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Extra Inspiration, Stewardship

History Repeats Itself: Lead With Heart

by The Timothy Group
July 29, 2020

I am about to celebrate 40 years in the stewardship arena, However, I must admit I have never made this statement as many times as I have made in the last 4 months: “I don’t know” or “I am not sure”. This Pandemic has tossed all of us a curve ball.  Frankly, a pitch none of us have ever seen before, ever!

History has a way of repeating itself. It really does. In fact the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon said “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Do we somehow believe Solomon would have uttered that statement if he had lived through 4+ months of COVID-19? There have been lots of dark moment in history and moments of uncertainty; unprecedented times are not new to history buffs.

Back Then

The year 1940 was an unprecedented year in world history and in particular Europe. Nazi Germany had run through most European countries like a hot knife through butter. Poland, Czechoslovakia, Belgium, Holland, and soon to be France name a few. An unlikely candidate named Winston Churchill was named as the new Prime Minister of England. 

France was also about to surrender to the Nazi war machine. Over 380,000 British and French troops had retreated to Dunkirk.  All of England was fearful as the last notch in the Hitler gun was the British Isles. They feared the Blitzkrieg and were certain there would be an invasion of ground forces in a matter of days or weeks.

Churchill’s first speech to the nation happened on April 9, 1940. Here’s an excerpt from that speech: “It would be foolish to disguise the gravity of the hour. It would be still more foolish to lose heart and courage”. Churchill shared many of the fears of his countrymen and women. But he instilled hope, faith, courage, and leadership with heart over the next 5 years as WWII played out in Europe, the Pacific, Africa, and Asia. 

Today

I don’t have his words of wisdom for you today. I wish I did. But I can say this – don’t lose heart, courage, hope, or faith in our God. HE is in charge as our world re-boots and when you say, “here we go again”. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. HE does. 

Be faithful and God will supply the fruit. HE will help you as you re-boot and re-tool your ministry. Certainly, there is some gravity to this hour in which we live. Be strong and courageous and do the work, the Lord your God is with you. “He will not fail you or forsake you until all of the work is finished”, so says 1 Chronicles 28-19-20. 

Marching orders in this battle and in this war are on the invisible foe. It’s clear: be safe, share hope, and lead with heart and courage as you connect with your colleagues or ministries and with your donors. RE-Read Psalm 91 in The Message. Invite everyone around you albeit the gravity of these times to rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Yes, history repeats itself. So, let’s lead with heart.

Author: Pat McLaughlin, Founder & CEO of The Timothy Group. Check out some of Pat’s published books.

Client Impact

Challenges Do Not Define, But Refine Your Mission

by The Timothy Group
July 7, 2020

April 1 began a new way of life for Pennsylvanians. Children, High School seniors, and college students had an unexpected ending to their school years. The unemployment numbers spiked—many left without jobs to support loved ones. Fear began to infiltrate homes, leaving many to ask the question, “Where do we go from here?” Or “How can I support my family?”

Keystone Mission identified those fears and quickly transitioned their resources to provide help and hope to the Northeast PA community.

Don’t Let Crisis Define You, But REFINE You.

The economic impact the stay-at-home order has on the community of Northeast PA will not define us. On March 23, the leadership of Keystone Mission began to rework its regular food distribution program to become a hub for all who were affected by COVID-19. The Mission started the Emergency Food Assistance Program, which provided a bag of food: meats, produce, and other non-perishable items. Individuals from families, shut-in seniors, and those unable to provide for themselves received food once a week, for however long they needed it. CEO (Commission on Economic Operations), US Foods, and The Canning House stepped up to become reliable partners to the Mission. Their support to provide help and hope has made the most significant impact on the community.

Keystone Mission has seen an overwhelming response to the Emergency Food Assistance program since March 23, providing over 260,000 pounds of food to over 20,000 individuals. 7,173 of that 20,000 are families, and 8,261 are children. Help and hope are available to all who are in need. 

The Emergency Food Assistance program is not the only support Keystone Mission is offering to the community. In April, the Mayor of Scranton, Paige Cognetti, and Keystone Mission CEO, Justin Behrens, partnered to provide emergency shelter to the homeless population until the end of the stay-at-home orders. The housing is at the Weston Field House (which is where Keystone Mission runs the Code Blue Shelter). The shelter allows 25 residents to receive a bed, food, showers, and case management with Keystone Mission staff. 

Refining Your Story Brings GIFTS.

