Non-Profits
Faith Based Organizations: Fighting Poverty or Cultural Wars?
A mid-May, 2015, Catholic-evangelical summit brought together President Obama, academic experts, and faith leaders to consider how to more effectively address persistent poverty. Was this a u-turn from the churches’ focus on pro-life and marriage crusades? The Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit on Overcoming Poverty, at Georgetown University, co-sponsored by Georgetown’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public […]
Are You Drifting?
Why was your nonprofit formed? Is this still the focus of the work of the organization? Mission drift occurs when the organization begins to “drift” away from the purpose or mission of the organization. The mission statement is the statement of purpose for the organization and sets your organization apart. Does it matter if the […]
Four Foundation Funding Myths
Many nonprofits seek foundation funding to support the mission of their organization. However, many grant seekers frequently become discouraged and frustrated — often because they have bought into one of the common myths about foundation funding. Myth 1: Funders are clear about what they want to fund. Because funders have the money, they are always […]
A Century of Released Time Bible Education
One of the least known of the tools available for evangelism and Bible education for young people is Released Time – Bible classes taught at a time set aside during the school day when public school students, with parental permission, leave the school premises to attend religious education classes. If your question is, “Really?” – […]
Governance In Non-Profits: The Best Practices
Good governance practices by a Board of Directors are vital to every nonprofit organization. It starts with meeting Legal Standards. Nonprofit organizations must follow all federal, state and local laws and its board of directors is responsible for ensuring that this happens. The IRS gives the responsibility of organizational oversight to the board of directors. […]
Family, Friends and Fools: Understanding Business as Mission
The last edition of CPN OnPoint presented an introduction to Business as Mission (BAM), as a means of gaining access to strategic and unreached places through building businesses worldwide. This article takes that discussion to the next and practical level. Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Every follower of Jesus should […]
Business as Mission
Many business professionals and church leaders today are hearing of the term “Business as Mission”(BAM). While there are many variances to a perfect definition, I like the expression of J.D. Greear of the Summit Church in Raleigh-Durham, NC, “Christians in the marketplace today are able to gain access more easily to strategic, unreached places. Globalization, […]
Church Branding: True “Branding” Is More Than Skin Deep
It seems like churches these days have seen the power of marketing and branding just enough to jump onto the bandwagon. Churches everywhere are sliding onto the re-branding table and looking for a quick-fix for their “growing” concerns. A few recent conversations have illustrated the missing link in a church’s preparedness to go under the […]
The Outcome Oriented Non-Profit Organization
Donors and the public are increasingly expecting non-profits to demonstrate that their work is making a measureable difference – to be outcome oriented and not just ministry oriented. Simply put, outcomes answer the question, “what have we accomplished?” Clearly, the purpose of a nonprofit is to change something or make a difference, so when we […]
American Charities Study is Essential Reading for Non-Profits
American Charities has released its “Snapshot 2014” study, concerning what motivates donors to give to a particular charity. The title of the study is “Rising Tide of Expectations” and it documents what many non-profits are experiencing: that “donors and the public expect charities to demonstrate greater accountability, transparency, and evidence that their work is making […]
