Balancing the Imminent with the Eminent

In our work as fundraisers, development or stewardship officers we can get caught up in the immediate, or imminent part of our work. Those are things like planning for events, getting our mailings out, working on newsletters, etc. These tasks, when part of a comprehensive and cohesive whole, are good to work on. This is "the stuff" of advancement and getting out the message about our school.

Then, there are those aspects of our work which are not pressing from a scheduling perspective, but are every bit as important because they are the most significant. Websters defines eminent as high, lofty, towering or prominent. These are the items that may not make it to the daily planner, but are those where life happens. A family needs a word of encouragement, another development officer needs a shoulder to lean on, a volunteer would be blessed with a little recognition, etc.

Balancing these two competing priorities is the mark of maturity in our world. We should have a game plan that keeps us on track while we build in unscheduled time for unexpected opportunities to bless others and to think out of the box.

How do we do this? First, recognize that the work of advancement is never done; there is always someone else we want to introduce to the school. Second, find a mentor who will walk alongside you, who will pray for you, and will help hold you accountable to balancing competing priorities.

The Stewardship of Time and Talents

You are (or become) aware of a particular need. You become personally involved because you want to be a part of something that positively affects the lives of others. Gifts of time and talent are perhaps the best contributions a donor can make to the school.

We often overlook the importance of being good stewards of the time God has given us. "...As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work." John 9:5.

Stewardship of time is giving God first priority. In spite of all He had to to do, He took time for quiet meditation. He found time to be alone with his heavenly Father.

Stewardship of time means taking time to rest and renew your strength, evaluate your life, and focus on God's will for your life. As I get older, I have a greater sense of urgency to use my time well; I feel the clock ticking.

And it is setting apart time to be with the ones you love the most here on earth. Do we give adequate time to family and friends?

Similarly, Goad has equipped us with gifts and talents. Who benefits from them? Are they just used in our working hours - or are they used for God's Kingdom?

So, at Back to School Night, I intend to ask people how they used their time this summer. Did the time off allow them (and me?) to re-kindle their relationship with Jesus?

In summary, stewardship of time and talent for the Kingdom reminds us:

• who He is,


• who we are, and


• what our relationship should be to the time and talents He has given us to manage in His name.

Sailing and Stewardship

One of the first things I learned when I started sailing small boats was that, while I should have our destination in sight, I may not be able to sail straight to it. Winds, currents and other conditions demand that we may have to "tack", or sail in diagonal directions to eventually arrive at the destination.

Development and stewardship is, in many ways, similar. We must tack in building and developing relationships. I see this in two areas:

1. The Lord wants us to pray and to rely on Him. If He makes the process the "cause and effect" as we find on the transactional world, where is our faith? If it is a linear process, then we reduce the process to "this many visits or appeals" equals this many dollars. So, we just get better at turning the crank on the find raising machine.


2. On the higher level, there are people and organizations that we can and should bless, and there is no immediate return or connection with the goal of raising funds. Here, we need to see that we stewards need to be available to the King to be used in a way that advances His Kingdom. Most of us do not have vast sums of cash wealth, but we have much to share with others. Who knows, maybe we can even help them with their fund raising!

The sailing analogy breaks down a little because, in development, we may not be able to see the destination that the Lord has for us. However, we can watch the prevailing winds (the Spirit) and sail in the direction He points.

The results are His after all; to God be the Glory.

The Stewardship of our Time - Loving well

John 3:16–20

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.

In this passage, we see that John questions whether it is possible to truly have God’s love in you if you have no compassion for the poor. He uses as his example Christ’s love manifesting itself through the sacrifice of His very life.

God didn’t just give a little for us; He gave His best. He gave Himself. John is saying that it is no different for us: True love requires sacrifice. And our love is shown by how we live our lives: “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

One of the clearest ways we love “with actions and in truth” is through giving to others. By giving, I don’t mean just money, although that is certainly an element of it.

Another important element of giving is with our time. Most of us are so busy that the thought of adding one more thing to our weekly schedule is stressful. Instead of adding in another thing to our lives, perhaps God wants us to give Him all of our time and let Him direct it as He sees fit.

Giving that is not motivated by love is worth nothing. Paul says from this kind of giving we “gain nothing”; however, when we give out of love, we gain much. Giving results not only in heavenly compensation, but also gives us great joy in our lives here and now. As we love more genuinely and deeply, giving becomes the obvious and natural response. Taking and keeping for ourselves becomes unattractive and imprudent.

