“Ebed-Melek the Cushite said to Jeremiah, ‘Put these old rags and worn-out clothes under your arms to pad the ropes.’ Jeremiah did so, and they pulled him up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern” (Jeremiah 38:12-13). Nebuchadnezzar was knocking on Jerusalem’s door....
A capital campaign is a series of well-planned, well-orchestrated strategies all designed to reach a specific dollar goal within a specific timeframe. Campaigns move forward one conversation at a time. The four phases of a campaign are:1. The pre-campaign survey/ feasibility study - This step...
We have seen many failed campaigns over the years that were launched without feasibility studies. A pre-campaign study is crucial for a successful comprehensive capital campaign to address annual, capital, and endowment funding needs. This vital research will help you avoid campaign conundrums by revealing...
17 Caleb gave his daughter Aksah to him (Othniel) in marriage. 18 One day when she came to Othniel, she urged him to ask her father for a field. When she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, “What can I do for you?” 19 She...
What’s your elevator pitch? If you bump into someone important on an elevator who asks you what you do for a living, what would you say? Have you scripted your talking points that quickly and simply define your organization and its value proposition? Your elevator pitch...
There are people in your life in any field of work that help teach, train, disciple, and mentor you. In April, I lost two of my long-time mentors five days apart: Dr. Howard (Howie) Nourse and Donald Distelberg. Scripture teaches that “iron sharpens iron.” Howie and...
Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few” (2 Kings 4:3). Many ministries face great financial needs, but have few donor leads. Whom can you turn to find the resources you need? A widow approached Elisha...
President John F. Kennedy inspired a generation his with Inaugural Address on January 20, 1961, “Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.” JFK changed the focus from receiving to giving and motivated hundreds of...
From my perspective, the real benefit of a capital campaign case for support is that you can use it to test your assumptions. If the case for support for your capital campaign is clear, compelling, and visionary, your donors will buy into your case and...
Distelberg, Donald G. Grand Rapids, Michigan Donald G. Distelberg, 75, of Grand Rapids was welcomed into his Heavenly home on April 23, 2021. Left to cherish his memory are his wife Natalie of 54 years; his children Karen, Jeff (LeAnn), and Brian (Michelle); his grandchildren...
