Make it Transformational: A Blog for Champion Discipleship

Every day I hear about wonderful ministries doing remarkable things.  So what does it take to get my attention and get me involved?  Genuine cause coaching – someone taking the time to educate me about a Biblical cause and providing me meaningful ways to engage in it.

Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM), gets this.  When he visited my church last month, he delivered, hands-down, one of the best presentations on a particular cause I’ve ever heard.  Why was I so impressed?  Instead of talking about what IJM was doing to stop human trafficking, Haugen focused on what he clearly sees is his real job – engaging God’s people in the Biblical cause of justice and liberty.  While most nonprofit leaders still confuse their organization for their cause, Haugen took the time to educate and equip me about the cause of justice – rarely even speaking the name of IJM.  He looked at Biblical examples and language for each Christian’s role seeking justice and liberty for the oppressed.

What Haugen and IJM did equally well was the follow-up.  After he spoke, there was an IJM table filled with meaningful opportunities for me to get immediately involved.  Right on the spot, I was able to sign a prepared postcard to my representative in Congress urging support of The Child Protection Compact Act.   I also bought Haugen’s book, Good News About Injustice, that had a wealth of information in the appendices alone to help readers learn, explore and engage in the cause – everything from tools for developing a simple action plan to advice to students considering a career in international human rights. 

This experience prompted me to discuss the cause with Justin Hime, MIF’s GTO in Raleigh, North Carolina, who’d recently encountered the cause in a new way as well.  Don’t let this slip by you – because of our recent encounters with this cause – two ministry professionals, whose jobs involve daily contact with Christian ministries, were prompted to begin spreading the cause in their own spheres of influence.  Justin observed that by comparison those involved in the cause of justice have mastered the art of articulating their cause. We noticed how well we, as relatively new champions, had been prepped with the causal language that allowed us to have a spirited and meaningful discussion.   Because a Cause Coach had worked with Justin, I learned from him that the three biggest commodities in the world are guns, drugs and women.   Because of Gary Haugen’s visit to my church, I was able to fill in some opportunities for action.  Staggering information that incites action; I want to do something. And isn’t that what IJM wants? More importantly, isn’t that what God wants?

Hats off to Gary Haugen and IJM for being a shining example of cause coaching!

This month MIF is offering workshops on Fundraising Banquets. While executing an effective banquet is the main focus of the workshop, a Big Idea this month is the fact that every speaker at every event your organization holds should be a coach for your cause. Even if you don’t have a banquet on your calendar, the workshop will help you and any of your champions become coaches for your cause. Register here today.

Can you guess what the number one human fear is?  The dark?  No, that’s #12.  Dying?  No, that’s #7.  Heights?  No, that’s #2.  The number one fear is... public speaking!!

Of course, trying to find the source of this survey is difficult and it’s questionable as to how scientific it was when taken (for example, my greatest fear is running out of peanut M&M’s, but I digress...), so we need to take it with a grain of salt.

Yet, regardless of whether or not public speaking is the #1 fear, I think we can all agree it IS pretty high on the list.  Even when someone agrees to speak publicly about something there is a natural fear going into it, and a question about how effective one will be when they speak.  And this gets to what I want to talk to you about...

Public speaking at your events!  Too many times I have seen ministries recruit volunteer speakers to share their story, to talk about their involvement in the cause, to make an ask, or even to MC the event, only to have it be a very stressful experience where they are only half as effective as they could have been with a little prep work.

Because of that, my next few blog posts are going to be dedicated to helping you and your volunteer speakers to be the best you can be when on the stage.

First off, we have to address this fear.  Hear me...having fear is OKAY so embrace it!  Ian Tyson, a stand-up comedian, said “The body’s reaction to fear and excitement is the same...so it becomes a mental decision: am I afraid or am I excited?”   Address your fear directly and early on and decide how you’re going to channel it.

Second, practice your speech, then practice some more, and of course, practice.  Frankly, if I asked people how important practice was, 100% would say VERY important.  YET, we don’t do it nearly enough (if at all!).  I like Scott Berkun’s take on why he practices his speeches.  In his book Confessions of a Public Speaker, he says “I don’t practice to make perfect, and I don’t memorize...my intent is simply to know my material so well that I’m very comfortable with it. Confidence, not perfection, is the goal.”  (Side note: this is a great book you need to read!)

And that leads into the third point we need to discuss, which is WHAT is it that your practicing?? To have confidence in a message that is confusing and convoluted is not good!  But, you’ll have to wait until next time to learn about "shaping the message.”

(BTW, for July, MIF is presenting a free workshop on Fundraising Banquets where we’ll be talking about speaker effectiveness, so check that out to expand on what I’m sharing here.)

I recently heard Greg Boyle speak at my niece’s graduation from a fairly-elite, fairly-wealthy Christian school.  Boyle, in his keynote address, challenged the graduates to venture from their comfortable suburban existence to carry the Gospel to dark and forgotten places. 

The key to real transformation, he said, is not in service, but in kinship.  To paraphrase: “Service of the poor is obvious, it’s to be expected.  But service is just a hallway that leads to the great banquet hall of kinship.”

Service, as important as it is, can keep us at arm’s length. Service can underscore and even perpetuate the classifications of us and them, after all, they need us, and we have the goods to deliver.

Most ministry leaders I work with at Mission Increase Foundation recognize that in their ministry, they need to go beyond service to kinship.  They need to relate to their clients on common footing as humans, and all us of happen to be in desperate need of a Savior, whether rich or poor, male or female, Jew or Greek. Kinship is key.  

Yet how many of these same leaders seek to share this same common ground with their donors?

