Fundraising in a COVID-19 Era

(unedited)
this is the mission matters we believe
there is nothing happening in the world
today more important than the mission of
Jesus Christ this epic work of
redemption is the centerpiece of his
plan for this age which means it should
be the focal point of his people this is
a place to talk about the importance of
the mission this was also a place to
talk about the matters of the mission
the mission matters is a partnership of
missio Nexus and 16 15 missions coaching
who have a shared passion to mobilize
God’s people to be a part of his mission
our subject today is fundraising in a
cove at 19 era this program is hosted by
Matthew Ellison from 1615 and Ted Esler
president of missio Nexus now Matthew
introduces our panel of guests on the
mission matters welcome everybody to the
inaugural episode of the missions
matters podcast i’m matthew ellis and
president of 1615 and i am joined today
by my co-host and good friend ted Esler
who’s the president of missio Nexus our
ministries have partnered for some time
but as of late we’ve been talking about
collaborating on a podcast and so Ted
I’m really excited to see this thing get
launched today the name of the podcast
if you didn’t notice is a double
entendre it has two meanings so one the
mission matters it’s an important
mission in fact we believe that there is
nothing happening in the world today
that is more important than the mission
of Jesus Christ so this is a place where
we’re going to talk about the
unbelievable importance of our global
mission but we’re also going to talk
about the matters of our mission the
ideas the issues and the topics that are
relative to this mission so Ted I’m
really thankful for the partnership we
share in the gospel would you set the
table today and give us an idea of the
topic we’re going to be discussing
introduce our guests and then get the
conversation started and particularly
particular importance in the ministry
world is what is going to happen
the whole fundraising situation as we
move forward through this this pandemic
and today we got some subject matter
experts that we’ve invited to talk about
this latina amine macmaine’s is vice
president of gift planning services for
National Christian Foundation
Virgil Dugan is president of national
Christian foundation in New Mexico and
then John Moore is a principal at John
Moore associates at a certified Kingdom
advisors so these are all folks with
their feet in the financial world
obviously and I think it is interesting
let me just start with this question
we’ve got a couple folks on the call
that have been affiliated with National
Christian foundation and of course they
have a lot of donor advised funds I
think a good way to start this off would
be just to hear I’ll start with with
Eugenie about just give us quick
description of what a burner advice fund
is for the uninitiated be listening out
there be happy to you thanks Ted and
thank you all for giving us the
opportunity to connect with you today so
a donor advised fund is fantastic giving
tool that allows God stewards to be able
to give of their resources grow those
resources and grant them out to the
churches and ministries and missions
agencies that God puts on their heart in
accordance with his proven timing and so
a donor advised fund is is basically an
account inside a public charity like the
National Christian foundation as an
example and when a giver gives to that
account they have the understanding that
they’re going to retain an advisory
privilege to be able to recommend where
those charitable dollars go at NCL we
see ourselves as immobilizer of
resources and we’re all about helping
our givers and give wisely and deploying
those resources as quickly as the Lord
puts on their heart so the question I
think that’s gonna be in a lot of
ministry leader Minds right now is our
donor advised
accounts are they going to be sat on are
people gonna just watch the stock market
because correct me if I’m wrong but most
of those funds are in fact invested in
some way in the stock market where are
they gonna give generously what do you
think is gonna happen well I’d like to
speak to that we we treat the
donor-advised fund and our thinking like
a pocket and what we’ve been encouraging
the folks that we deal with day to day
is it might be time to empty the pockets
and I think that’s one of the reasons
that some of the tax benefits that are
is that are in this the current Care Act
drive people to cash giving in our case
we’ve been praying meaning my wife and I
have been praying for gifts that would
really be game changers for the
ministries that we support and and I
think from a ministry point of view if
if they could be thinking about what
would be a game changer it might just be
pay the light bill but the point is if a
donor asked them that question that
they’re prepared with a project or
something that you know if God’s during
their heart to empty the pocket right
now let it have an impact make it
meaningful in the 2009 crisis John Piper
wrote an article and he said in times of
financial crisis that sometimes God’s
people will be more generous not less
because they’re more in touch with the
