View the live recording of this crucial discussion led by top development experts with 120 participants across the US! Panelists include:
Dr. Royce Frazier, President, Barclay College, Haviland, Kansas
Shannon Johnson, VP For Institutional Advancement and External Relations, Warner Pacific University, Portland, Oregon
Rev. Donovan Coley, President/CEO, The Rescue Mission, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Jody Fausnight, Director of Advancement, Hinkletown Mennonite School, Ephrata, Pennsylvania
“Face-to-Face Virtual Visits: An Opportunity to Love Donors”
Hope Academy is a unique school. This year, 550 children are receiving a remarkable, God-centered education. Most are from low-income families in Minneapolis, a state that leads the nation in the size of the achievement gap between white and non-white students. We are 90% privately funded, but all families have some financial “skin-in-the-game.”
Our development model is also somewhat unique. In a typical non-profit, .7% of the donors may give 70% or more of the donations*. At Hope, we cultivate relationships with financial “partners” who each sponsor one or more students at $3,000 or more per year, and whose generous support make up over 85% of our total annual contributions. We currently have nearly 400 partners, over 95% recommitting year-over-year, and many who have been with us five or more years.
While the support of our faithful partners is certainly a strength, the current national lockdown provides a challenge for our advancement team, primarily as we seek to love our partners. Face-to-face visits are an obvious no-no. And like the rest of the world, our partners are being impacted in some big ways. Our number one priority is to connect with them, listen well, and pray with them. It is critical that we maintain this contact. Enter virtual visits!
In late February, we started pivoting to virtual visits (Microsoft TEAMS or Zoom, whichever works best for them) and the response has been very well received. During these visits, four key principles guide our development team:
Ministry vs. Manipulation: The calls aren’t designed to “get” something from our partners, but as a way to “give” them something.
Steady vs. Staggering: Hope Academy continues to provide our students and families with frontline support and a remarkable education, albeit remotely.
Hope vs. Harried: We are trying to plan for the coming school year, but we are not ringing our hands. We have hope that He will provide.
Christ vs. Crisis: What an opportunity to point to Jesus!
As we listen, God reveals an opportunity to minister through prayer:
“Please pray for our unsaved children.”
“My husband is dying.”
“I am a surgeon and quarantined from my family after work.”
“There is a 50/50 chance my business won’t survive this.”
“Our daughter’s wedding is cancelled.”
“We can’t visit my 93-year old mother in the nursing home.”
And the list goes on. We purpose to focus on them, often for the entire call. When appropriate, we give a Hope Academy update. We stress that the need for a remarkable, God-centered education for low-income, urban children is greater now than ever; by God’s grace, Hope is positioned for such a time as this; and we are all in this together moving by faith. We close by asking them to keep in touch, to keep us updated on prayer requests, and to let us know about their support when they are able. Many let us know on the spot that they are committed to Hope for the coming year.
As we increase our requests for remote video calls, some prefer a good old-fashioned phone, or to wait until this all blows over to meet for coffee. We pivot accordingly. But most take us up on the virtual visit offer. For now, a new normal. And a wonderful opportunity to support and encourage those who support and encourage us!
A final thought: I have enjoyed a strong working relationship with The Timothy Group over the years. The team was a great help as we launched and completed a $9 million capital campaign. I’m grateful for their wisdom, strategic guidance, personal attention, faith ignition, and good humor. ?
Jim Stigman, VP for Ministry Advancement, Hope Academy, Minneapolis MN
View the live recording of this crucial discussion led by top development experts with over 200 participants across the US! Panelists include (1) Jules Glanzer, Tabor College, Hillsboro, KS, (2) Jim Stigman, Hope Academy, Minneapolis, MN, (3) Dan Brokke, Bethany Global Ministries, Minneapolis, MN, (4) Chris Glover, Wesleyan Christian Academy, High Point, NC, and (5) The Timothy Group moderators, Pat McLaughlin, Ron Haas, and Kent Vanderwood.
