Serve by Commuicating Giving is on many people’s minds this time of year, and especially today. Giving Tuesday was created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. This is the time of year when it is becoming clear to the donor what the total income will be for…

Happy ThanksGIVING What movie will you watch on Thanksgiving? It’s A Wonderful Life? Love it!George Bailey was a giver. As you know from the movie, George needed help understanding the impact he was having.Once he was able to “see” the impact, he was reminded of the power of giving back.Don’t wait until it’s too late…

Wait For It The Christmas lights at the entrance of my neighborhood ushered in the Christmas season the day after Halloween. This also means the season of delayed gratification for my kids has officially begun. Normally, when my kids ask for an essential clothing item such as new shoes we jump on Amazon and they…

Give and Get What you give out is what you receive in return. It is the parable of the seed and harvest in the bible. If you plant seeds of wheat, you will get a wheat harvest. If you play a soybean seed, you will get a soybean harvest. What works in farming works in…

Hope Needed now more than ever is hope. Hope in a better life, better community, better relationships, better caring for one another, and more. Hope. One industry that has more influence than perhaps any other industry in our country is the leading nonprofits. The leading nonprofits in the city set a tone and standard for…

“News” The news today comes at us fast and furious. It is laced with emotionally charged words regardless of which side of the argument you are on. But think for a second about the “news” of your day… Do you have “good” and “bad” days? We all do, right? Then we tend to name the…

New or Normal? What could be beneficial now more than ever is assurance that the uncertainty of our present time is “normal.” The uncertainty of the upcoming election results, economic instability, and market volatility are all “normal.” In other words, there is always uncertainty. And in the midst of uncertainty, making decisions can actually bring…

This Conversation Matters The planned giving conversation matters for the donor. While annual giving meets immediate needs quicker than planned giving, don’t dismiss how planned giving can help. Too many dismiss planned giving too quickly, concluding that it only meets future needs. And the future needs are in conflict with short-term needs. However, most seasoned…

Three Donor Questions “But dad, what do I say?” This is the question my kids ask me when faced with a challenge in their studies, and they don’t even know what to ask their teacher in order to get help. Everyone can freeze up and get tongue twisted when there are challenges or tensions are…

The Starting Point to Giving Dr. Stephen R. Covey’s best selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, first published in 1989, has sold more than 25 million copies in 38 languages worldwide. It remains one of the best selling nonfiction business books. One of the habits Covey recommends is to begin with the…