fragility of life and just the passing
nature of material things and so I’ve
been trained for that and you know we
don’t know what’s gonna happen across
the board but but I will say I’ve been a
personal or Minister a beneficiary of
some of those people emptying those
pockets at this point and you know
Virgil I know you interact with a lot of
donors I wonder if you could give us an
idea of what major donors are thinking
today do you have any idea or any sense
what they’re thinking and feeling yes
that’s a very interesting thing because
when something like the coronavirus
shows up we think of it as being a viral
borne illness but there are collateral
damages of the nature of this thing
they are social they’re economic their
environmental collateral damages or
collateral effects or impacts and so
well people tend to do when something
new and different comes along they have
to somehow deal with it it’s almost like
they’re – they’re protein computer
hanging-style so what we as individuals
we start focusing on changes that we
cannot anticipate or explain one of
those changes is our balance these and
other change that takes place maybe is
right in Cocke depending on whom we
might be but donors then are trying to
reconcile these changes in a situation
they may not have been calculated before
so a lot of the donors are trying to
understand you know is this something
that’s going to be lasting or is it
something short-term is this something
that’s going to have impact on my entire
giving strategy like John says should I
empty my pockets or is this something I
should wait and see how you know how the
charitable enterprise is going to fare
as a result of this so all of these
changes take place it was and what can
happen is people freeze they tend not to
react they tend not to act and I think
we see that full spectrum all the way
from the people who freeze because of
fear or uncertainty and then people who
are very confident and the Lord’s grace
and they do what John is dismissed
they give over and above but they may be
an example of that I can’t speak to the
national picture right now but I know
that New Mexico in March
our total donations from donor advised
funds under our supervision or eighty
percent higher than they were a year ago
hi
I have calls I have a lady calling me up
this week
has a $30,000 diamond ring if he doesn’t
watch he wants to know how can I give
that away I cannot take care of
ministries and another a young couple in
their early 30s
call me up day before yesterday and they
were wanting to know shouldn’t they
could they might they take money out of
their 401k and deploy to a ministry that
was on their hearts I think within the
Christian community we see the best come
out in times like this
that’s something great just a great
comfort and a great encouragement as you
see it virginal I want to make sure to
give you the phone number for missing
your Nexus nationally at the National
Christian foundation is it too early to
say what’s happening or does it appear
that people are giving more it does and
I would say this is where our biblical
worldview and our passion for living on
pursuit under the banner of the gospel
of Jesus Christ really plays out and
gentlemen we’re seeing that at the
national office now and I would say
coast-to-coast one of the things we’ve
been doing is having you know coffee
chats I didn’t see if we’re reaching out
to our donor base just like John said
and talking about we have been using
Genesis you know the story of Joseph and
seven years of storehouse scene and then
seven years of famine and for such a
time as this we have seen unprecedented
philanthropic giving into the
storehouses of donor advised funds and
we’re finding Ted and Matthew that
people are energized and being mobilized
now I always want to be cautious I say
typically the giving pathway kind of
looks like a a journey but at a time
like this where our calendars are
balance sheets our business plans our
accolades are all kind of tossed up in
the air it’s almost like a mountain peak
has suddenly erupted in the middle of
the pathway and it’s a watershed and as
believers in Christ we’re finding
communities rallying around
you know faith over fear and pressing
into what do you have for us Lord so I
see giving up our grant-making um is at
the same level or higher going out the
doors and we have people calling saying
how can I help and I think people are in
a rapid response to try to get this
resourcing out to the churches and
missions they’re caring for the people
who are having big questions about their
current state about eternity and really
need the gospel of Jesus right now
that’s beautiful
when God’s people give in times of
abundance
I don’t know how impressed the world is
I’m not saying that giving is not vital
or important but when God’s people give
generously in an economic crisis I think
the world scratches their head and they
start to say where’d you get your hope
from and I really pray that God’s people
respond in the way and an ongoing way as
you described Jeanne you know John I
want to ask you a question because we
had an offline conversation about this
because you interact with your clients
about generosity and all these things
