Jesus… The Venture Capitalist?

The Parable of the Talents told in Matthew 25:14-30 is one of my favorites for so many reasons.  One reason I love this story so much is because, like all of the parables, there are a variety of nuances in interpreting the story.  Another reason is because the verse, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” is a verse I keep at the forefront in my life. I try to guide all of actions by asking if this is how Christ would respond as my life expires.  Lastly, I had such a distorted and confused understanding of this section of scripture when I called myself an Atheist. Like many other Atheists and Agnostics, I saw a God that I did not want to know and that I knew would reject me even if I did tried to please Him.

Allow me to summarize…

Jesus describes a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more talents. So also, the one with two talents gained two more. But the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

Before going further I should note that a talent was a sum of money worth about 20 years of a day laborer’s wage.  So, this was a massive amount of money for each of the servants. 

After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five talents brought the other five and the man with two talents came to show he gained two more. To both the master said, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

The man who had received one talent came and said, “Master, you are a hard man, you harvest where you have not sown and gather where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your money in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! You should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. For whoever has will be given more and they will have abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. Throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness.”

Before I came to faith I understood this story quite literally.  This is a story about a really rich guy with servants.  The rich guy rewards the people who make him richer and punishes the people who do not make him richer… even if they do not lose him money.  As a really poor kid from a poor family, I always saw myself as that third servant.  I was so poor that if I ever had that huge sum of money I would just want to hold on to it and I would be terrified I would lose it all.  In the end, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the world is the same terrible and godless place I always knew it to be.

Having a rudimentary understanding of God actually distorted the story further.  I now had some understanding of the parable concept. A parable is a short fictitious story that illustrates a moral principle or concept.  Now I understood the Master as God but the rest of the story was the same.  A mean God gives me less to start out with and then punishes me for not doing as much with what I have.  In the end, the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the world is a terrible place ruled by a terrible God who is just waiting for me to mess up so He can squash me with His thumb.  I still lose.

At this point in my life, God has given me a different understanding.  I had always looked at what the Master was doing in the parable… how the Master reacted… how he treated his poor, weak, incapable servant.  I gave little thought to the servant himself, how he responded, what he could have done differently, and what an opportunity he really had.  I also took little time to think about the other two servants and what they did with the same amount of time and opportunity.  There are some very real facts here that I ignored, facts that the parable form was meant to illustrate. 

Again… a wealthy man went on a journey and entrusted his servant with the equivalent of 20 years of a day laborer’s wage, let’s call that $300,000 in today’s money.  Never mind what he gave to the other servants… he gave him $300,000… and he knew that he was expected to use that money as seed money to gain more.  Do we really think the master did not trust this man?  Is it likely that this very wealthy man only had three servants?  I doubt it.  He likely had many, many servants, but these are the three he trusted most.  He probably discharged a great many servants before leaving for his journey and other servants probably traveled with him to continue to serve him.  This was not his weakest servant-- this was one of his best, one of his most trusted and highly regarded servants.  He knew what was expected of him, and yet he still took that money and hid it in the ground.

When we compare this to the other servants, we see the startling contrast.  The other two servants doubled the money entrusted to them.  Do you think they did that overnight?  Did they do that without first spending and investing a great deal of the money?  What if the master came back before the return on investment was realized?  This is likely what the third servant was concerned about.  But the first two servants took these great risks knowing that with great risk often comes great reward.  These servants knew that the master had confidence in them.  They knew the master saw talent in them and they persevered and strived to live up to the expectations of the master.

Why did I previously focus on the Master?  The Master gave me the talents and then allowed me to do what I wished with them.  Then when I used my talents for bad and squandered them in my life I blamed the Master.  We see this all too frequently.  I know now that God has given me all the gifts and talents I need to be successful.  Sure, there are others who are more talented and others who are more gifted.  My talents, though they may be small, are sufficient.  If I am not given more, it is likely because I am currently coasting or playing it safe with the talents I have.  As I use these talents to their potential, I will be given more.  Those who choose not to use their talents call this provision luck; however, we know it as a mixture of hard work and God’s blessings.