So, in our many interactions, maybe we can slow down, breathe deeply and really try to love the person across the desk or table.

When God Changed my Plan

"A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum"

Two weeks ago I was sitting in a wonderful training course sponsored by The Stewardship Alliance (http://www.thestewardshipalliance.com/). In this first day of a three-day course I was struck down with an illness that caused me to be hospitalized for 5 days.

I hate being confined, not able to come and go when and where I wish. Yet, the ultimate Stewardship Officer had me on my back to remind me of some important things, things that I might not have thought about unless He had my full attention.

Our God is so good; He is always the best at using (shall I say redeeming?) the time we think is wasted.

During my hospital stay I was allowed to think more holistically about my role as a father, husband, church member, and stewardship officer. The change in venue let me see that I need make some changes to my work and life priorities and schedule.

I am returning to my "normal life" with renewed purpose for my work, appreciation for those who love and care for me, and how I can better balance all of these to give God the glory He deserves.

While I do not recommend these forced down times, the summer can be a good time to review our plans, re-connect with key donors and volunteers, and to test what we do in light of the mission of the school.

This is the Day!

There is a light snow falling this morning as we wait for the year to run out the clock and we are ushered into a new year and decade.

What thoughts come to your mind as you consider the year past and where we go from here?

Here are some musings from someone who has had a nice two-week break from most of my usual activities:

1. Seek the Lord - Deut. 4:29 "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and will all your soul."

We can be gazing heavenward even as we work and toil on this earth. Our charge is to seek Him first and all these things will be added...

2. Trust in the Lord - This is the time to remember that all good things come from the hands of an always good God who has our best interests in mind.

3. Try to see our ministry as only one small part of the Kingdom work - While what we and our ministries do is vitality important for the community and beyond, God is not constrained by our shortcomings; nor is He more potent if we are experiencing growth and greater impact.

4. Reflect Jesus - every meeting or interaction is an opportunity to represent the One who sends us. Remember His kindness and compassion and His desire to see the fullness of what He has to offer.

5. Go deeper - In a world characterized by thin and temporal relationships, make every effort to have meaningful interactions so that others will be valued. We, too, have a greater sense of satisfaction when we can think of one or two really great conversations.

6. Seek the "bi-lateral" blessing of matching a donor's desires with the ministry needs. It may mean a non-cash opportunity, but God Himself will release the funds at the right time and in the right amount.

7. Expect the unexpected - these are not "normal" times in the non-profit world. Look for new approaches and partnerships that can yield even greater impact - it may mean that we don't control everything.

8. Make connections with peers - if we have ever needed the support and encouragement from each other it is now. Set aside time each week or month to connect with a peer who can encourage you and who you can do the same for.

9. Laugh at yourself - We can take our work seriously, but let us not take ourselves to seriously. Our Lord who reigns in heaven must look down on our (often) clumsy efforts and smile at our attempts to be successful.

10. Can't think of one more - drop me a line and finish the list, please....

God Bless!

Stewardship - The Heart of the Matter

I Corinthians 10:31

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

When you are not "on the clock" what kinds of things do you think about and discuss with others?

Here are a couple of approaches - neither describes anyone exactly, but they represent two tendencies or orientations.

"I'm a fundraiser or administrator all day long. I want to have some downtime with people and not have them see me as one-dimensional."

"Every day that God gives me I will proclaim His glory to anyone and everyone who gives me the opportunity to share the Good News and to encourage others to walk in the way."

As I grow older I realize that my interactions with people will not continue forever. This includes family, friends and strangers.

We stewardship officers have an obligation to be good stewards of our own time, talent and treasure. For many, we may have more time and talent than treasure. So, how will we spend these?

Are we still supposed to witness and encourage others in their "gift deployment" when we are on vacation? Is it presumptuous to believe that relatives and strangers want to discuss what is on our minds?

Here is a question that I have to ask myself to help me make the right decision, "If today was the last day I ever see this person, what do I want them to remember from our recent conversation?"

I think we have a special obligation to be "on call" everyday, ready to give the reason for our hope in Christ and why we do not fear the grave.

That does not necessarily mean that we are advocating for our school at every turn, but it does mean that we care enough for others that we want them to experience the grace of our Lord Jesus.

And, yes, you may be the bearer of that good news!