and you mentioned that there’s a lot of
voices out there today that people are
listening to and it’s really critical
that donors are listening to the right
voices and so maybe you could address
that yeah it is you know the most
important voice we hear is our own
that’s probably and we probably talk
with ourselves more than anyone else but
the and so it’s really important in your
self-talk and in your quiet time that
you really think through the faith
versus fear dialogue that you might be
having in your own mind and secondly the
TV the Internet is just chock-full of
noise and it’s designed to attract
eyeballs and clicks and that sort of
thing and I can remember back in the
crisis and oh eight oh nine I got a call
from a woman and she said I’m really
worried and I said well what’s the
problem and she said CNBC and CNBC for
us is kind of like financial pornography
in and I said well why don’t you watch
the Food Channel instead and she says I
like the Food Channel I said that was my
point
change the channel and in one other time
I actually called the cable company had
him turn it off later clients house I
got their permission but it was just it
was just easier to remove that ten
tation the last thing we practice in our
office my wife started this and couraged
me to do this in Oh 809 was a Sabbath
from news and so we picked a 24-hour
period where we turn off the television
unless it’s a comedy we turn off the
internet unless it’s something fun and
basically not allow ourselves to be
inundated what stall the noise that’s
out there and it’s amazing you know this
Bureau it’s one more way to help the
self talk is to lower the volume for the
stuff that’s coming through the ears
like ever looking at the big um I’d be
curious if any of you maybe this is a
question you can answer but what is
going on with church giving when we
consider the fact that people aren’t
attending services now are they
continuing to give another formats and
is it giving at a level that’s really
replacing anybody heard anything about
that
yes there’s a bar nurse survey that just
came out it indicates that at least 25%
of churches are having significant
difficulties particularly smaller
churches within the urban environment
the reason for that is that churches in
general smaller churches are very
dependent on income-based yes and what
we have now is a what I call an income
crisis economically it’s not a balance
sheet or an asset problem is the income
he may have heard today I think we had
six point six million additional filings
for unemployment compensation today
following six point nine million last
week so we have a lot of people
unemployed and therefore their income in
the church is is significantly impacted
by that because a lot of church giving
is income based giving so that’s one of
the reasons why John
mentioning in this time of difficulty or
this time of struggle a spent base
giving becomes even more important for
the church for ministry for everyone
else comes a much greater importance and
I might add to we’ve talked about bas if
you look at statistics we have about a
hundred and twenty or thirty billion
dollars in this country in bas o not
Christian but all all bas that compares
with about a trillion dollars in private
foundations but that’s nothing compared
to something like probably today a
hundred and ten trillion dollars the
total assets that households and
charities oh so there are a lot of
assets out there that can be deployed
when there’s a need and I think we
identified this time there’s a little
bit of feeling at least in my world so I
you know if you’re in ministry context
that’s not weekly attendance based like
a church the immediate impact is muted
somewhat but as we project down into the
future we feel like things are coming
our way
bad news is coming our way in a few
months so on the one hand you know you
talk about the the income challenge
we’re facing because because of
unemployment that’s that’s definitely an
immediate thing that’s happening but
there’s also the more longer-term
concerns I think that at least in the
missions community among organizational
leaders they’re concerned about that
longer-term impact as well and and I
would add because cash flow matters the
Paycheck protection program loans are
available to churches and other
ministries and they’re you know it’s
we’ve encouraged our church to get in
line for that and we’ve encouraged some
other ministries that we work with to
get in line for that and it’s a
forgivable loan and I’m not a big fan of
borrowing but the opportunity to have
that extra cash come in and
has a loan forgiven under certain
conditions is a real cash flow planning
opportunity for ministries and churches
something to really think about the
other thing we did we do some work with
a radio ministry and they postpone their
spring fundraising drive and I encourage
them to time it for when the stimulus
checks show up and and maybe encourage
people who don’t need the money
do not hoard it go spend it give it away
and the timing of a request around the
delivery of those checks if half the
people don’t need it might really end up
providing some extra cash flow for a
ministry or for a church Virgil and John