Download the PowerPoint presentations and image featured during the live recording:
Don’t JUST Know Your Why
I am still blown away by the story of the MP3 player and I’m not talking about the iPod. You have probably heard the story by now – a company out of Singapore called Custom Technologies created the technology for the MP3 and eventually released the device some 20 months before Apple ever dropped the first iPod. But it is probably fair to say more people know of Apple, Inc. than know of Custom Technologies (full disclosure I had to look them up for this story).
But why is that? Sure, Apple has dominated the MP3 market for a while. Ironically, with the sales success of the iPhone they no longer produce dedicated MP3 players. And we all know the ‘designed by Apple in California’ motto, and Cali is much closer to our collective market minds than anywhere in Singapore. However, we all know that deep down there is something else at play in Apple’s iPod success and Custom’s MP3 anonymity – the Why.
That’s right. And we have all heard it before, ‘know your why.’ Know why you sell, do, love, live and believe in what
you do. Know your why. What we do is easy to share, but why we do it is much
more challenging. However, the point of this article is not to remind you to
know your why – you already know it – but rather to take the all-important next
step in knowing how to communicate your why.
It’s one thing to know your why. It is an entirely different skill set to be able to clearly and compellingly communicate it. Here are three helpful ideas to get you started:
When it came to that MP3 player for Custom Technologies, they marketed it by saying 5gb of Music MP3 player. However, when Apple debuted the iPod, they marketed it by saying, ‘1000 songs in your pocket.’ Which would you choose? Or better asked, which did you choose?! Apple’s marketing was better (the What) because they understood they are a lifestyle brand, and it is through that lens they market. The WHY makes all the difference. Know yours, and just as importantly, know how to communicate it.
To learn more about using your WHY to secure major donors in 2019, register for our webinar on Tuesday, January 15th, at Noon ET. It’s FREE! – Register HERE.
We’ve been there. And can show you how as well.
The private Christian School market is sometimes complex, with all the competing issues you will
face. Choosing curriculum, recruiting and retaining top-notch faculty, weighing athletics versus
education, maintaining legal compliance, satisfying target audiences, and managing annual and
capital fundraising.
Kent Vanderwood, Vice President at The Timothy Group, heads up our Christian School division and
can help you navigate these issues and more. As a partner here at The Timothy Group, he has been
there and done that. His non-profit stewardship journey has prepared him well.
Kent felt the call to be an educator while pursuing his undergraduate studies at Grand Valley State
University in Michigan. After beginning as a special education teacher in a public school system,
Kent went through a personal philosophical search for the best way to educate his own children. He concluded
that a Christ-centered education was imperative for his family and he headed up a
steering committee of interested parents to explore opportunities. In 1980, a private Christian
school was formed from scratch.
In addition to serving as a key member of the organizing committee, Kent was one of the first
faculty members, a coach, janitor, headmaster, fundraiser, compliance officer, curriculum director
and even a member of the founding board of directors. Starting with 43 students in grades K-6,
Tri-unity Christian School in Grand Rapids, Michigan grew to over 700 K-12 students under Kent’s
tenure.
During his time at TCS, Kent was heavily involved in both the Association of Christian Schools
International (ACSI) and Christian Schools International (CSI). He served as the Michigan
representative on the ACSI regional council for eight years. He led his school through initial
accreditation with ACSI in 1987 and the renewal process in 2004. He was a regular conference and
workshop speaker.
Kent learned development and fund raising the hard way – by getting in the trenches and digging. He
hired his first development director in 1990, 10 years after the school was founded, and in 1998
launched the school’s first ever capital campaign for $1.5 million. The campaign reached its goal before Kent
left the school after 20 years in 2000.
Kent has personally served hundreds of K-8 and K-12 private Christian schools in the areas of
strategic planning, board development, development assessments, executive searches, pre-campaign
studies and capital campaigns. He has personally assisted on campaigns ranging from $500,000 to
over $40 million. He has served on various non-profit boards including Christian schools. Kent
brings a wealth of real life experiences to every project.
