Jerry Twombly - Funding Your God Given Vision Through Relational Development

Home Run with Faith Institute of Philanthropy Conference

I had the joy this week to speak at the Faith Institute of Philanthropy Conference.   Let me tell you, Sherrye Willis and Kim Richardson know how to put on a conference. 

The one-day seminar was titled Ignite and it lived up to its name.  Nearly 200 gathered for the session at the Watermark Church in Dallas.  There were seminars, breakouts, and time for networking.   I had the privilege of delivering the keynote.

Get to know this organization (www.fpiweb.org).   They are doing what the non-profits in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex need, providing essential services and support for some of the areas more prominent non-profits. I was so privledged to share in such an important day!!

Engaging Millennials Now!

Many non-profit developmental leaders are not making millennials a key component of their comprehensive strategy to build their ministries.   It could be a big mistake.

The millennials represent nearly 80 million born between the years 1980-2000.  Their size makes them the largest generation in American history.  They are young, energetic, well-educated, concerned, and self confident members of a global community.   25% of them identify themselves as "spiritually minded" but only 10% of the 25% attend church regularly.  

The oldest of the millennials is only 31.  Many are just now marrying, birthing children, and growing roots.   They are not making much of an economic impact on philanthropy given the fact that they are establishing themselves at home and in the workplace.  They earn just over 5% of all income being made in America today and have not distinguished themselves as particularly generous. 

But the "why bother" attitude prevalent among many in the developmental world could be perilous.  Think for a moment.   The most generous generation in American history has been the 78 million Baby Boomers.  They contributed close to $400 billion this year in support of non-profits.  That's just under 90% of all giving in 2011-12.  But they are retiring according to a Pew Research Center report at the rate of 10,000 a day, a pattern that will continue for the next 12-15 years.   Their giving is predicted to decline as they leave the workforce to a point nearly 70% less than today's level.

There is an important point, however, that is too often missed.  Baby Boomers (born between 1946-1964) didn't become major players in the non-profit world until the late 1980's.  When I started my career in organizational advancement in 1970, the oldest of the Baby Boomers was 24 years old.   And guess what, to quote myself, "They were not making much of an economic impact on philanthropy given the fact that they were establishing themselves at home and in their world."

Building on the foundational infrastructure created by their fathers ("The Silent Generation"), Baby Boomers are almost totally responsible for growing the American economy as one of the most robust in the world.   The financial needs of the world's non-profits has been carried on the backs of this most remarkable group.  They became generous.  And so will the millennials!

During the early years of my career, the majority of time was spent in building relationships with this signficant demographic group.  It paid off.   And the amazing thing is that we didn't have the tools available to us then that we have readily at our disposal today!   Direct mail was coming of age, the internet was non-existent, and the idea of texting a message to an omnipresent "smart phone" was impossible.   We did it the old fashioned way.

It's a new day.   Today you can build relationships, encourage, edify, educate, and engage in a two-way conversation with members of the next "greatest generation."   They are going to be big players. They see life differently than their parents, they have totally different priorities, they see the world much more holistically, they want to get dirty, and they will make a difference.  

You can sit back and watch this emerge, begrudging the fact that you missed one of development's greatest opportunities or you can join in strategizing ways in which you can introduce them to your work, partnering with them in important ministry initiatives, encouraging them, and supporting them.  And along the way, guess what, you might learn alot from them that will enrich your life and ministry!!

 

The Pesistence of God

I tend to be a big dreamer.  I like imagining the future and dreaming of what could be.

I've discovered, however, that God works the other side of the equation.   He knows the destination, "that we be conformed into the image of His Son", and works backward in doing all that is necessary to accomplish His ultimate purpose.  Ugh. 

There's still an incredible amount of refining that God needs to do to bring me where He wants.  Day after day I encounter trials that He has intended to refine and build character in me.   Sometimes I listen and respond but most often I deal with them as annoying inconveniences that get in the way of my agenda.  But God is persistent and now I'm beginning to listen a bit more intently because I'm getting a bit weary of all the things He continues to do to get my attention!

I think the same may be true in organizations.   We build them to accommodate our agenda but I wonder if sometimes we're missing the point.  Dare we ask the prayerful question, "What do YOU want my organization to look like?" 

It's a thought worth pondering.

How to Raise $500,000 This Year

Looking for a new idea?

Get 1,000 envelopes and inside each one put a number from 1-1000.   Throughout the year ask donors, friends, and constituents of your organization if they would be willing to take an envelope, open it, and send a gift to your ministry in the amount reflected on the number to be found in the envelope.  In other words, if they open the envelope and the number 486 is in the envelope, they would write you a check for $486. 

No one would pay more than $1,000 and, obviously, the smallest gift requested would be for one dollar.  The cumulative amount if all 1,000 envelopes were distributed and everyone followed through with a gift would be $500,500!

Just in case you wanted to know . . . the same exercise with fewer envelopes would still generate some pretty interesting returns.   Here they are: 100 envelopes would yield $5,050, 200 would generate $20,100, 300 would produce $45,150, 400 would bring $80,200, and 500 would provide you with an additional $125,250.

A gift is a gift . . . and an opportunity for you to cultivate new relationships with others.

Baby Boomers: Not an Overnight Sensation

The verdict is in, Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) have been the most generous generation in American history.   They represent the financial backbone of philanthropy, giving at the unprecedented rate of nearly $400 billion annually.  