go ahead well just one data point so
yesterday I was on a phone call with
about 80 Michigan agency CEOs and we
took a poll and asked them how many
organizations that are on the call are
either in process or planning to apply
for that aerial protection plan now on
this call
there were Canadians and there were some
African agency so they weren’t all US
agencies but 65 percent said that they
were in the process already and that
numbers probably closer to 80 to 85
percent based on who was on the call
Matthew Goode Virgil and John you’d
mentioned that Jeannie you’ve been
having a lot of conversations about the
cares Act and so for our viewing and
listening audience I wonder if you could
just share out of your learning and
understanding how we could benefit from
this in the missions in church well
thank you um John really hit on a major
one right there and that is these rebate
checks that are coming per household and
that’s something we’re talking about
what our givers at National Christian
foundation hey if you don’t need these
resources consider giving them to your
church or the charities that are out
there serving other households and needs
I think that’s a big one at 1200 dollars
per adult and $500 per dependent and in
those households that are under a
hundred and ninety eight thousand for
joint married filing you know that’s
going to be a an influx of income
capital at a time that we need I think
that’s important another big provision
if I may is this ability to do
giving up to a hundred percent of your
adjusted gross income for gifts directly
to churches and nonprofits with donor
advised funds excluded from that so for
your major donors or your givers that
are in your congregations that have a
lot of adjusted gross income but they’re
reporting this is an opportunity for
them to mobilize cash giving into the
churches admissions agencies and be able
to take an offsetting tax deduction now
your audience when I throw a word like
tax deductions some of them are gonna be
like yeah and some one we’re gonna be
like oh no but when I say tax deduction
that means if they give that dollar the
whole dollar goes to the church but if
they get a deduction they kept it they
would have had to pay in some states you
know 137 percent federal and up to
thirteen percent you know in California
on top of that they don’t even really
get to keep the dollar this is a major
opportunity for givers to give a whole
dollar to their church at an
out-of-pocket cost sometimes of 40 cents
and so your major donors they get this
and those that are answering the rally
cry of I’m God steward and I want to
proclaim you know hands and feets of
Christ to the world around me who needs
to know him and see him this is a major
opportunity to be able to deduct up a
hundred percent of your adjusted gross
income if you’re an item riser
I’ve got one more a couple more but if
you are a lot of our churches are filled
with people who do not itemize and this
was big news
couple of years ago is if you remember
guys about how the standard deduction
was going up and so you’re an average
American household might not claim a
charitable deduction and would that have
a a blanketing effect on philanthropy
along sort of a major donor mass America
base
well the cares Act includes for those
people who don’t itemize that middle
America type giver they can gift up to
three hundred dollars in cash and be
able to deduct that as a credit on top
of it’s calling above the line
deductions so when your church
think this rebate John’s talking about
hugely important for your for your mass
congregation that’s $300 cash gift that
they can write off on their taxes the
big deal and then the other one is for
your major givers your high income
earners the ability to give cash up to a
hundred percent of their income at an
out-of-pocket cost of anywhere from
forty to sixty cents the big
opportunities that’s a big curious 16:15
are you planning to have less financial
resource we are we just had a board
meeting a couple weeks ago and just
being prudent and you know reasonably
looking at the situation we’ve seen a
couple of donors drop off not a bunch at
this point but just said look we’re in a
crisis we hope to be able to give again
in the future and then of course because
1615 works with churches we do church
mobilization we do coaching and
consulting and so at least fifty percent
of our income comes from the churches we
work with as you can imagine they’re
pushing pause right now they just don’t
have the mind space to really think
about this now we’re exploring virtual
engagement possibilities but one of the
things that concerns me and I’m not
worried because ultimately because Jesus
Christ himself upholds of the hope of
the great Commission’s fulfillment but
in the short term I think when there’s
so many problems happening right outside
our front door it’s incredibly easy to
forget about the nations and the
unreached and I’m not saying we should
minimize those issues they’re all around
us we should be salt and light but the
organizations I talk to in the churches
I talk to you are concerned that there’s
gonna be a downturn in giving and again
giving that’s already pretty meager if