As a VP of development at a rescue mission, a large international para-church ministry, and another
Christian school, Kent not only understands the principles from a consulting perspective, but he
has been in the trenches “doing” development.
Can we put this experience to work for you?
On Friday, December 9th, Tabor College of Hillsboro, Kansas dedicated their $13 million Shari Flaming Center for the Arts. Through the determination and enthusiasm of Dr. Jules Glanzer; Ron Braun, VP for Advancement; Trustees, the Advancement team and the entire Tabor family, Tabor completed this facility debt free and exceeded their $18 million Signature Campaign with a total of $18,683,630. Since 2,000, Tabor has raised just under $60 million for capital, annual and endowment funds!
The Timothy Group has partnered with Tabor College since 2008. Pat McLaughlin, President and Founder of The Timothy Group spoke at the dedication and then was honored with a surprise award for his service to Tabor. The Tabor College/Timothy Group team has been a great partnership. Dr. Glanzer shared some kind words about working together, “Everything I know about fundraising, I learned from The Timothy Group. Pat went on donor visits with us for this campaign. One important thing Pat taught us was to listen to your donors. If you listen to them, they will tell you when and how much. I would attribute our fundraising success solely to the help of Pat and The Timothy Group. When we did what they asked us to do, it worked.”
The award presented to Pat is inscribed, “The Timothy Group – In grateful recognition for your service to Tabor College – Shari Flaming Center for The Arts – Dedicated 12/9/17.”
It’s appropriate that the first performing arts event in the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts was, Handel’s “Messiah.” Hallelujah for God’s provision of this wonderful new facility through the unparalleled generosity of the Tabor College constituency!
Patrick McLaughlin is President and Founder of The Timothy Group. Pat has personally assisted more than 1,654 Christian organizations. In 27 years of service, The Timothy Group has raised over $2.2 billion.
October 19, 2017
Dear Pat, Kent and our friends at TTG,
At long last, I am writing to express my deep gratitude and satisfaction for the critical role that you played in our Growing Hope Capital Campaign. Your wisdom, experience, and guidance were invaluable as we took this huge step of faith. I’m certain that we wouldn’t have traveled as far, and as fast, as we did under your consultancy. Beginning with the pre-campaign study you helped us conduct (participation and positive responses were off the charts), you headed us on the right trajectory, helping us set a tone and pace towards success.
Here are just some of the highlights of our engagement with you:
Your years in the trenches helping Christ-centered organizations expand their impact gives you credibility beyond compare; we were able to trust your advice and move forward in confidence.
While God has given us a vision to expand our work, you stimulated our move into action and help galvanize our resolve to move forward in faith.
While recognizing our unique scenario, you helped us develop a track to run on and helped us stay focused on the critical next steps.
Your team provided timely and efficient support as we needed it, working together as a unit.
Problem solving and strategy requires brain power – we benefited from your wisdom and experience.
You recognize that development in a Christian environment requires faith – together we were focused on the Provider of all good gifts.
While God brings the harvest, your guidance positioned us for results – $8.3 million committed in 11 months.
Thank you for the important role that you’ve played in helping us to grow and spread Hope. Please share our gratefulness with others who may be interested in working with you.
In Him,
Jim Stigman, Head of Institutional Advancement, Hope Academy
In June of 2004, I again began a search for a consultant campaign partner. This issue would later become part of the 40-day prayer vigil that the Capital Committee indicated in August of that year. To begin the search process, I opened discussions with three very fine organizations, but the one that attracted my attention consistently was The Timothy Group. Pat McLaughlin, the CEO of The Timothy Group, has two passions: building the Kingdom through biblical fundraising and baseball.