The Biblical expectation for the nonprofit organization is to actually prefer the needs of the donor above its own.  In Philippians 2:3-4, Paul challenges the Philippians to humbly consider others better than themselves, and to look after the interests of others as well as if they were their own.  Kinship.

But most nonprofits are hard wired to look after their own needs, not the needs of the nonprofit down the street, not the needs of the local church, and certainly not the needs of their donors. Paul models this kinship when, in chapter 4, his interest is in what can be credited to the account of the Philippians in their giving to him.  His concern for them supersedes his concern for his own well-being, though he was writing from prison.

And so it must be for us.  Our concern for our donors—for their spiritual well-being—must supersede our concern for our own ministry needs, for our hopes and dreams and even budgets.

It was the longest recorded match in tennis history.

Last week on the legendary grass courts of Wimbledon, American John Isner collapsed victorious after winning his over 11 hr. match against Frenchman Nicholas Mahut. This marathon match spanned the course of three days and broke nearly every conceivable record in the world of tennis. By all accounts it was a powerful demonstration of the mental and physical stamina of two athletes, both committed to compete in such a way as to win (II Tim 2:5). It was a test of their endurance to be sure, but I would propose that perhaps it was their conviction that was under the greatest test.

Over the past few weeks I've enjoyed meeting with various ministry leaders from local organizations here in Raleigh and discussing ideas related to the Transformational Giving principles, and the content from our recent workshop on Thanking & Receipting. And while each conversation covered a variety of issues unique to the organization, I observed a strong theme presenting itself in each.

Without exception, each conversation made its way back to these ideas of conviction and endurance. And while these topics may not be such a long shot for Christians to discuss, in light of the vast amount of attention they're given in the Scriptures, it is a bit surprising (at least to me) how they came up. Invariably, the ideas were brought up, not while discussing the issues associated with non-profit sustainability, but with the question, "what do we do next?"

This very straight forward question, asked with the purest of intentions, led into some deep waters. I suppose the question was intended to produce a simple list of “TG to do’s” that would ensure the asker was on the right track to implementation. What ensued on each occasion was a meaningful conversation about the need to develop clarity of direction predicated on properly cultivated convictions. The type of conviction to first turn from wrong thinking to embrace truth (i.e. repentance). Resulting in a conviction that manifests iteself in a deeply held belief or sense of resolve. The type of conviction not addressed in merely answering the what and how questions, but moves deeper into question of why.

That’s why we’re here. Through a steady exchange of ideas in workshops and coaching calls, your GTO will help you as you develop your convictions around TG. And though it might feel like a volley of wills at times, with many hard fought rallies, we're committed to think through these ideas with you that so that together we might endure.

Here’s a meaningful way to deepen your conviction, if you haven’t signed up already: register for July’s Fundraising Banquets Workshop.

In the Mission Increase Foundation world, we see giving as a significant step on a person’s journey.  This person did something specific; he or she heard God’s voice, listened, and gave – in collaboration with God.  And to that spiritual step we should say (paraphrasing Paul in Philippians 4), “Good for you!  I’m excited for what this means for you and your journey!”

So here’s an interesting question:  What if it’s not good for them?  What if the gift isn’t a step in the right direction spiritually for this person?  What if the gift isn’t given in collaboration with God but is given – I don’t know – even as an act of self-promotion?

Then what?  Consider these scenarios.

• An individual comes to you and says, “I want to start giving you the money I would normally give to my church because I don’t like what’s going on there these days.”
• A person comes to you and explains that he is giving money – a significant sum – to your ministry to specifically launch a “new program around here that I think we’ve needed for a long time”, but you don’t sense God calling your ministry in that direction.
• Someone gives money on a regular basis to the “general fund” but, as this person gives, you discover that he or she wants more and more control and influence over what’s going on with the ministry.

In these cases, I can tell you what most Christian non-profits do.  Take the tithe, launch the new program, accept the money and try to keep the person happy.

But what should you do?

What should you do when gifts are given that actually don’t help givers in their growth process?  They aren’t steps in the right direction spiritually for them?  They aren’t given in collaboration with God?  They aren’t given with the right motives so we honestly can’t say, “Good for you.”

Here's my point:  Not every gift should be commended (or even accepted for that matter)!

When you receive a gift, a good question to ask is simply… What is this gift?

• Is it a first step in the direction of the Cause?
• Is it from an individual already involved in your Cause who’s now moving deeper?
• Is it being given with the right heart and with right motives?
• Is it [fill in your own appropriate blank here]?

One of the things your ministry should consider is standing in the G.A.P.  I’m talking about developing a Transformational Gift Acceptance Policy.  A policy that is developed and understood by your leadership team that helps you determine if gifts should be accepted, AND, overall, makes clear your organization’s response to financial gifts.

For starters, maybe part of your G.A.P. sounds something like this:

• Upon receiving your financial gift, our ministry will thank God, recognizing that this gift represents, first and foremost, God’s incredible faithfulness.  We will also commend you, the Champion, who gave the gift, recognizing that you acted in collaboration (partnership) with God.
• Our ministry will receive your financial gift as an invitation to coach you to further involvement in the Cause.
• Our ministry will respond to each financial gift with specifically-prepared opportunities to help you further impact the Cause.
• Our ministry will graciously return any financial gift we know to be more appropriately given elsewhere.

(This G.A.P. example was presented in Mission Increase's May workshop on Thanking & Receipting.  To see upcoming trainings, go to www.MissionIncrease.org.)

I do believe that situations to not accept, or to return, gifts will only come up once in a while.  But they will come up.  Having a policy in place will help you see clearly through those times, and will give you something to lean on when explaining to someone that you need to decline a gift.  But, most importantly, the policy makes clear to your champions what they can expect after they give – your commitment to help them grow and move forward!

Some things to think about…