Go, be blessed, and be a blessing!

"Re-planning" your events for the year

1 Corinthians 10:23-31

"Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is constructive.

Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience.

But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake--the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience?

If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

The summer is a time to look forward to the multitude of activities and events for the upcoming year. For many schools, these are the major milestones that must be completed to make the year a success (we'll talk what "success" is separately).

Hopefully, before we plan the events we have taken some time to reflect on the past year to see if they had the impact we thought they would.

As we get ready for the next year and the many things we do to promote the school and to raise awareness and funds for the school, I would suggest putting all of the events through a rigorous evaluation. This type of "re-planning" could help to focus and refine, or it could raise the question, "should we even do this again"?

Journalists have to answer the questions: who, what, when, why and how? It might be a good place to start with asking a few of these.

Who? What is the primary audience for the event? Who do we want to hear from afterwards that this was a wonderful experience?

Why? Is it for fund-raising, friend-raising, awareness-raising, or for fun? This is probably the most important question to answer because everything flows from the event's purpose. Work hard to clarify this. The clearer the goal, the more likely you will hit it.

What? Here we must keep in mind the admonition of scripture. To paraphrase Ro. 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the ways (event types) of this world, but be transformed (and transformational) by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. This means that we must remember that the Lord cares deeply about what we do to raise funds; don't fixate on what someone else did just because "it worked".

How? Our Lord deserves excellence in all things. While we have limited budgets, we should not do anything in a shoddy way that might confuse the beauty of the Gospel that is central to our work. It is better to do something small, but very well, than to have a large event that is poorly done, but gets the numbers.

When we ask these hard questions, God is pleased to re-focus our efforts and lead into paths (events) that honor Him while blessing donors and providing for the needs of the school.

Raising the "talent" in time, talent, and treasure

The Lord has "resourced" His children with giftedness in these three areas, time, talent, and treasure.

Time and treasure are easy to get a handle on. We have our volunteers who do jobs that we would otherwise have to pay for, thereby saving real money and building community at the same time. We also know treasure, for that is the "currency" by which fund-raising is measured.

But, what about the talent? Let me illustrate in a story that is just beginning, but could be one of these "bi-lateral blessings" where both the school and the donor experience receive blessing.

I had a meeting recently with a friend who is all for Christian education, both as a parent and as a former employee of a Christian school. He is now a free agent and seeking God's leading for his next assignment.

While I knew some of his talents and gifts I discovered more as we talked. In this discussion we explored possibilities where the students could benefit from these skills - if not now, then maybe in the future.

This fall we will have an opportunity to explore the matching of school needs with these Kingdom resources. Not once did we discuss a financial contribution. It was not the time and it would have cheapened our interaction.

This kind of "prospecting" can unearth some wonderful treasure if we are just willing to look for gold in all its forms.

But I also reminded that I am serving my friend as I help him find ways to serve the King.

A day in the life....

What is a typical day like for the development officer of a school?

In my talking with peers it is normally filled with logistical, or structural, work. Then, "if we have time", we can make the occasional call to a donor/friend to inquire as to how they are doing. That's the relational or softer work.

How would you split up your day? Do you spend it planning the next event? Many of these are just for the good of the students and their parents, but the "advancement" office gets to handle them.

If we are so busy in the busyness of the job and its related tasks, when do we get to think about and pray for our donors and their needs? Just because they are not demanding our attention doesn't mean that caring for them is not as high a priority.

It also does not mean that we should necessarily be on the prowl for a gift; maybe they need some ministerial care like you and I need.

Also, it doesn't always mean a personal visit (although it might). Many times a thoughtful phone call is in order. If we spend some time in prayer for our donors the Holy Spirit may bring to mind a person to call. If you have done this, you know that many times He has gone before you and is preparing the person to receive your call. Then, we can offer to pray with or for the donor/friend even in a season of rejoicing.

These pauses in our day can also remind us of how connected we are to our support network and we find, over time, that this reaching becomes more natural. The key: don't hesitate when the Spirit speaks. Pick up the phone, hand write a note, or even send a well-constructed email.

Lastly, if it doesn't come naturally then pray that the Lord gives you an enlarged heart for His people. Maybe you need to block out some time each morning and a time in the afternoon when your planner is not scheduled.

The time (of time, talent, and treasure) may be the most valuable currency we have to spend.

We know the rest of the world is not valuing it in the same way.

Now, go start something!