a high-end restaurant and custom jewelry and art gallery on upscale El Paseo Drive in Palm Desert, CA. Upon exiting our aging women’s’ shelter, with her eyes misting over, she exclaimed she was going to help the Mission build a new shelter. She created a fundraiser titled “Winefest: Celebrating Wine, Food, and Art.” She flew in top restaurateurs, vintners, and art for one night in her art gallery; and invited her clientele, including Stephanie Powers and Clint Eastwood . . . and underwriting the total cost of the event. At $500 a head, and exotic auction items from celebrity clients, she raised $750,000 in three years – enough to purchase 8 acres for a new shelter campus! How could we not accept such heartfelt charity, especially as it was her event, with little participation from Mission staff or board!

Or the call I got from Jesse James’ executive assistant asking if my organization would like to be the recipient of the annual West Coast Choppers charity motorcycle rally. Should I accept a $5000 gift from such an infamous character? (I did readily accept it, but that was prior to his life hitting the fan). These are examples of donor-owned and directed events – of which we were the recipient. I would not have necessarily created either event, nor sought out these donors to do so for us.

Have we considered what service and ministry we provide to donors in accepting their donations? Realistically, each nonprofit will have their own limit to undesirable funding. At some point that decision will have to be made – and such a decision should be made prior to having to make it. What should constrain donations to your organization: your mission, core values, media coverage that construes ill will with a major portion of your donor base – or that triggers community sensibilities? Does the questionable donation seek to control your program services or pull you off core purposes, or does it provide public notoriety to the donor?

I sometimes wish we had such a problem more often, as deciding whether to accept large donations . . . but somewhere in the midst of our policy and practices, we are making that decision daily without realizing it. There is a limit to what scrutiny we can provide into our donors’ charitable intentions. However, where there is clear intent of a donor to personally benefit or control, nonprofit executives and boards need to be willing and able to “just say no.” Otherwise, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.