Going through this community-wide crisis together has helped Keystone Mission refine, clarify, and better tell its “story.” This has resulted in astounding community response for support to Keystone Mission and the residents. We received a $20,000 grant through the Scranton Area Community Foundation and additional funds through the Mission to support the shelter. Due to the generous monetary gifts and donated meals from community members, seven guests have transitioned into permanent housing and are receiving social security cards and benefits, scheduled visits to local agencies for support, and additional help as needed. One group recently experienced a fire that displaced them in Scranton.

Gifts Bring Transformation & HOPE.

To date, 39 individuals have walked through West Field House doors. Examples of life transformation include an eighteen-year-old woman who is pregnant and using drugs. Through the relationships developed at the shelter, she is now dedicated to make a change. Keystone Mission staff worked to place her at a location where she will give birth to her child and she can start her life of transformation. Another amazing story is a 74-year-old guest who was homeless for most of his life and used a walker. Much like the eighteen-year-old, his life was changed because of the relationships developed. He now has his own home, the first one in thirty-five years, and life transformation can continue to happen.

The impact that Keystone Mission continues to have on the community of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties would not be possible without the incredible support of the surrounding communities and our God. Keystone Mission is looking to the future with excitement and hope. The leadership has used this time to re-think the organization’s impact in the community. It is in strategy to provide a more defined program to the homeless and low-income families. The Mission waits in excitement to share the vision for the future. 

Please feel free to contact Justin to trade ideas or encourage and serve one another in Christ:

Justin Behrens, LSW
CEO/Executive Director
T. 570.871.4795 ext. 402

Donor Relations, Major Donors

Overcoming The “FUD” Factor

by The Timothy Group
June 24, 2020

As we dealt with much of the U.S. economy grinding to a halt over the past three months, non-profits have felt the impact. Now, even as we begin to move forward, we continue to see an increase in what we refer to here at The Timothy Group as “The FUD Factor.”

What exactly is “FUD?” Well, Pat began referencing The FUD Factor in his first book, Major Donor Game Plan, in 2006. It was true then and still is today. FUD is an acronym for “Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.” It plagues many good institutions and hinders many otherwise productive development teams.

As recent as this week, Pat and I had a discussion with one of our clients who is experiencing FUD. They were forced to put their capital campaign on pause back in March and are now struggling with when and how to re-engage. Their main question is, “Are our donors ready?” Ongoing discussions with them include many examples of FUD:

FEAR.

Will donors misunderstand our motives? Will we offend our donors by asking them for money now or in the near future?

UNCERTAINTY.

Will our mission and case resonate as strongly today as it did a few months back?

DOUBT.

How much should we worry if our donors have the resources to give during these times?

FUD can produce other obstacles as we move forward, including:

Loss of Momentum

Momentum is a funny thing. When it is gone, it is sometimes hard to flip the switch back on. We have seen it derail good fundraising efforts with past clients.

Volunteer Fatigue

We may lose some of our best volunteers through inactivity. If you don’t engage with them regularly, you may need to go back and recruit them a second time, or at worst, need to start afresh.

Lack of Donor Cultivation

Your donors need romance and cultivation before actual solicitation. If FUD causes you to be afraid to romance or cultivate, it makes it even harder to actually ask for a gift.

How Can You Overcome The FUD Factor?

Consider this excerpt from Pat’s Major Donor Game Plan book (pages 97-98):

This is all-important. Many major-donor relationships are never consummated because of FUD: Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. We the solicitors suffer from the FUD syndrome, not the major donor. Overcoming this FUD obstacle will absolutely change your advancement office mentality, production, performance, and net gift income. Your capital campaigns will get funded. You will begin to lay a foundation for endowment funding. Overcoming the FUD syndrome will make an impact.

Fear grips all of us at different times in our lives. You know that nail-biting, worry-about-all-kinds-of-things fear. In most donor relationships, we fear the loss of relationship. We have carefully Researched and Romanced this particular donor and now we are afraid of making “the ___________ ask”, or making it in the wrong way, so fear takes over. “Oh my, what if we ask to high and offend them?

After all, a damaged relationship is very difficult to restore. “We have worked this hard to get them to this point with our organization, so perhaps we had better wait. We certainly do not want to offend them.” Perhaps they will even approach us and indicate somewhat out of the clear blue sky what they might be willing to invest. Remember a concept mentioned earlier: No heavenly hinting.