 

Dr. Jeffrey J. Rodman, a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and Certified Grants Specialist (CGS), and has focused the last 15 years on grant writing, fundraising, and funding development for church, Christian ministries, and other nonprofit organizations.  Dr. Rodman holds a bachelor in Counseling, a master degree in education, and a doctorate in religion. Dr. Rodman founded Here-4-You Consulting in 2000 and has worked with over 200 ministries from across the United States and over a dozen other countries.  He has secured nearly $100 million in funding from every imaginable type of funding source and has an average 10 to 1 Return On Investment (ROI)… meaning that on average NPOs secure $10 in funding for every $1 they invest in services.

Here-4-You Consulting & Grant Writing

Dr. Jeffrey J. Rodman, CFRE, CGS
President & CEO
Website: http://www.npfunds.com
Phone: 1-866-HERE-4-U-1

TAGS: Church growth, decreased giving, church finance, church tithe, church assessment, turnaround church, Christian grant, church grant, church funding, church fundraising, Christian fundraising

STOP Watching Churches Die

As a church growth and funding consultant, I receive phone calls and emails weekly from desperate and dying churches, and the question that I refrain from asking each of them is, “Why did you wait so long to do something?”

Are you watching your church membership wither away?  Just watching… a very long and drawn out death… slowly draining away the last bit of energy and resources.  You may know the main problems causing decline… you may even know the solutions.  But by delaying action, solutions now sometimes seem like big problems and problems like simple solutions.  So instead of digging out… you avoid conflict, dig in on the causes, and hasten the death toll.  The youngest are the first to fall off… babies, children, teens… and then the heartbroken and devastated families perish with them.  Buildings begin to empty, banks move in and start to foreclose in record numbers, but still nothing changes.  Sadly, this is the state of many mainstream Protestant churches in America!

In recent years, churches have steadily declined in health due to an overall trend toward declining attendance, aging membership, and a steady decrease in giving.  A Barna study on “How to Increase Giving in Your Church” shows that as of 2010, more than 25% of churches have average weekly attendance of less than 50 and nearly 50% have less than 100 people in weekly services. More than 80% of congregations note that the current recession had a negative impact on finances.  According to the real estate information company CoStar Group, church foreclosures increased fivefold from 2008 to 2011.  Overall, only 3 to 5 percent of those who donate money to a church tithe (give 10 percent of) their incomes. Clearly, many American churches have floundered in their effort to stay relevant, solvent, and vital as communities shift culturally and struggle financially.

But, it can be different.  It will take leaders who are willing to step far outside of their comfort zones and do things they have not done before.  If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got.  So, are you ready for a new and different approach?  Are you ready to stop being a spectator as your church slides further into the abyss and join with other leaders to impact a church turnaround? Elmer Towns, co-founder of Liberty University, says that just as humans are prone toward sin so are churches prone to naturally drift from God.  It is only through a constant, conscious, and continuous effort that churches will continue to move forward.  Churches not moving forward are sliding backward. 

Churches can begin to effect a turnaround by implementing a series of strategies and addressing the core issues causing decline. Most churches wait far too long before acknowledging the difficulties and trying to make changes.  On average, 63% of declining churches are in moderate to severe crisis for over three years before they begin a turnaround effort.  At that point they already have seen a significant decline in giving, attendance, membership and likely lack the human and financial resources to muster a significant campaign.  Fortunately, there are a series of incremental low-budget steps that congregations can take to change direction.

To effect change, a church will first need to redefine reality for the congregation.  This involves honest conversation about the current state of the church, of attendance numbers, current giving, new members, and other factors.  Often pastors resist this conversation as an indictment on their leadership, but this is clearly counterproductive.   Leadership needs to take proactive action to get a complete and clear picture of the current state of affairs before any efforts to make changes occur.

A leadership team can then use this clarified picture to create a sense of urgency within the congregation.  The congregation is much more likely to support dramatic efforts and big changes if there is an understanding that the need to change is urgent.  Create a broad understanding that there is an urgent need for change.  But, at the same time, do not create such a bleak picture that members lose hope that a recovery is possible.  Members need to know that the church can and will revitalize.

