Jerry Twombly - Funding Your God Given Vision Through Relational Development

An Example of an Organization Who Really "Gets It"

For several years my wife and I lived in the Colorado Springs area.   During our 12 wonderful years in Colorado we sponsored nine cadets who attended the United States Air Force Academy.

We saw these incoming students on the days before they actually entered the academy.  They were some of the smartest young men and women in the country.   They had survived the rigid admission process and were now about to enter one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world.  They were proud, sometimes arrogant, and very sure of themselves. 

Six weeks later they were allowed to leave the academy to go to the home of their sponsor.   In the six weeks of "basic training" they had already shown signs of changing.   They complained, talked of quitting, and spent time recovering from their experience.   And that was only the beginning!

Four years later we went to their graduation.  They were transformed and deployed.   We have tracked their lives over these last 10 years.  Shortly after graduation some were flying multimillion dollar aircraft, one is managing satellite traffic 25,000 miles above the earth, and others have since left the academy and have taken their place in private industry.  Each of them have had great professional success and, to a person, they demonstrate all the virtues you would want to see evident in someone representing you and your country. 

In a day when many colleges are looking for warm bodies to fill vacant spaces, there are some who have long waiting lists.  I've given an example here that does a great deal to discourage potential students.   They talk about how tough it is, how much will be demanded, how physically and mentally taxing the experience will be, how miserable you will feel, how much you will want to quit, and that people will be constantly demanding more when you've already given them everything you have.  Yet over 10,000 applications were received last year for just over 1,000 slots for the admitting class.

I'm convinced one of the reasons for the success of the academy is that they consistently deliver desirable outcomes.  They know how to do it and almost 100% of graduates display them at the time of graduation and years after.   So much so that when one of "our cadets" left the Air Force to move into private industry applied for a job with a major corporation he was almost immediately escorted into the office of the president.  After a short interview he was told "I like academy graduates, you're hired!"   Ten years later he is a vice-president.

 

Fundraising Seminar in March

I will be conducting a two-day intensive training program titled: Raising Money in a Changing World in Indianapolis, IN from March 7-8, 2012.   The session will be held at the Indianapolis campus of Grace Colleges' Weber School.   The cost of the seminar is set at $250 with additional personnel from the same organization only $125.  For a brochure, simply click here: https://files.me.com/ghtwombly/654q31.

Are You Reporting Outcomes or Outputs?

I've spent the last few weeks talking about "outcomes" on my weekly free internet Breakfast Club webinar.

In my preparation for this series I discovered that most organizations in reporting to donors talk about outputs. They spend a great deal of time talking about the things they are doing, the numbers of people they serve, the projects in which they are involved, and how they compare with others who do the same thing.  

Overall, giving is down again in 2011.   Donors are much more discretionary and are delving more deeply into the claims being made by those seeking support.   They're not particularly impressed with the numbers you report, they are very interested in the product you produce.  They are asking questions about how clients look 10 years after they have left you.  Is the impact of your work with them still evident?

Josh McDowell in his unsettling book The Last Christian Generation makes the point that there is little difference in the attitudes of young men and women who are Christians when compared to those who are not.  74% of the Christian crowd have cheated on a test and 76% of non-believers have done the same. And the statistical differences are almost identical when asked to respond to other questions like lying to parents, lying to a teacher, physically hurting someone when angered, etc.  

I suspect that most of the organizations serving the Christian youth spend a good deal of time touting their programs for kids, all the things they did last year to engage them, how well they tested, and how many have gone on to college.   But if there is no substantive difference in the end result, does it justify anyone making a significant contribution in supporting their programs?

Donors are not as impressed with what you do.   They are very interested in learning more, and demanding more, in terms of how what you do changes lives.  And that's what outcomes measure.  How are you doing?

 

Master of the Molecules

I make an effort to read through The Divine Conspiracy by my friend Dallas Willard every year.  This single book has had as much impact on my spiritual life than any other with the clear exception of God's Word.  The book is a commentary of Jesus' most famous sermon, The Sermon on the Mount.   Willard speaks eloquently about the Kingdom of God and reminds his readers that that kingdom is now with us.  

Here's a quote from the book that reminds me of God's incredible power that I find extraordinarily inspirational, I hope you will as well:

"At the literally mundane level, Jesus knew how to transform the molecular structure of water to make it wine. That knowledge also allowed him to take a few pieces of bread and some little fish and feed thousands of people.  He could create matter from the energy He knew how to access from "the heavens" right where He was.

"It cannot be surprising that the feeding of the thousands led the crowds to try to force Him to be their king. Surely one who could play on the energy/matter equation like that could do anything. Turn gravel into gold and pay off the national debt! Do you think He could get elected president or prime minister today?

"He knew how to transform the tissues of the human body from sickness to  health and from death to life. He knew how to suspend gravity, interrupt weather patterns, and eliminate unfruitful trees without saw or ax. He only needed a word.  Surely He must be amused at what Nobel prizes are awarded for today.

"In the ethical domain He brought an understanding of life that has influenced world thought more than any other . . . and one of the greatest testimonies to His intelligence is surely that He knew how to enter physical death, actually to die, and then live on beyond death. He seized death by the throat and defeated it!"

As I read this,  I'm reminded there's nothing beyond His reach.   And all of a sudden I feel a calmness of soul realizing the power of the indwelling Spirit who resides in me.  

 

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