Rest vs. Stress

This post is actually my notes from a message that I presented to Real Men at New Life Church Greater Little Rock.  I work full time in Stewardship for New Life Church Arkansas.... Art

Rest vs. Stress                                     September 16, 2015

Introduction:

Ps. 95:7b-8a today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts and become spiritually dull…

Opening statement - You have a job, career, abilities…the question is “so what”?  What then?

This next moments we will talk about the “so what”.  If you have questions, take out a $20 bill, write your questions on it and give it to me after this.  (For those who don't know me, this statement is an attempt at a JOKE!)

1. GOD has a good plan for you.

Jer. 29:11 'For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster to give you a future and a hope.'

Matt. 11:28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

God has only good plans.  HE is our Father.  HE is not human – HE is perfect, knows us well and plans not only our lives, but plans each day when we get up.  HIS mercies are new every morning and HE is the leveler of our paths. The path HE makes for us each day leads to a life of peace, joy, laughter, love, rest and extreme abundance and productivity.  It is a life of NO REGRETS!  Who wants that?  HE takes even our bad decisions and blesses others and us from our stories.

2.  Satan distracts.

The devil knows that if we connect with God throughout the day, and hear HIM and follow what HE has for us, that we will have big impact on our cities for Jesus.  We will be involved in bringing JESUS' Kingdom to our earth as it is in Heaven. 

Satan will try to thwart that.  One of his tactics is distraction.  Think of David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah; think of Nehemiah and all the people who criticized him and wanted to stop him from rebuilding the wall. 

What distractions are you susceptible to?  Think about it.  Set guards up ahead of time.

The devil gets us to believe lies.  We believe his lies about who we are in God’s eyes.  We believe his lies about what others are doing/thinking about us.  We must recognize his lies and replace them with the TRUTH.

If we don’t partner with God, our PAPA, and invest in HIS Kingdom, we will use our money and talent to build our own kingdoms.  Work and success will not have much meaning; life will become mundane and ordinary. 

When that happens we get bored, feel unappreciated, begin criticizing others, self-medicate our pain and boredom and are trapped by satan.  We begin to believe his lies, instead of God’s truth.

Remember that GOD has the plan that leads us to live a blessed life, with meaning, joy and peace.  No regrets.  We must invest our lives and money into what matters.  The Lord’s Prayer says “…Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, NOW on earth as it is in Heaven.  That’s your purpose right there.  To bring HIS Kingdom rule into your world.  You don’t have to wait.  It can start right now!

3.  We trust Jesus.  Not faith in our faith, but faith in JESUS. 

We can rest there.  We trust God.  Got troubles?  Bring them to PAPA and look to His Word to find the truth of the situation.  Declare what HE says about your wife, family, kids, job, and personal issues, grief and then walk it out. 

If I asked you to write down words of how God describes you, what would you write?  Remember that if you have received Jesus, you are GOD’s sons.  HE says things like this about us – we are deeply loved and highly favored, we have the mind of Christ, we don’t have a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind, we are abundantly blessed, we don’t suffer lack or want or poverty, we are kings and priests and sons of the most High God!

Response:

Let God show you right now how much HE loves you.  Let Him describe how HE feels about you.  Give HIM all your pain and issues.  Put it all in His Hands.  This decision is irrevocable.  Once for all. 

Rest in Him and His ability to help you with each detail of your life and each opportunity or issue. 

The Bible teaches that we can choose to live a life that is blessed or cursed.  At NLC we believe in teaching us how to live a blessed life.  Invest in what matters.  Tithe, manage your money in a way that brings you peace, give offerings from your surplus to advance the Kingdom.  Why? Because it matters eternally!

We have classes and coaching on budgeting, planning, etc.  There are lots of guys that like to talk about this.  I can connect you with them or you can talk with me.

Prayer

Papa, I ask that You show this reader how much you love him.  Please give him his next step to walk in Your blessed life.  In Jesus' Name. 

Finding Meaning in our Work

Do you feel valued at your job?  Maybe at times we do, but sometimes not.  The ideas I'm writing about today, fly in the face of current thought.