Often a church will start a turnaround while still leaving ineffective structures and staff in place.  With the understanding of the need for urgent changes, it is important to make a complete and honest assessment of the entire church as an organization that leads to decision points.  This will likely lead to making difficult decisions such as letting go of staff, removing volunteers, closing programs, redirecting funds, or even asking the pastor to step down.  Pray for a renewed vision, make hard choices, make big moves, do new things.  Remember, if nothing changes, nothing changes.

With internal actions underway and big changes made, the congregation can now turn the focus to the community, to outside the church walls, as a means of making a turnaround.  Focus on the needs of the greater community and how you can meet these needs.  If you don’t know the needs of the community, have a community needs assessment conducted so that you are not guessing at what is needed.  If funds are too limited to offer services to meet identified needs, then look for ways to partner with other organizations.  Turnaround churches find that these partnerships can make the church look busy even if programs are limited.  While not ideal, appearing to be a vibrant and active faith community is at least a step in the right direction.  If you continue to act like a revitalized church eventually you, your church members, and the entire community will come to believe this as well.

Lastly, a turnaround is often most influenced when we start something new.  A new worship service, new classes, a new ministry area.  Promote this newness through press releases to local newspapers and through social media.  Often these new activities can be implemented at a very low cost and with mostly volunteer efforts to start.  Combined with outreach efforts and community partnerships, it will be clear that something is happening and more people will want to be a part of this something.

Are you ready to change the vitality of your church?

Dr. Jeffrey J. Rodman, a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and Certified Grants Specialist (CGS), and has focused the last 15 years on grant writing, fundraising, and funding development for church, Christian ministries, and other nonprofit organizations.  Dr. Rodman holds a bachelor in Counseling, a master degree in education, and a doctorate in religion. Dr. Rodman founded Here-4-You Consulting in 2000 and has worked with over 200 ministries from across the United States and over a dozen other countries.  He has secured nearly $100 million in funding from every imaginable type of funding source and has an average 10 to 1 Return On Investment (ROI)… meaning that on average NPOs secure $10 in funding for every $1 they invest in services.

Here-4-You Consulting & Grant Writing
Dr. Jeffrey J. Rodman, CFRE, CGS
President & CEO
Website: http://www.npfunds.com
Phone: 1-866-HERE-4-U-1

Get Equipped to Secured New Donors

Has God ever given you a BIG job to do but then you try to convince yourself that God changed His mind? Maybe you tell yourself it was your own mind talking and not God speaking to you… when you know it was the Lord telling you it is time to move.

 

I know this has happened to me. Has it ever happened to you?

 

Those of us working with ministries, nonprofits, and churches I think sometimes face a somewhat similar situation. You're getting ready to meet a donor to ask for a gift. Then you talk yourself out of asking. Why? You come up with seemingly solid reasons why you should hold off on asking, but should you? For Christians, I think it is important during these times to listen for what God would have us do in these moments.

 

In addition to prayer, there are some practical techniques we can use. I just watched a video I thought you might like that deals with this very issue. Marc Pitman (aka the Fundraising Coach) talks about preparing to ask a donor for a gift.

 

He has some great examples of how to prepare for a donor meeting so it goes much smoother. Check it out: http://www.501videos.com/cmd.php?Clk=4849219

 

I hope this video proves to be a useful resource for your ministry, and if you have questions about developing funding for your ministry, please contact us by replying to this email or giving us a call toll-free at 866-437-3481. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Contact Here-4-You Consulting toll-free at 866-437-3481 for information on how we may serve your ministry. Our mission is to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. (KJV Ephesians 4:12)

What donors are looking for in your nonprofit

Why are some nonprofit organizations having an easier time raising money than others?

In this Movie Mondays video, Mark Hurtubise talks about what donors are looking for before investing their philanthropic dollars in a nonprofit organization. Mark is the President & CEO of the Inland NW Community Foundation, so not only does his organization look for certain things before investing in an organization, he also represents donors and what they want to see in an organization before making any donations.

VIDEO: What donors are looking for in your nonprofit

Some of the key insights from the video include:

“No longer can the vocabulary be around, we need.  Because everybody needs.”

The question is…

• “Do you have a strategic plan?”
• “Do you board members donate?  If they don’t donate why would we?”
• “Are there measured outcomes?”

