The job of the board of directors is to make decisions on behalf of the organization. Some decisions will be simple or routine; others — such as initiating new programs, cutting programs or staff, changing a name, and so forth — will have a lasting impact. How should a board make those d...

Does it make sense for your organization to hire a full-time grant writer and pursue an aggressive foundation strategy? In 2010, foundation grants accounted for $41 billion, which was 14 percent of the $290.89 billion charitable gift total. There are approximately 100,000 foundations in the United S...

Congratulations! After several unsuccessful attempts, you have finally succeeded in scheduling an appointment with the pastor of the largest church in your community. You envision the possibility of a strong and lasting partnership that will be beneficial to your ministry and to his church, and you ...

IT IS EASIER TO KEEP A DONOR THAN TO RAISE ONE My column last summer reflected on the worrisome economic conditions of those days. Sadly, not much has changed between then and now. I continue to hear from friends about the struggles their ministries are facing. One told me that income in 2009 and 2...

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...

Over the last several years, Pregnancy Resource Centers and Medical Clinics (PRCs) have faced intense efforts by the abortion industry — led by Planned Parenthood (PP) and NARAL — to pass restrictive legislation that would severely restrict operations and close down some PRCs. Recent ba...