“I need to shrink our vision to meet our budget,” said no leader ever! Yet, as leaders our actions often seem to say this. When we have a scarcity mindset instead of an abundance mindset, we put our organization in survival mode. We become more concerned about building a bunker and self-preservation instead of being innovative and going on the offensive. We tend to focus on what we cannot do as opposed to what we can do. Which way do you want people to think in your organization?
Have you learned to be content or satisfied at the level of vision currently being funded? This is usually characterized by feelings of satisfaction and contentment. The idea here is that you have become ok with not growing or innovating.
Do you or your financial people say you have all the money that you need? In other words, if someone gave you a million dollars would you have nothing in mind to spend it on? Most leaders in an organization could find places to invest that money. If this is you, then you need more resources.
How do you get your budget to meet your vision? That’s a great question and one that cannot be completely answered here in this post, but here are some tips to get started: First of all, resolve to start changing the giving culture in your organization and that begins with you. Start discovering what it would look like if you were completely funded. Secondly, create an environment of generosity where it is normal to talk about resourcing your church, ministry or organization. Thirdly, develop a plan on how to talk about this creatively in a transforming way and not a transactional way. It is not about the dollars we get from people, but it is about people getting ahold of what biblical generosity is all about. Lastly, tell people how their investment in your church or organization is impacting lives and be specific.
Churches, you are the only non-profits in the world that have your donor base physically in front of you at least every seven days. Resourcing the vision should not be an issue. If the ASPCA can raise millions of dollars nationally, you should be able to raise what you need for your local ministry.
Pray that God will help you and your congregation catch His desire for what resourcing your mission looks like. Hire an experienced consultant that can get you up and running in a matter of weeks and not months. If you try to figure this out on your own, it will take you months and tons of labor. You can avoid missteps and lots of guess work by engaging an expert like Generis.
It takes a sound strategy, that all levels of leadership are committed to, that is implemented over a period of time to change your culture. This is not for the faint of heart. It is hard, but also very rewarding.
If you want to continue the conversation leave a comment below or fill out the form below to begin your generosity journey today!
Generosity 