you look at overall Christian giving
that goes to missions yeah and I do
think it’s important to remind everybody
that I mean here in here in a country
like the United States we have we do
have needs and we’re quarantine in many
places where you find the least reached
where missionaries should be focusing
the situation can be much more dire than
it is here
so there’s there’s that angle as well we
also have
some organizations that are purposefully
deploying missionaries to Cove it’d
affected areas to minister to the people
that are there now interestingly they
don’t want to be named they don’t want
to be outed the reason for that is there
was so much backlash against John Chows
martyrdom that they’ve kind of decided
better for us to do this ministry and
not talk about it publicly but that is
happening you know in a I think a
significant way so that’s another thing
going on out there right now you know I
wonder if either our guest could address
this issue when there is financial
crisis of any kind
most often the the budgets that get cut
first are the budgets that are outside
the building just wonder if there’s
anything you could do to encourage or
you know assist those who are listening
how do you maintain a global focus like
Ted talked about you know in the midst
of so many issues that are all around us
well one idea we’ve used at our church
as we asked a significant Giver actually
created a matching gift fund for
missions giving during a time like this
so it was targeted in an encouragement
the other thing that you know many
churches there’s several the high
percentage surprisingly high percentage
of the congregation that doesn’t give it
all so another church we know about they
created a matching gift for first-time
givers to the church and in again it
leveraged the people at RIKEN generosity
and maybe around the 300 dollar above
the line deduction that Ginny talked
about or something like that would be a
really good opportunity for for someone
to step up with a matching gift either
for a ministry for a church or targeted
toward missions in particular we become
so focused on the urgent you know
associated with the illnesses income
issues cetera I think is so important
that all agencies who are involving
Great Commission work think
about really reinforcing their strategic
import what it is they’re doing wife’s
going to make a difference lies
completely in agreement with and
responsive to the Great Commission and
make disciples of all the nations don’t
assume that people are going to be
thinking about that when they are caught
up with the urgent issues of the moment
so you have to recommit eight you have
to re-establish we have to redefine here
you have to if possible you know given a
vision of what it’s going to look like a
ways down the road I know John has a
quote that god-given vision inspires
giving and I think that’s so true it’s
always true particularly with major
donors so then vision has to be alive it
has to be dusted off it has to be
compelling so that people will be
attracted to it be able to see beyond
the urgencies of the moment so I’ve
already received a couple of financial
appeals and when I read them it felt a
little opportunistic to me and I’m
wondering what you would comment about
just a communication strategy I mean you
want to be heard about the need but you
also got to be careful here because
sometimes this can come across I think
in a really negative way in the midst of
a crisis well I got a call expecting I’d
already practice my my no answer when I
returned the phone call to this
fundraiser that I know and you know what
all she did was say thank you thank you
for past support and the impact that
it’s had on what they’re doing as an
organization and I and I think it’s
simple thank you sometimes it goes a
long way to bring people a touch that
that reminds them that you’re still out
there you’re still functioning and this
was a very unusual ID I still think back
on that calling go wow that was not at
all what I was expecting but we’re
really effective maybe some of you heard
the webinar that dr. Henry
a couple of weeks ago talking about the
psychology of the crisis and in that
webinar he pointed out that in a crisis
that brain registers in error and we
have to somehow reboot our protein
computer if you like and a big part of
that is what he described as
connectedness that connected that
connectedness is the thing that drives
all human function and so that’s true
with every organization if you have to
reconnect with your donor base your
suppliers then you have to do it in a
compassion understanding way not trying
to sell something just based upon that
here’s you lead to the moment but sell
something based on the tried-and-true
principles and missions and values of
forever after and that’s what is going
to renew that connectedness gifts the
grants and and the satisfaction from
givers and giving I’m really glad you
asked that question Ted like every
ministry we sent out corresponds to our
entire constituency in the midst of this
and we said the missions not canceled
we’re still here but as a board we said
you know we’re not going to do have you
asked right now because it may come