Pat is a very animated individual who paradoxically founded his work on two pillars—the Lord’s Word and the words of Yogi Berra. In his spare time, Pat was an umpire and has worked over 600 baseball games at the Little League, high school, and college levels. He always had stories to tell about experiences with the kids, like “there are no do-overs” (when you’re out you’re out). He also liked to share the sayings of Yogi Berra such as his advice to batters about coming out of a slump. “Slump? I ain’t in no slump…I just ain’t hitting.” Or “You can’t think and hit at the same time.” It was fun to hear Pat talk, and when things were not going exactly as planned with the Growing and Building Campaign, the thoughts of Pat and Yogi provided a little relaxing humor.
What eventually settled me and OCF on the selection of The Timothy Group was the principles; therefore, any organization with which they partnered had to have values compatible with theirs. Second, they would only work with an organization with a vision and a plan for implementing that vision. In this instance, the OCF Strategy, the overall OCF vision that was part of the strategy, and our recent work on a campaign vision were compelling. Third, they were a proponent of leaving no one behind: that is, even small donors were important to the success of a campaign, and in the case of OCF, this fit well with our need to reach out to the younger members. Fourth, they were proponents of a pre-campaign survey. And last, they didn’t offer boilerplate solutions; they tailored their approaches to the uniqueness of each organization. This also meant that they would “coach,” but the real work had to be done by OCF and its members.
In November of 2004, The Timothy Group began their work on the pre-campaign study. As they did their work, OCF, with The Timothy Group’s help, turned their attention to the development of a case statement, a two-page document that they could use with potential major donors so they would understand how the Lord was leading OCF through this campaign.
By April 2005, The Timothy Group had completed the pre-campaign study. They were convinced that OCF could raise the funds necessary for construction of the Heritage House at White Sulphur Springs. Pat McLaughlin presented the report at the spring Council meeting.
The Timothy Group concluded that OCF could raise between $6.8 and $7.2 million in Phase I of a three-phased campaign. This remained a daunting challenge, but the OCF Council and I were confident through faith, that OCF could successfully move forward with this campaign. The Council approved The Timothy Group as the consulting partner for the OCF capital campaign and reaffirmed their support for the campaign. It was time to begin and build the team to take on this great vision that the Lord had put before us.
A point that Pat McLaughlin emphasized was that the OCF leadership, specifically the Council, key staff, and key volunteers had to demonstrate that they had the confidence that the Lord was leading the organization in this capital campaign. As I mentioned earlier, this group of faithful servants demonstrated their faith in the Lord’s direction and gave sacrificially and joyfully beyond expectation to the Growing and Building Campaign.
My first challenge was to build a campaign plan and a broader campaign organization. Pat provided a set of manuals tailored to OCF that would guide us through the development of a campaign plan, production of publicity material, and construction of a campaign organization. Organizing and staffing the campaign with a large group of volunteers along with OCF’s already dedicated staff was not only somewhat of a trial initially, but it remained a challenge throughout the campaign. This proved to “be one of the most difficult aspects of exercising leadership in this volunteer environment, particularly since it involved a significant amount of time, and because all of us were unfamiliar with the process of capital fundraising.
Despite this challenge, The Timothy Group recommended a campaign structure consisting primarily of volunteers. A volunteer fundraising structure is typical for religious and some not-for-profit organizations. The most important reason is that volunteers work from the heart and for OCF: they are the core of the ministry, and they would create an environment of dependence upon the Lord. Professional fundraisers and some paid staff might have been able to do the work for OCF, but not only would it have been much more expensive, there would also be far less commitment toward the project on the part of the membership. After all, OCF was and remains an organization of volunteers, beginning with local fellowships and includes almost all aspects of the ministry. It was in our DNA.
Take a moment to celebrate The Giver of all good gifts as Hope Academy (Minneapolis) marks the launch of construction for a significant expansion. The video features the voices of their elementary students singing “If I Had a Hammer.” The video and chart come to us from our friend Jim Stigman, Head of Institutional Advancement. Thanks, Jim!
Click for a fun, 60-sec video of the Wall-Whacking
Click here for highlights of the campaign thus far
Congratulations to our friends at Barclay College for successfully completing their $7.5 million capital campaign to fund the Ross-Ellis Center for Arts and Ministry!
Take a peek at the attached for details!