Most of all, we fear rejection. We fear the pain of hearing a NO! Sometimes we even fear hearing a NOT RIGHT NOW! We are uncertain how to craft material to take along on the call, or how to conduct a brief Request session. We begin to feed our fear, uncertainty, and doubt with statements like, “I doubt if they (the potential major donors) would have any interest in helping to fund this project.”

Fear, uncertainty, and doubt are killers to any major-donor program.

You must begin to address and eliminate the FUD factor in your organization. Sit down as a fundraising team, an advancement team, with your trustee board, development team, or campaign committee and honestly evaluate the FUD factor that has limited your success to date. As you begin to honestly address the fear, uncertainty, and doubt, you are one more step closer to having an effective major donor program.

Article submitted by Kent Vanderwood and Pat McLaughlin.

Click here to review and order other top-selling books published by authors from The Timothy Group.

Development, Donor Relations, Major Donors

Three’s A Charm. Well, Sometimes.

by The Timothy Group
June 17, 2020

We’ve all heard the expression, “Third time’s the charm,” and I’m confident that sometimes, that is the case. The giving figures for 2019 were release on Tuesday. Once again, giving in America eclipsed all other nations, no one else was even close. There is generosity and philanthropic DNA in America. Across the board, giving was $449 Billion. Yes, that is the “B” word! This is up from $427 Billion in 2018.  Where will we land in 2020? Wowzer, none of us seem to know. I can’t predict the future, but I do know who holds the future.  

Three items are having an impact on donors and giving here in America: 

The Pandemic

By now most of us are tired of COVID-19 information. Many of us are burned out on FaceTime, Google Duo and, of course, Zoom. We would love to get together in person but that still seems to be somewhere in the future, the near future, hopefully. It is a serious virus and we must all continue to be diligent. I know a major donor couple in the UK in their 70’s that have not been out of their home in over 100 days. This whole adventure has had an impact on your donors and ministry partners. 

The Economy 

We have globally been rocked by the shutdown of businesses and corporations, large and small. The GDP is down and frankly there is some gloom and doom in many people who are deeply concerned about their investments, their occupation, their business, and their pocketbook. Our donors, large and small, who previously supported us generously may be asking the question, “If I give, will I have enough to meet my own needs?” Needless to say, we are in an economic crisis. We are all asking the question what kind of an impact this will have as our ministries head toward the 4 best fund-raising months (September-December) this year.

Social Unrest

It has captured the news everywhere in America. Racial injustice, police brutality, social profiling, and discrimination is causing all of us to search our hearts for answers and has driven up to our knees. There are times we seem to be a divided nation. A year ago, we were all getting ready to celebrate Father’s Day and planning our 4th of July celebrations. Today, we are at home because of state mandates or briefly out in public with a mask on trying to figure all of this out. Can someone say, “6 blocks in Seattle?”    

I could add another potential impact on donors as we head toward the Fall. This is a Presidential election year, and that almost always seems to impact giving. Will we exceed 2019 giving numbers? I don’t know. But there is one thing I DO know – God has got this! Yes, He is concerned about you, your family and friends, your church, and your ministry. Here is a three fold approach to combating this Pandemic with the acts of God!

Threefold Approach

(1) “Pray Without Ceasing.” Paul the Apostle had it right, stay in a constant season of prayer. Our world, our nation, our cities, our communities our neighborhoods, and our families need it! 

(2) Communicate with every ministry partner and tell them you love them, and that you need them. See them electronically, of course, for now, hear them by listening to their personal stories and learn how they’re responding to our circumstances here in 2020, and value them as the lifeblood of nearly every ministry as our prayer warriors and our ministry partners/donors. Share your ministry value propositions with them. 

(3) Holy Boldness as you reopen, reboot, and increase your ministry outreach. Do not be afraid to share with boldness the needs you see in your centers of influence and how your ministry addresses them. Share boldly your mission, vision, and core values as well as the human needs you are addressing with your services and how you will share the Gospel for an eternal impact. 

Three is a charm. We can address the real and felt needs of your ministry partners/donors head on with grace, love, and hope. These are the three good ones.

Remember these words of wisdom, “Say your prayers and wash your hands, because Jesus and germs are everywhere.” 

Godspeed in this incredible journey. 

Article submitted by Pat McLaughlin, Founder/CEO of The Timothy Group.