across as insensitive or opportunistic
so I have a question for all of our
guests how do we as nonprofits missions
nonprofits that that convey some of
these ideas about giving the benefits of
giving right now under these
circumstances is it appropriate for us
to tell them about some of these things
what does that need to come from another
voice thank you I think if you do it
within the context of what you want for
them and not from them to come alongside
and helping them wherever God is writing
their generosity story you know it’s
really important to set that
connectedness notice that John said it
was with a call and it is about
connecting with our givers so I think
yeah I think it’s a great idea
done but open handily and whether you do
that through a writing piece or an
online piece but in think technology we
have today to do a podcast like this and
or like live zoom calls with your donors
we’re finding that’s a great way to
connect to givers so thank you yeah
especially the video piece I think right
now is you know our culture is
undergoing and mass acceptance of this
kind of strange what we used to be
strange communication method virtually
now it’s just everybody’s doing it and
anybody who doesn’t have I think the
good video skills is gonna suffer
because these are the days when you can
make a pretty personal greeting and you
can I mean we’re doing events at missio
Nexus and we’re getting speakers to
agree to speak that we have tried to get
for years but because they don’t have to
travel now it’s easier for them to be
able to virtually connect and so I would
just say gotta utilize this change that
we’re all undergoing right now yeah it’s
a sign that more Ted I’ve taken three
speaking events in four days that I
normally never looking out months in
advance but I thought it was really fun
on one we did last month we had 150
little video tiles and everybody just in
push you you did but it was a way to be
connected to go back to Virgil’s point
you’re part of a larger community of
people and it’s authentic and real and
it’s a different shift in our
communication style than we had three
months ago yeah I’m sure you probably
all have heard that sermon illustration
about the little kid that wants to pray
to God he says but I want to mommy and
mommy says well you can pray to God and
she says well I need somebody that has
you know I have a feeling that we are
gonna hit a point where we’re gonna want
to have some skin on meetings before too
long but right now this this thing is
definitely raining this virtual
connection point
pray that there’s that boomerang effect
that we’ve been talking about Ted
because this is wonderful we should
leverage this tool and I’m not saying
you can’t have relationship using this
tool but there’s just something about
life on life connection for God’s people
I mean the word church means gathering
and you can gather virtually but it’s
just not the same so I’m gonna believe
with you for that that you know we
continue to leverage these tools but
once again we’re just excited to be
together and to minister side by side in
this cause so I wonder if we couldn’t
take a moment now and really trying to
still what we’ve learned here today you
know for the viewing listening audience
what’s the messaging that is coming out
of this conversation so we’re just going
to defer to all of you you know it’s
kind of the main point you want to leave
with folks today I’m that have listened
to this well I would lead off to say
regardless of whether we’re talking
about hello or tax economics times like
these shake us up and wake us up and as
the body of Christ this is an
opportunity to prayerfully encourage one
another to lean in to shed thinks
thinking about fear or identity or
security or even the author of our days
being wrapped up in our resources and to
really wake up and press in I think it
was you Matthew who said when when
finances are plenty the giving can kind
of go unnoticed but when things are
tight and Christians are rushing in to
be the rally crowd people people take
notice so to me that’s the overriding
message let’s get in there let’s figure
out how to be wise stewards let’s be you
know wise with the opportunities that
are available to us and let this be a
chapter that God writes and that
together you look back upon reflection
because this time will pass we’ve been
through rocky economic times and we want
to look back and say I boldly lived out
my days for the glory in Christ faith in
fear faith and fear can’t coexist
and I we’ve always heard that generosity
is the antidote for greed and I’m coming
to believe that generosity is the
antidote for fear because generosity
requires faith
Edward Matthew I’m going to quote a
quote from John Piper that I’ve heard
you quote before John Piper said dawn is
calling us above all else to be the kind
of people whose theme and passion is
this premise T of God in all of life for
the difficult times no one will be able
to rise to the magnificence of the
missionary calls who does not feel the
magnificence of Christ there will be no
big world vision without a big God I
think that’s worth all of us dwelling on
and ruminating on during this time and
again we as a nation are not poor we