Many times I've heard what seems to be humility as we downplay our role in a particular gift or proposal to benefit our organization.  I've been taught, "Know where the fundraiser is to be at a picture of a check presentation?.... Right next to the photographer!"

But could we be fostering a work culture that causes dissatisfaction?  We are to build relationships.  We are bridge builders.  Yes, much of our interaction with donors is truly a "business meeting" but isn't there great value in that?  What would happen if the fundraiser who actually made the contact, wrote the proposal, processed the gift, was included in the check presentation?  Wouldn't it show that we value the people whose job it is to build these relationships for our organizations?

I have had an epiphany lately, but I'm not quite ready to share it with people at work. I think job satisfaction may have to do with personal recognition of your contribution, whether it be on a particular gift or proposal, or an idea or even an actual form or policy.  I think if we could be simply thanked and/or recognized for our contributions at work we would enjoy a greater sense of meaning in our careers.

Here's an example, a great friend and colleague recently retired.  As I looked over his years of highly productive work, there is little to say that he ever did anything of substance. There is nothing of permanence to recognize this person who has given GREAT service and even leadership to our organization.  His name isn't permanently and publicly recognized on gifts or projects that he facilitated.

Personally, I've raised nearly $100,000,000 in my career.  The organizations I've served have been benefited with over $500,000,000 due to our work in philanthropy and fundraising. If you visit any of those organizations today, there is little evidence that I have ever been there.  How could that be remedied?  Here are a few ideas:

1. Include the development officer's name on all gift agreements with which she has had something to do along with the Vice Chancellor's, Dean's and Chancellor's name.
2. Insure that their name is permanently attached on the record of that gift.
3. Make a plaque to honor the development team that served in the last capital campaign and announce and display it publicly (we do that with boards don't we?)
4. Add the names of all development staff who had any contribution to the fundraising on the recognition plaque on the building or other naming opportunities.
5. Whenever people handle a process, such as gift recognition, seek for ways to include their name, be it in a footnote or watermark
6. Same goes for those who suggest or draft a new policy or form to simplify and build communication.  
7. Honor often and publicly the people who serve in fundraising.  This in itself would help the entire institution to appreciate and think more highly of the professionals who work in philanthropy. 

YES, at the center and the focus of all fundraising is appreciation for the donor.  But isn't there room to thank and recognize the professional(s) who helped facilitate the gift?

At our shop, we recognize proposals, scheduled meetings with donors, gifts closed, but only internally and not with much appreciation.  What would happen if we sought ways to honor the work that we do as fundraisers in such ways that would last long after we are gone?  

Thank you Jeff Brooks!

I read a lot.

I enjoy studying/reading about our profession.  In so doing, I'm a fan of many of today's fundraising gurus: Ken Burnett, Tom Ahern, Marc Pittman, Robert Swanson, Jim Greenfield, Penelope Burks and  Jeff Brooks.

This is an excerpt from a blog Jeff did...

"What is it about fundraising that makes people who know nothing about it so confident they can do it better than the professionals? People who've never read a single book about how to do fundraising right ... never read one of the hundreds of blogs that focus on the topic ... never been to one of the conferences that are rich with useful content about it ... never labored under a mentor who knew profession inside and out -- they're completely sure that they can do better than those who've done all that?

We have a problem.

It's costing us millions of dollars in lost revenue."

WOW.  

This is a call to action.  Fundraisers, learn, study, read, and apprentice.  Let's bring professionalism that is valued to our organizations by our conduct, practices and actions.

Implement!

I am a big fan of Seth Godin.  His word for "implement" is "ship it!".  I totally agree.  Leaders use planning and meetings too often. They become smart ways to procastinate and to delay making a decision.  This comes from a fear of failure.  Many times we know what we need to do.  We just need to do it! 

I believe that if you get the right persons on the bus, in the right places (thank you "Good to Great") that you can launch a good idea at most any time in the process.   The person, the leader, can handle the challenges if and when they arise and adjust in order to position the project for the best chance at success.

What is a good way to implement a fundraising campaign?  Great question... the answer is coming soon to a blog near you. 

Art on LinkedInhttp://www.linkedin.com/in/arthorne/

The Wonderful World of Endowments

I subscribe to "Movie Mondays" (see Christopher Davenport <chris@501videos.com>).  Chris is consistent, dependable and delivers great content. I'm an experienced and some people say an expert in fundraising.  I learn something every time I watch Chris' movies.