Capital Campaigns, Fundraising

How Do We Assess our Funding Needs Post-Pandemic?

by The Timothy Group
June 9, 2020

We have hosted five zoom panel discussions here at The Timothy Group since early April. Each one included four panelists, representing Christian colleges, schools, rescue missions, camps and other non-profit organizations, sharing what they have learned about donor relations during this recent COVID-19 pandemic and how they have responded to it. We have gained a lot of valuable ideas and insights and I hope you have been a part of these stimulating learning sessions. If not, you can view any or all of these zoom panels by clicking here.

As we emerge from this pandemic and welcome the relaxing of shut-down orders and restrictions, we are faced with this question, “Will things ever be as they once were in our non-profit?” The feeling from most experts is that things will not return to normal, at least anytime soon, and we must adapt and change to a “new normal.” 

So, how do we assess our funding needs going forward? 

We already know our mission will not change due to COVID-19. That is critical. On the other hand, our message may need to change to better articulate and communicate our mission. And, of course, our methods and strategies will need to pivot and adjust to the new norm, whatever that may look like. 

Several Christian schools we serve will be assessing their Fall needs in light of enrollment, the demand for additional financial assistance to help their existing families, and their ability to take on potential new families in light of less dollars to give out. Emphasis on capital projects may be outweighed by the need for tuition assistance, but I believe that is a good choice. Donors will generally respond to the need for families to keep their kids in the school. 

Rescue missions have been hit especially hard during the COVID-19 pandemic with shortages of food, medical assistance, lack of transportation, and job losses in their clients. In their case, additional dollars may be needed to address these basic needs, while training programs take a back seat for a time. Capital projects, unless absolutely necessary, may need to wait and that is OK. As you assess where “the rubber meets the road,” your donors will support you if that is clearly communicated. 

One of our recent panelists, Jay Riemersma, Senior Director of Advancement at Family Research Council, talked about “What do football & Fundraising have in Common?” Jay shared how, in his NFL football career, they would often go into games where the scouting report wasn’t enough to win. He also talked about the need to adjust strategies and alter the plan during the game. “Going back to the fundamentals: running good routes, opening holes for running backs, good blocking schemes and finishing good tackles. It’s all about the basics; back to the fundamentals of the game.” 

In a game time situation, it may not be smart to try that “trick play” that you have been planning and better to stick to the basics. Just like in football, we don’t really have a “scouting report” for what post COVID will look like. I would encourage you to use this same principle as you assess your funding needs. “Keep it Simple.” What is at the core of your mission? Always seek that funding first. Donors will respond favorably when you do. 

Article submitted by Kent Vanderwood, Vice President for The Timothy Group. Kent currently resides as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Client Impact, Donor Relations, Major Donors

World Mission: Communicating With A Long-Term Attitude

by The Timothy Group
June 2, 2020

In our recent Zoom panel discussion last week, one of our guests talked about the need to keep a long- term attitude or perspective as we negotiate through this COIVID-19 pandemic. This idea resonated with all of us on the panel.

Greg Kelley, CEO & President of World Mission, shared how the current COVID-19 narrative is being driven by the media; and how much of the dialogue we hear is based in fear. The Bible, on the other hand, tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) What does this mean for us as non-profit leaders? It means we need to push back against the fear and not take a defensive posture. One way Greg and his staff countered this was by developing a long-term attitude. We are in a season and it will pass. Keeping our vision in front of us is critical. The vision is everything. It is your lifeline.

Greg shared how World Mission looked for what he called a “sticky point;” something unique they could communicate to their donors and friends to counteract the current fear, or “noise” out there. Something that would cut through the clutter. World Mission is an international evangelistic mission agency. They work in underdeveloped countries with unreached people groups. So, what they discovered is that the people they serve are more concerned about starvation than being infected with the COVID virus. Hunger and survival became the “tip of the spear” for them. It took their eyes of the COVID “noise.” As they communicated with the right message, donors and friends have responded with increased giving.

In an article entitled “COVID-19 Fundraising: How Nonprofits and Higher Education Can Adapt” (Wealthx.com, May 2020), the author states, “There is a lot of media noise, and a lot of people are looking for guardrails and foundations. Take the time to clearly re-communicate your organization’s fundamental purpose and goals to your donors. Help people to understand the enduring significance of what your organization is doing in the midst of so much uncertainty.” In other words, “double-down” on communicating vision and mission.