It's important to remember that their financial influence as a group was not an overnight sensation.   They began having a significant impact in 1986, that time in which the earliest of that generation reached the age of 40.  Prior to that time, the majority of gifts being made to support the financial needs of non-profits came from the previous generation (the "Silent Generation") who led the way in building the infrastructure upon which the next generation would build one of the most robust economies in the world.

Non-profits today are bemoaning the fact that the financial influence of Baby Boomers is beginning to wane.  They're retiring at unprecedented rates (10,000/day) and beginning to die.   And it's true, the precipitous loss of income to non-profits could be somewhat cataclysmic. 

BUT . . . future generations will take their place!  X-Gens are playing a significant role in philanthropy today and the millennials represent a tsunami of incredible force that will shape the non-profit world in the 21st century.  Now is the time to begin cultivating relationships with this rising generation, larger in size than any generational group that has preceded them. 

We have the technology but do you have a plan?   At the risk of sounding redundant, "You Snooze, You Lose!"

Join Me in My Vision

I've come to believe we can make a difference. 

There are millions of Americans who are "for life."  Yet over 50 million babies have been aborted in our country since the 1973 controversial Roe Vs. Wade Supreme Court decision.  The number is appalling and to imagine that we could expect the blessing of God on our country when such a travesty occurs everyday is unimaginable. 

I think we can make a difference.  I'm setting a goal to build a mobile database of 10 million.  Stop and think about it.   If we could build a database of 10 million people committed to bulding a culture for life in our country, we would have one of the largest lobbying groups in our country.   We could monitor proposed legislation in every state of the US.  We could be pro-active in building a family friendly network of services and resources throughout our country.   We could make a difference!!

A wild idea?   I don't think so.   Here's how you can be involved:   Simply write the three letters IFL in your texting message box and send it to this number:  32020.  And then invite all your friends who share your "for life" commitment to do the same.  Let's do it quickly and begin communicating immediately vital information of ways in which every American can be involved in the pursuit of building a culture of life in our country.  

The Next Big Thing

When I started in development over 40 years ago, our highest priority was building a database.   All kinds of effort and energy was put into capturing the names, addresses, and other pertinent information of those who might have an interest in supporting our work. 

Fifteen years ago the emphasis was upon securing email addresses of our constituents and friends.   Email afforded us an opportunity to inexpensively expand our messaging capabilities.

The major focus of non-profits today should be to build a mobile database.  It should be one of your highest developmental priorities.  Texting is the wave of the future and believe me, "if you snooze on this, you will lose."

Sitting on the Sidelines

You've heard all about it.

Banks are holding on to money, resistant to loan it to individuals and businesses.   Corporations are holding on to money too, billions of dollars, as they maintain their "wait and see" attitude.   Donors are apprehensive as never before, sitting on the sidelines waiting for a fresh idea.

Prospective donors, those who we so desperately need to support our ministries are tired of the same old thing.  They can see absurdity a mile away among organizations stayed in their ways "doing the same old thing in the same old way and expecting different results."

What they are looking for is a fresh idea, a big vision, and an accompanying plan that makes sense.  They're waiting.

 

Substantive Communication

Not all communication builds relationships.

You really don't "know" someone until you know their values, how they feel about things, their goals, the things they like and dislike, and that which drives them to do the things they do. The same is true with an organization.  

Take time to answer these questions:

• Why does your organization exist?
• What difference do you hope to make?
• What core values drive the decisions you make?
• How would your community and the world be different if you were to achieve success?
• What are your non-negotiables?

How well do you think you are doing in communicting these things to your constituents?  It can be done by sharing the facts as well as sharing stories that substantiate the truth of who you are.    It's called "substantive communication."  

Linkage and Leverage--Key Words!

The primary rule of development is the rule of linkage.   Simply stated, "the closer someone is linked to you, the greater the likelihood they will support you."   

I often share with those organizations I serve a model that can be helpful in cultivating relationships.  It revolves around the acronym AID. "A" stands for attendance, "I" stands for involvement, and "D" stands for donation.  The people you know and others on your organizaitonal database are in varying degrees of relationship with you, some are more cultivated than others.   But those who have attended organizational events, chosen to become involved, and consistently make sacrifices of your behalf are the best cultivated. I call them "A" prospects.   Someone who has done two of the three would be a "B" prospect, someone who has done two of the three would be a "B" prospect, one of the three would be a "C" propsct, and the individual who had done none of the three would be a "D."  

The more people attend, becoming involved, and make sacrifices on our behalf the more "linked" they become to your organization.. 

We have "natural linkage, and there is also "created linkage."   You have natural linkage with your kids, they're part of the family.   Your organization has "family members" and they are the ones most likely to come forward and support what you are doing.   You also can create linkage by engaging others in pursuit of a common goal.  The work of development is determined by how aggressively we move in creating meaningful linkage (partnerships) with others.

The other key word is leverage.  You've been given resources and the challenge is maximizing the impact of those resources through leveraging.  You have connections and relationships with people who can help in some very practical ways.   You really need to take an inventory of all your resources (who you know, what you know, what you're exceptionally good at, etc.) and ask yourself how can we leverage these gifts of God for maximum kingdom impact.  

It's worth some thought.