have to be careful that we don’t let the
media or let ourselves or our fears
convince us that we are poor we’re not
we still have tremendous resources are
at our disposal or investment or
investment in Christian enterprises so
we need to think about again how we can
do that wisely how we can do that freely
how we can do that joyfully and yeah I’m
an answer my own question and the Ted
I’m gonna let you wrap it up with your
response and then a little segment that
we always end with or we’ll end with in
the future
but first Peter 3:15 comes to mind and
it’s really connected to everything
we’ve been talking about but Peter says
in your heart set apart Christ is Lord
and always be ready to give an answer
for the hope that lies within you but do
this with gentleness and respect he’s
writing to a persecuted church and the
implication there is they’re suffering
so well in such a way that people are
wondering where’d you get your hope from
it’s implied there that people are
asking and I’m just praying the God’s
people interest
on right now with such generosity that
the world would say where’d you get your
hope from you know we love money we
wouldn’t be happy with that money but
you’re just giving it all the way right
now and so that’s my prayer for my
brothers and sisters in the missions
world that you’d be recipients of those
incredibly radically generous people who
are rising up right now okay I want to
know your response and then you can
close us with something that we’re gonna
do on an ongoing basis yeah well I would
say for me that kind of that opening
where we talked about how giving is up
from these donor advised funds that is
super encouraging I’ll admit I’ve been
one who’s been a little bit suspicious
even though I actually had my own
daughter advise upon that I read it I
had been suspicious that people would
ride out these stock market downturns
and to hear that people in fact are
being generous despite the fact that
some of their portfolios may have lost
you know 18 25 percent or more not
realized so that’s coming back but still
that’s very encouraging for me to hear
and I hope that opportunity ministry
leaders that are sitting out there
listening to this are the courage that
we’re seeing that kind of response so
bad that for me is a big take-home each
time we do this podcast we’re gonna try
to finish with something we thought I
felt something highlight but something
we like I guess it could be that as well
in this month’s is kind of a funny one
and I’m gonna ask your forgiveness
straight up but you know I read a lot
and I’ve even got an e-book out about
how to read voraciously in how to have a
good reading diet and I read a book last
month that for me is maybe one of the
best books I’ve read in a couple years
and I don’t do that out lately because I
read a ton and I read a lot of garbage
frankly because there’s just not a lot
of great writing out there and this book
is just fantastic
now the title is a little off-putting
and I’m sorry for that
the title is writing without BS but the
tail the BS is actually written out okay
it’s by an author named Josh burn off in
the book is about how to write
particularly in a business setting it’s
not about a novel writing it’s really
about how to write good business
correspondence which many of us do in
our work lives and it is chock-full of
some of the best ideas on how to make
your writing really pop how to get your
points across in a way that is highly
illuminating and I have taken one of the
things he does in the book he says go
back look at stuff you’ve written and
compared against what we’ve talked about
on the book and I’ve gone back and done
that and I realized how terrible some of
my writing has been years past and I
have been applying these principles I
got the book first I got it I read it
then I bought the audio version I’ve
probably been through it three times and
I’ve only had a short amount of time it
is a fantastic book to read so writing
without BS you might have to make a
little cover for it and hide it if you
get kids around the house in the book he
actually says you know there’s not a
better word for it than that and that’s
why I used it in that spectrum he wasn’t
trying to just be kind of provocative so
ready without BS by Josh Byrne ah that’s
something I really like go ahead and get
it I think you’ll be impressed with it
as well so that’s it Matthew yep
want to thank our guests for being here
today and I hope that months from now we
talk again and what we’re celebrating is
a lot of pockets that have been empty
thank you so much for being with us with
that we bring to close this edition of
the mission matters with Matthew Ellison
from 16 15 missions coaching and ted
Esler president of missio Nexus our
topic today has been fundraising in a
Cove
era we’ve heard from a stellar group of
guests and we’ll be back next time with
more engaging and provocative
conversations about the Great Commission
before we close let me give you the
websites for our sponsors of the mission
matters
please note 16:15 org and missio Nexus
org that’s 1615 org and missio Nexus or
the mission matters is presented through
a partnership of 16 15 missions coaching
and missio Nexus