Remember, having a long-term attitude helps us balance our short term needs with our long-term vision. Our vision shouldn’t change, even if our needs in the short term may. Fostering and promoting this vision starts with you – the leaders. When the vision is threatened, it is no time to take a defensive posture, but to push forward. “Double down,” you will be glad you did.

Here are a few of Greg’s “sticky points” to consider:

(1) Maintain a long-term attitude. Your vision is everything.

(2) Mobilize your best team members with personal phone calls….use “ENCOURAGE, PRAY, SEED VISION”.

(3) Find a line to cut through the noise of the pandemic.  What is something that uniquely states how God is using you now? For World Mission, it is ‘the people we are serving are more concerned with starvation that getting the virus’.

(4) Be a leader.  Recognize the times we are living in and be a relevant voice. Always bring it back to vision. What distinguishes you? 

Article submitted by Kent Vanderwood, Vice President for The Timothy Group. Kent currently resides as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors

Low Pressure vs. Passive Donor Communications

by Kent Vanderwood
June 2, 2020

As non-profit leaders, we all know the importance of good, ongoing communication with our supporters and friends. Communication of our message in a meaningful way is an essential part of the fundraising formula. It is important that we keep our vision out front. During this challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic, how and when we communicate to our donors is more than just important. It is critical.

Sensitivity & Scale

Most of the non-profit ministries we work with have scaled back their communication in some way. Since we are not doing face to face donor meetings, we have turned to other means – phone, mail, email, and even virtual meetings like Zoom or Go-to-Meeting. Some would ask, does this require that we also change the message? The urgency? The frequency? Most ministries have realized the need to be sensitive to donors during this time. Many have lost money or investments and are not as prepared to make gift decisions. Some have been directly impacted by COVID in their family. Others are fearful or worried about the future.

Care Over Solicitation

 At TTG, we have discussed the need to pivot from making direct “solicitation” calls to “care” calls or thank-you calls. Sharing what is going on at your ministry in a low-pressure manner is a good practice as we move through these uncertain times and look forward to a season of recovery. People need to know you are still there.

Low Pressure vs. Passivity

But we should not be passive in our approach. Being passive means that you do not take action, but instead let things happen to you. Passive activity involves watching, looking at or listening to things without taking action; being inactive. This is not how we want to communicate with our donors. Being low pressure in your approach does not mean you are being passive. It simply means you are adjusting your approach to the current situation. 

One of our school clients described how they are calling their regular donors and saying, “We are still here. God is faithful. Even though we are closed to students, we still have operational needs.” No direct ask was made, but they shared the need in a low pressure way. Many would respond, “How can we help?” This school saw increased giving over a year ago and met their annual fund goal in the midst of COVID-19. God is faithful.

Another client, a rescue mission, reported that as they increased their focus on thank you calls, they saw a parallel increase in the number of unsolicited donations to the ministry; this included some very large gifts that were unexpected. What if they would have been passive and didn’t reach out to these donors?

Donors who love your ministry will stay faithful if you communicate in a sensitive and loving manner. Being low pressure in your approach is fine. If they can’t give today, they will when they are more able.  

Recommended complimentary reading: “Ask For A Fish”. Order here.

Article submitted by Kent Vanderwood, Vice President for The Timothy Group. Kent currently resides as a board member for the West Michigan chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP). Through his work as Development Director for The Potter’s House, Gospel Communications International, and Mel Trotter Ministries, Kent brings a wealth of experience in fundraising and development. His passion for seeing Christian stewardship principles applied in a systematic way helps the non-profit organization or ministry be successful in fulfilling its mission.

Donor Relations, Major Donors, Strategic Planning

State Of Donor Affairs Survey Results

by The Timothy Group
May 13, 2020

Survey results are in! Check out our 1-page pictorial report on the current State Of Donor Affairs. Please also make sure to view the individual comments, words of encouragement, and “go-to” verses by our survey respondents located below the report. A big thank you to the respondents who took the time to share their thoughts!

Download & View Report

Survey Comments:

“A special thank you to your group for being an excellent resource and encouragement during this time.”

“Giving has not declined over our monthly average. Received a significant gift unsolicited.”

(Joshua 1:9) 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

“We are praying more as Administrator…Daily. We meet at 9 AM M-F and we really pray. Not a bad plan.”

(2 Corinthians 12:10b) “When I am weak, then I am strong.”

“Pray for seniors, many of which are rightly isolated and some that are lonely. Thanks for what you are doing!”

