I don’t want to change the date. And I don’t want to change the focus to anything but celebrating Jesus’ birth. I want to change what Christmas has come to represent, even among most Christians. I want us to be transformed through the experience of acknowledging our Savior’s birth and what that means to each of us, and taking some time out of our year to celebrate and give thanks for what God has done through His Son.
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We are less than a week from Christmas….did you put thought into the gift(s) you are about to give?
We all have received some lame gifts at Christmas, things that we either didn’t want or need. What were your emotions when you received that gift? What were your feelings toward the person(s) who gave you the gift?
As I have pondered these questions (sorry to say more than once during my lifetime), I found myself not so disturbed by the gift I was given...
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Several trends presented in last week’s webinar – The Golden Age of Philanthropy Has Died. What Now? – were bouncing around in my head the following day as I read this article posted in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. The article’s title, ‘Two Very Different Groups, One Fundraising Event’, captured my attention as it suggested alignment with a key strategy presented in the webinar: partnerships and resource sharing.
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No one wants to be characterized as a Scrooge, but what do you do when a nonprofit you've been giving to suddenly says, "We don't want you to give us money!"? Oddly, this is the quandary I'm in as we speak (or more aptly, as I write). Here's the short story...I received a year-end "appeal" letter from a ministry I've given to in the past. I say appeal letter because that's typically what they send this time of the year, but in the two page letter, they made it very clear...
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In my last post, I lamented the weaknesses of the metaphors du jour that attempt to describe the relationship between nonprofit organization and champion: recipient/donor, patron/artist, investor/business, and even friend/friend. And I offered an alternative, that of doctor/patient.In the spirit of moving backwards to move forwards, I’d like to revisit and skewer these current metaphors in this post, lay them to rest...
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