Life & Planning

The Darnedest Thing… Families Here’s an idea to bring just about any family together. Because, how the family system works is interesting, isn’t it? They have the potential to be a huge blessing when they work as they are designed. Truth is, they rarely do. I love when I hear people talk about their dysfunctional…

Start Today The African Proverb asks and answers this question: “When’s the best time to plant a tree?” “Twenty years ago.” “When’s the second best time?” “Today!” When’s the best time to start giving back… start giving more… more time, money, energy and influence? When’s the best time to focus on planned giving that can…

Listening Can Make the Difference It is a noisy world. Too many people talking. In all the talking, there seems to be fewer and fewer people listening. There are certainly people who hear another person. But few who listen with the intent of understanding what the other person is saying. This seems to be true…

Fear. Worry. Concern. This seems to be dominating so many people’s lives these days. While people want to share, give, and giveback, it is very possible that they are also being held back. Maybe not entirely (and in many cases it may appear they are not being held back at all), but the capacity so…

The track sprinter doesn’t sprint continuously. The tennis match doesn’t continue on from one point to the next without giving the players a moment to catch their breath. Football has stops in between plays. Even in a day-long race like the Ironman, you find ways to catch your breath even though you don’t stop. For…

You have purpose. You were made on purpose with a purpose. In his landmark book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl talks about the role of purpose in his own survival. Between 1942 and 1945, Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Mr. Frankl knew…

Here is one way you can help your donors… Have you ever heard a story about how someone sells their business or retires from their lifetime work only to pass away shortly after? Why? Lack of focus… direction? Maybe. I think it’s lack of valuable work. The “fire” dies… then so do they. Giving back…

Most like to lead people to believe that they have it all together. They want to give off the impression that they have it all figured out, and know exactly what they are doing. Many development professionals often believe this about their best donors, too. However, here’s what you need to know… your donors are…

Each passing day I am reminded how fast my kids are growing up. But it seems like yesterday that they were babies my wife and I were bringing home from the hospital. While we spend a lot of time together and participate in each others activities, the time just flies by. In recognition of this,…

She was sitting at her desk when an envelope got dropped on her desktop. As she sliced it open, she gasped. She grabbed it and ran to her colleague’s office to find out if she knew the person it was from. Neither one of them knew. But the $100,000 gift was welcomed at a time…