A missionary in Central Asia took his family for a hike in the countryside and walked by a rock foundation of an abandoned building. He noticed two 10-year-old boys playing on top of the wall, but there didn't seem to be any easy way to scale the wall. So he asked, "How did you boys get up there?" O...

Fundraising gets a bad rap among some Christian leaders who are uncomfortable with asking for money. They cite George Müller and Hudson Taylor as examples of great Christian men who told their needs to no one but God. Some modify that approach and are willing to share "full information" with do...

The board's role in governance of a ministry includes policymaking, budget oversight, strategic planning, public relations, fundraising, and so on. However, being a board member also requires having the proper attitude about the ministry. I was reminded of this the other day when "Sue" called. As t...

In tough economic times, nonprofit organizations scour their budgets looking for any possible place to trim a few dollars. Even though the old adage reminds us that, "It takes money to make money," executive directors and board members often debate the return on investment of the ministry's developm...

Ten years ago no one had ever heard of the concept of "social networking." The Internet changed advertising forever by providing us with wonderful networking tools like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and blogging. Just four years ago, students were the only ones to have a Facebook account. Today most A...

Board members who give generously and encourage others to give lead successful organizations. Ideal board members are leaders whose reputations carry some weight when they get behind a cause. These men and women are movers and shakers who know how to get things done. Unfortunately, instead of recrui...