Two are totally focused on the candidate. One is focused on “you” believing in your potential.
I’m not endorsing Barack, but you’ve got to love the way his campaign is about people, not about him.
How is your nonprofit’s website? Is it for the “us” that work at the nonprofit? Or is it about the “them” that want to support your nonprofit?
What about your church’s site? Is it promoting your pastor? Or the church?
Or is it promoting your community?
I wonder what it would be like to have the front page of the Vineyard Church of Waterville site be full of “why we think this community is the coolest thing since sliced bread” type information.
My wife put this out across our church’s email list yesterday.
Come if you can! I’m thrilled she’s spearheading this!
Today is Ash Wednesday, and Lent has begun. Traditionally, Lent is a time of preparation and self-examination, of fasting. Most often we hear of what people are ‘giving up’ for Lent. At VCW, we’d like to experiment in ‘offering up’ our artistic talents to the Creator God as we prepare our hearts and our lives for the Easter miracle.
On the Friday nights during the season of Lent, from February 8 - March 21(Good Friday), we will be opening the church to artists of all sorts and all talent levels to explore Lent artistically. From 7-9 pm we’ll have warm drinks, a warm building, some music and space to Create. Artists should bring brushes and palettes (or whatever their art requires). From beginner to professional, all who are on a spiritual journey are welcome.
One of our primary values at VCW is to value art and artists. We believe that God has given a ‘voice’ to artists that we need to nurture and hear. These nights will be sort of like a prayer meeting on Friday nights, only with Art. My idea is that prayer and worship aren’t isolated to just singing or praying in the ways that we accustomed to. Artistic expression can be an incredible act of devotion and introspection, an interesting dance with God.
Our first Art Night will be this Friday, February 8. Please come, bring friends, and observe Lent through Art.
It occured to me this afternoon that it might have been fun to have a salad competition in line with the “salad bowl party” theme. Need to file that away for next year. At least Izzie’s parents brought a little salad.
The Advent Ale held out to this game. It is now all gone. Time for a new brew!
It’s fun having people over. We had 16 folks over. And the adults outnumbered the kids 9:7!!!
In the end, I’m really glad I’m more interested in people than football. I’m such an extrovert, I invited someone over by saying, “Come over and watch the super bowl party.”
Em pointed out that everyone else was planning on watching the Super Bowl itself.
I did it because I believe democracy is a privilege and I don’t want to take it for granted.
I wanted to avoid it because pastors that primarily define themselves in terms of their politics are people I generally try to avoid.
But today’s caucus was delightfully painless. Over 50 people turned out. That’s huge for Waterville. The caucus people remembered was four years ago with maybe 30 people attending. So more than 50 was wonderful.
And the entire thing was over in 45 minutes!
Ron Paul won with John McCain and Mitt Romney in a tie for second. (Guliani even got a vote! C’mon!!)
More importantly, Emily and I weren’t nominated for any positions! Yay!
I got all the joy of being civic-ly engaged, without any of the “buyers remorse” of being obligated to more volunteer positions.
In Secrets of Closing the Sale, Zig Ziglar says: Each year over 5 million quarter-inch drills are sold, yet it’s safe to say that nobody wants a quarter-inch drill. They want a quarter-inch hole. Isn’t that great? We do that in fundraising too. Donations are our “drill.” We spend lots of time talking about donations and ways [...]
I love The Boston Project. They do amazing work and have a long track record of effectiveness. They’re also one of the best I’ve ever seen at telling stories that reinforce their mission. Readers of my blog know that I’m a fan of good nonprofit storytelling! Today I woke up to find this fundraising email in [...]
Does your fundraising conversation with donors look like this: Or is it more like this? We tend to sell tools: tax-deductions, planned giving tools, stock transfers. We get all wrapped up in them. Fundraising tools should always be secondary. Donors are more interested in, and motivated by, the why. As you set your goals for 2009, why [...]
The Chronicle of Philanthropy highlighted an article in the Washington Post: Americans still giving, despite economic meltdown. Kudos to the Washington Post and the AP. It’s great to see more media outlets talking about fundraising in a recession using the actual data of how we behave, rather than whipping up fear and panic. Here’s a great [...]
FundRaising Success has a nice summary of a talk given by Blackbaud’s Samantha Cohen. As I Gen-Xer myself, I found this quote particularly compelling. “Tell them you want to end world hunger, and they’ll say, ‘No, you’re not,’” she said. “Tell them you want to put a piece of fresh fruit in every child’s lunch bag, and [...]
Last week, Lois Lindauer summed up some fundraising advice as: Keep Your Friends Close and Your Donors Closer: At a recent gathering of executive-level fundraisers in Boston, the following suggestions and thoughts for working during these uncertain times were elicited: Stay close to donors. Listen carefully to their interests. Place an emphasis on stewardship and reassure [...]
Debra Blum of The Chronicle of Philanthropy has a great summary of comments from Reynold Levy, president of the Lincoln Center, told participants of the Independent Sector annual conference. According to the Chronicle, Levy exhorted the attendees that: “Great fund raisers don’t whine about the economy. They believe in Noah’s principle: No more credit for predicting [...]
This week I’ve had two conversations with founders of nonprofits. I’ve had to tell both the unwelcome truth: you’re going to have to do the fundraising yourself. This was a bitter pill for both of them. You see, they’d created their nonprofit because of their passion. They saw a need and they filled it. And they [...]
Today the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported on a seemingly provocative comments from the head of the Wal-Mart Foundation, Margaret McKenna. According to the Boston Herald, she said some charities should fail. I whole heartedly agree. Some nonprofits should fail. Just like some businesses should fail. Aren’t you tired of receiving fundraising appeals with a message of “If [...]