It has become so competitive, that organizations that have the strategic plan, that have measured outcomes, and that show the board is involved will have a much better chance of securing a donation.  Donors today see themselves as investors and they are investing NOT in improving your organization but in improving people’s lives.

If you're not already a Movie Mondays subscriber, sign up for your own free subscription so you won't miss out on future movies. Click here for Your FREE subscription to Movie Mondays.

Feel free to forward this video along to your friends and staff.

See How We Secure 90% of the Drug-Free Communities Grants We Apply For!

Here-4-You Grant Consulting would like to announce the availability of federal government grant programs that may be applicable to your organization.

In 2010, we secured 5 out of 6 (86% success rate) federal grants submitted to the Drug-Free Communities Support Program and the DFC Mentoring Program awarding over $600,000 for each grant. Over the years we have secured this grant 12 out of the 14 times we applied.

Here-4-You Grant Consulting can help you understand this different programs, evaluate if it is appropriate for your organization, and apply to secure these funds for your coalition.

However, because of the stringent requirements and demanding nature of this application, we will only accept FIVE clients for the 2011 grant cycle.

Contact us today at 540-635-3518 to see how we can help!

Successful Drug-Free Community Program and DFC Mentoring Program grantees are awarded up to $125,000 per year for up to 5 years. Over 150 Grants were awarded in 2010.

This is a Federal Grant Program with very specific requirements and expectations. You will only get this one opportunity to get this right and secure over $600,000 in funding for your organization.

If you review my experience you will see that I am not just a successful grant writer.
• I am a substance abuse prevention expert with nationally recognized credentials.
• I am a Licensed Professional Counselor with a private practice focused on substance abusing adolescents.
• I am nationally recognized as a public speaker and trainer and have presented at the CADCA National Leadership Conference in Washington DC.
• I am a successful nonprofit executive with over a decade of experience working for Community Anti-Drug Coalitions.
• I am the Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors for my local Community Anti-Drug Coalition (a 2 cycle DFC Grantee).

I would welcome the opportunity to work with your organization.

2010 DFC Packages and Pricing
We offer THREE levels of services for DFC Grant Development:

• Full Application Development: Approximately $3,999
• Outline, 3 Samples, Consultation (5 Hours), & Scoring Review: $1,499
• Outline, 3 Samples & Scoring Review: $599

The outline provided will be comprehensive and guide you in what specific information needs to be included in each section. The Samples will be actual grants that successfully scored funding through the DFC Program. The Scoring Review will score the application you develop using the exact scoring criteria the actual reviewers will use.

Contact us today to see how we can help!

The DFC Program follows a similar cycle each year for publishing the Request for Applications (RFA), application due date and the awarding of new grants. The 2010 RFA was made public in January of 2010. Applications were due in March 2010 and new grant awards were announced in August.

Please view the following PowerPoint related to the evidence required to establish your coalition as eligible to compete for DFC funding.

DFC grant funding is contingent Congressional appropriations.

Here-4-You Grant Consulting provides services based on a flat fee with fees based on a per service basis or based on an established contract for services. In keeping with accepted ethical standards, Here-4-You Consulting will NEVER work on a commission, percentage, or contingency basis.

URL: http://www.npfunds.com/dfc

Jeffrey J. Rodman is the founder, President, and CEO of Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting and Church Grant Writing providing consultation for grant writing and funding development nationally and internationally to Christian ministries and Churches. Mr. Rodman has a Master Degree in Education, is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), and is a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grant writer, nonprofit executive, and public speaker. Mr. Rodman has written hundreds of proposal to both government and private sources, has secured millions as a consultant, and has an 80% success rate in securing grants.

Silly Nonprofits: Nonprofits can be so shortsighted when it comes to funding

Just recently, I was discussing grant writing services with a potential client. When I told him how much he would need to invest in the first year he said, “if I had $10,000 I would not need grant funding.”

What a silly thing to say. That would be like an unemployed person saying, “if I had $10,000 I would not need a job.”

Of course he would still need a job and of course the struggling nonprofit would still need funding even if they had a little money in the bank.

What we are essentially referring to is cash-flow management. It is common sense that when expenses exceed income, an organization is going to find itself in trouble. Due to the nature of nonprofit revenue sources, however, even if income matches expenses, the cash may not arrive in time to pay the bills.