Today the topic was about endowments.  Here are my two cents...

One, if you currently don't fund raise for them, start!  Endowments are indicative of the financial health of a non-profit.  There are some "watch its" for endowments. 

1. There is always someone who says,"we need current, operating money" that squelches the enthusiasm for building endowments.  Endowments are seen as a luxury or something for the future.  What to do?  Set a "fee" on the endowment that will go toward operating expenses.  Most successful and well run non-profits observe this practice.  (Examples:  .5% fee on earnings for larger endowments to support the development office; 8-10 % fee on new endowments for same purpose).
2. Have clear parameters.  How large do they have to be to become "completed" endowments and begin their payout to their specific purpose?
3. Do simple (SIMPLE) gift agreements to insure that your donors have stated the express purpose and that both parties agree to the purpose.
4. Have a "changed conditions" clause in your gift agreement.   Endowments are a "forever" gift.  What happens if the purpose for the endowment no longer exists?  Write in your agreements that the endowment will be used for "related" or "like" purposes in that instance, as voted on by the Board.

Two,  talk with other professionals who have been working in the endowment world and get them in your contacts on your cell phone!  I love non-profits and the people who work in them.  Give me an email if you have questions...  horne.ja@gmail.com

Managing Internal Requests for Funding
    
Many of my colleagues in health care or hospital shops receive several requests throughout the year by directors in the various departments that serve their organization.  What is a good plan for handling those requests?

The best way I have found to do this consistently is to set a date for submissions and develop steps to the process where everyone is heard and given consideration respectfully. 

Here are some steps that may help you develop your submission plan:

1.       Create a “wish list” form

2.       Have it vetted by your CEO

3.       A couple of months prior to your budget planning have the forms filled out by your department directors

4.       The CEO then prioritizes list according to the strategic plan

5.       Then take prioritized list to your board

6.       They choose one or all of the projects for their fundraising project and assign it the time deemed necessary for successful completion

7.       You can communicate their decisions as you wish back to the directors/CEO, but do let them know of the decision(s)

8.       Develop your budget, fundraising plan for the project(s)

9.       Raise the money!

10.   Celebrate the victories.

 

Was this helpful?

Communication

This past week I was asked to:

1. write year end appeal letters
2. record my major gift moves in our donor management software
3. account for all proposals for the week
4. get permission to be PM (principal manager in our system) for a few new potential donors
5. make a vacation request
6. cancel and/or reschedule some meetings on my calendar
7. and so on....

Sound familiar?  Well, you ask, "did you do all those things?"   The answer is, on 4 of the 6, I really don't know if it was completed.  Oh yes, I did all the details with accuracy, but I never heard back from the next one in the communication chain whether or not they did their part.

So, I'm left with a quandary.  Do I set up "shadow systems" so that I can keep track of my work and reports, do I continue to communicate with the next in line to ask them if they did what they were supposed to do?

All this could be easily done or remedied depending upon how you see this if we would remember that communication is a loop - a circle.

If only we had a simple policy that when someone gives you a report, request, task, to respond to them in the manner in which they communicated, to share with them that the task was satisfactorily completed.  We could have assurance that we have finished the task.

It's important that we respond in the same method of communication.  Let me give you an example:  I receive emailed calendar "invites" that I can accept or decline and it populates my calendar.  However, the originator cancels or postpones these same events by just sending an ordinary email.   What happens?  I have to take additional steps to amend or cancel the request on my calendar.  Many times I am not at my computer... I may be traveling or out on a call and have to stop and change all the details via iPhone.  No, it isn't terribly inconvenient, but it leaves the door wide open for miscommunication. 

Last week, I saw 4 people come to a meeting that had been canceled.  Why? Because of the disjointed communication mentioned above.  If you send a calendar invite and have to change the time or date, just update the invite.  Then the person can accept and voila, the calendars are all updated.

In closing, sometimes, after you email, send an electronic invite or message, pick up the phone and give that person a call.  It's amazing what happens in 1:1 communication where we actually talk.

Effective communication is a loop... be sure to close it.