Holiday giving is way up this year, due in part to the soaring stock market. More and more savvy nonprofits are learning how to make it easy for donors to give stock. When the stock market is on a dramatic bull run like it is now, giving stocks becomes a very exciting optioin. Read more in this helpful article from Philanthropy magazine:Click Here
I trust you and your loved-ones had a blessed time together this past Christmas. It’s important for us to remember The Advent and our need for a Savior - THE Gift of God.
Have you seen the movie, “The Nativity?” It is a wonderful depiction of a wonderful event in history. It should still be in theaters, so if you haven’t seen it yet, be sure to catch it before it’s gone.
Also, if you haven’t made a year-end fundraising appeal for your organization - do it NOW.
A good year-end appeal will include the following ingredients:
1) Greeting
2) Statement of appreciation for past support
3) Brief update on the mission
4) A heart-warming success story
5) Plans for the new year ahead
6) Specific needs
7) Statement of deductability
8) Another statement of appreciation
9) Picture if appropriate
When most people think of philanthropy China isn’t the first country to come to mind. With a centralized communist government and a history of heavy handed uniformity, there doesn’t seem to be much room for traditional society-transforming philanthropy. So why did the Association of Fundraising Professionals send a delegation to China?
China boasts nearly one fifth of the world’s population and a growing percentage of the world’s economy. Considering our western history of giving and the central role it plays in our society, the question arises, “How do they do it in China?” Furthermore, do they rely on volunteers like we do? Do people have disposable income? What motivates people to give?
To find out more about philanthropy in China… Click Here to read the whole article
For those of you in the Christian ministry, particularly church ministry, I encourage you to consider attending the Re-Create Conference in Franklin,TN, February 5-8. My good friend Randy Elrod Click Here for Randy’s Blog is the founder/organizer of the conference and he, more than any other I know, has the ability to encourage and inspire those who serve in the Kingdom. The conference is weighted toward worship leaders but will be fresh wind to anyone in the ministry. This year there will be three conferences within one: concentrations for churches less than 1K, 1-2K, and 2K+. The groups are limited to 50 participants so register early!
Thanks for all you do for the Kingdom Randy.
The About.com stress guru, Elizabeth Scott, shares the following on happiness and stress.
While there’s more to happiness than just the absence of stress, there are relationships between stress relieving activities and happiness. Dr. Michael Frisch, a Baylor University professor and pioneer in the increasingly popular field of positive psychology, has found 16 different areas of life that contribute to a person’s happiness, and measuring satisfaction in these areas can help measure a person’s overall level of happiness and life satisfaction. Interestingly, many of the things that bring happiness are also things that relieve stress, such as exercise, expressing creativity, maintaining supportive friendships, keeping an organized home, and enjoying your work.
When you’re overwhelmed with stress, often just relieving the imminent pressures is foremost on your mind; however, following a stress relief program that also incorporates activities known to increase overall happiness can give you short-term stress relief, and the lasting gains of a happy life. Click Here to read the whole article
Feel like you’re just haning on by your fingernails?
Holiday stress??? The last thing you need is a word processor with a mind of its own.
OK, you’re typing along and suddenly your cursor jumps to the next line, or indents, or switches to another font, seemingly all on its own. You try and try to get it to do what you want to no avail. Aaarrrgh you grumble to yourself and your blood pressure goes up.
Here’s the simple solution (assuming you’re using MS Word):
- Select the text, usually just the paragraph you’re working on
- Hold the [Ctl] key and simultaneously…
- Press the space bar
Shazzam! Fixed and no more Holiday stress… well, at least one less stressor.
I heard two wonderful stories of good news this morning at Empty Hands Fellowship. The first was from Bill Hargraves on his work in northern Iraq. Though Bill could be kicking back and playing golf in his retirement, he is instead helping the Kurds rebuild what once was the breadbasket of the Middle East. Bill is helping to establish the entire agriculture system from tilling the soil to building processing and packaging plants and transportation infrastructure. He said he feels totally safe in the north of Iraq and the rebuilding progress is stunning.
The second was a report from my dear friend Freddie Haddox. Freddie runs Mamushi Farms, a certified organic farm in Franklin, TN. Worth noting is this: Freddie’s farm is the same land that his ancestors were granted at the close of the “Civil War,” when they were freed from slavery! To make a long, but very interesting, story short, Freddie was kind to an old man from Cameroon, West Africa, who then “adopted” him into his family. The old man died and left land in Cameroon to Freddie as a rightful heir. Freddie is planning a trip to Cameroon to check out his land and teach the farmers there to farm organically - and prosper!
I share all this with a moral to the story… you never know where your kindness will take you. It could be war-torn Iraq, or poverty-stricken West Africa. For you it may be around the corner to a nursing home. Whatever and wherever it is, know this for sure: when you are faithful with little, God will give you much. He notices, and smiles.
I’m not sure what this makes me, but I think my niece’s daughter makes me a great-uncle. So I guess there’s no change! One thing’s for sure… she’s a GREAT-niece.
Charitable giving reached a record high in the United States with contributions totaling more than $248 billion in 2005! According to a 2006 Giving USA report, giving rose 6.4 percent (2.9 percent when adjusted for inflation), with individual giving representing the largest source - $199.07 billion. Foundation grants accounted for 11.5 percent of the total ($30 billion).
It’s worth noting some analysts believe overall giving will decline in 2006 because a significant portion of the rise in 2005 was due to the hurricane disasters.
“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.”
Friederich Nietzsche