Similarly, I hear many nonprofits say, “we do not need grant funding right now, but when we do we will give you a call.”

Again, that is just silly!

The Alliance for Nonprofit Management website puts it this way: “a cash shortage can be very disruptive to your ability to carry out your mission. To avoid disruptions of business or to take advantage of temporary cash surpluses, cash flow can and should be projected, monitored, and controlled.”

Invariably, when they do give me call—once they are needy enough—they will say, “if I had $10,000 I would not need grant funding.”

Again, The Alliance for Nonprofit Management website says, “Careful management of short-term cash balances can add to an organization's current income and provide the basis for an investment program which will benefit the organization in the future.”

Grant writing is an investment of time, money, and resources. To anticipate less would be, well, silly. To be successful you will need to invest in the future of your organization and understand that this investment will not pay off in the short term, but is a long-term investment.

According to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, foundation giving exceeded $45 billion in 2008. The grant funds exist and they are out there but, like all forms of revenue, grant writing involves work.

For those nonprofits that think they do not need any new funding and will wait until they do need it before they try and find it… more silliness. The time to develop funding is not when the need is already there but when finances are stable. Make the investment when there are reserve funds to invest and when there is not a pressing need to have new funds NOW.

Don’t be one of those silly nonprofits, invest wisely, plan for the future, and see your organization grow in wisdom, influence, and impact.

Philanthropy Survey results may signal promise for nonprofit fund raisers

An end of the year survey conducted in October 2010 finds the nonprofit funding drop off experienced in 2008 and 2009 may be leveling. Whereas 51 percent of survey responders experienced decreased funding in 2009, only 37 percent reported a decrease in funding in 2010.

In 2006 and 2007, before the economic downturn, the amount of respondents reporting decline in contributions was below 20 percent. This year, almost the same proportion of respondents reported experiencing an increase (36 percent) as respondents experiencing decrease (37 percent).

This likely means that the worst is over for the nonprofit sector, though only time will tell for sure. The Nonprofit Research Collaborative conducted the survey online between October 19 and November 3, 2010, polling 2,356 public charities and 163 private foundations.

The survey divides respondents into eight subcategories based upon the type of service the organization provides. The eight subcategories are: Arts, Education, Environment/Animals, Health, Human Services, International, Public-Society benefit and Religion.

In four of the eight subcategories, Arts, Education, Environment/Animals and Human Services, the percentage of respondents experiencing increase and the percentage experiencing decrease are nearly equal.
The Health, Public Society benefit and Religion categories experienced a larger percentage of respondents reporting a decline in contributions. Only one subsector, International, experienced a larger percentage of organizations reporting increase than those reporting a decrease. This likely reflects emergency disaster relief in Haiti and Pakistan.

The survey finds larger organizations are more likely to experience an increase in charitable gifts. 46 percent of organizations with budgets exceeding $20 million reported an increase in gifts. Only 23 percent of organizations with budgets less than $25,000 reported increases.

Of nonprofits reporting a decline in philanthropic giving, most say this is a result of fewer gifts from individuals, or that individual contributions were small in size. This response is consistent across organizations of all size. After individuals, nonprofits point to a decrease in foundation grantmaking and corporate support. The least common reason for decline is decreased government funding.

Around half of organizations reporting a decrease in funding say they experienced a drop in foundation grant money. Some organizations cited smaller grants or non-renewed contracts. Likewise, 55 percent of organizations experiencing decrease say they experienced a decline in corporate giving, either in amount of gifts received or the discontinuation of corporate gifts.

2010 marks the first time since 2006 that organizations found an increase in demand for their services over the previous year. 68 percent of respondents experienced an increased demand for services in the first nine months of 2010, up from 62 percent in 2009. Demand for services rose across all subsectors. Human Services reflected the highest increase in demand, with 78 percent of Human Service respondents reporting increase in demand. Around 70 percent of organizations in the Health and Public-society Benefit categories reported increase in demand for services.

With such an increase in need, it is no surprise that the survey also found between 40 and 50 percent of respondents in every subcategory, except International, expect budget increases in 2011.