“Thankful that no cases of COVID-19 in any of our shelter guests or staff in the last 5 weeks. This is one of the things that I have been able to share with our donors in phone calls, emails and handwritten notes and it so resonates with them. Many say that has been my prayer. The first time donors I have spoken with say they gave because we are there for the homeless at this time and plan to continue – which is a praise, too. With some donors working from home, I have connected with them and they are open to talking and sharing their feelings and fears. Many times, a scripture comes to my heart of what they shared & have given it to them. And then, praying with them before ending our call. For me, Psalm 91 had been my ‘refuge and my fortress’ scripture for comfort, strength and peace for 30 years and especially my 9-1-1 scripture at this COVID-19 time,”

“I am reminded of the song “Only King Forever” during this time-one of the lines is, Kingdoms once strong now shaken, we trust the name of Jesus.”

“He continues to Provide!”

(Ephesians 3:20) 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

“Value loss of appreciated assets is our major concern.”

(James 5:16b) “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors

What Do Football & Fundraising Have In Common?

by The Timothy Group
May 12, 2020

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Jay Riemersma is a family man, a passionate follower of Jesus, a past congressional candidate, a gifted stewardship director, and he’s Dutch. Oh, by the way, he played tight end in the NFL for nine seasons. For the past eleven years Jay has served as Senior Director of Advancement for Family Research Council in Washington, DC. He has a unique perspective on what football and fundraising have in common.

Like all of us, Jay has been practicing the Michigan stay at home order, but he has used this time to stay very active with mega/major donors. Jay notes, “These are unprecedented and uncertain times. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” He and his team launched a donor touch program called, “Check Ins;” making pastoral calls with their key ministry partners via phone, text, e-mail and Zoom. They even hosted some Zoom conference calls in a live radio format vibe with key FRC leaders sharing information and donors asking questions and getting immediate answers.

Jay played seven years for the Buffalo Bills playing the New England Patriots twice a year. There was not much love loss between teams, but a whole lot of respect for Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick, perhaps the best coach in NFL history. Belichick is an offensive and defensive mastermind designing new plays for every game.

Jay shares, “We tossed the scouting reports because whatever we prepared for during the week had nothing to do with the actual game because his plays were often unprecedented and uncertain.” Sound familiar? Often at the end of the first quarter they would have to seriously adjust their game plan and go back to the basics: running good routes, opening holes for running backs, executing good blocking schemes, and of course, finishing good tackles. It’s the basics; back to the fundamentals of the game.

As you ride out this COVID slow down and prepare to re-open your ministry, go back to the basics.

(1) Play to your strengths. What were you doing well before the pandemic and what will you be able to do when this Season of Recovery begins? Jay commented, “Great coaches and great leaders know the strengths of their team and utilize their experience and expertise.

(2) Be prepared with personalized donor messages for your key ministry partners. Share real ministry needs, critical stewardship opportunities, and a team perspective, ‘We are all in this together and we need each and every one of you.’

(3) Pray for your ministry partners and invite them to pray for you.

(4) Visit your key donors in person. Sit at their kitchen table or out by the pool. Be flexible with travel. Tell them you love them, you need them. Go back to the fundamentals of communication, personal input, marketing, messaging, and ministry. It’s almost as basic as blocking and tackling.”

Good advice from an experienced stewardship officer who has raised millions in gift income. So, what do football and fundraising have in common? You need a game plan, good communication, clear goals and expectations, and a true love for people, your ministry partners – it’s a team effort! This too shall pass; we don’t know what ministry will look like in the new normal. Be ready and don’t fumble!

Article co-authored by Jay Reimersma and Pat McLaughlin.

 

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Capital Campaigns, Development, Donor Relations, Fundraising, Major Donors, Stewardship, Strategic Planning, Zoom Panel Forum

Zoom Panel Forum Recording “Visualizing A Season Of Recovery”

by The Timothy Group
May 6, 2020
View Live Recording

View the live recording of this crucial discussion “Visualizing A Season Of Recovery” led by top development experts with 120 participants across the US! Panelists include:

Ali Crotts, Executive Director of Advancement, Carmel Christian School, Matthews, NC

Jay Riemersma, Senior Director of Development, Family Research Council, Washington, D.C.

Norman D. Hall, Ed.D., President, Simpson University, Redding, CA

Lars Carlson,President & CEO, Youth Haven, Inc., Rives Junction, MI

Amy Carlson, Director of Marketing & Communications,  Youth Haven, Inc., Rives Junction, MI

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