[1]I was recently asked to bring a greeting to some of Kentucky’s finest ministry leaders. These are men and women who have started or currently lead nonprofits serving crucial needs in their communities here in Kentucky.
They labor diligently and seek to lead faithfully to meet needs and share Christ. They do good work, manage tight budgets and wear many hats.
How can leaders of nonprofits serve well in the role they have been assigned? Here are 10 suggestions:
1. Hire the best people you can find: One of the biggest and most costly mistakes nonprofits leaders make (including pastors and elders) is a bad hire. We have limited budgets and limited positions and when we make a bad hiring decision, it is costly to the organization and the mission. We make mistakes when we hire out of emotion, urgency, friendship or lack of experience and may discover had we waited longer, prayed more and vetted more thoroughly, we may have been able to hire more effectively.
2. Build a great board: Another area where it is easy for nonprofit leaders to mess up is with the forming of their board of directors. Instead of filling your board with friends, try instead to recruit board members who can help your organization by bringing in needed skills. Consider someone with a background in accounting, leadership or fundraising.
3. Learn to raise money: The ministry of most nonprofits is funded by the generosity of donors who believe in the vision and mission of the organization. Kentucky nonprofits manage more than $30.5 billion in revenue. The leaders of these nonprofits will need to become comfortable talking to people about supporting their work. Fundraising is noble work if it is being done for a gospel-advancing purpose.
4. Use social media as a tool: Social media can be fraught with abuse and can detract from one’s mental and emotional health. However, it is also a tool to be used for ministry and those leaders who neglect it are missing an opportunity to effectively advance the gospel and the mission of their organization.
5. Do the three things leaders must do: All ministry leaders must do these three things and do them repeatedly. Leaders must advance their mission, solve problems and care for their people. There are few activities for a leader that do not fit neatly under one of those three categories, and leaders must make these three things a priority for the well-being of the ministry.
6. Pray, pray, pray and pray some more: God calls leaders to attempt feats that they cannot accomplish in their own power. We are at our best when our own limitations bring us to a place of prayerful dependence on the Lord. God calls us to a “walking on water” ministry and you cannot walk on water unless the Lord holds you up.
7. Determine mission, vision, values and priorities and live them: Your mission and vision will set the direction for your ministry. Your values will determine how you carry out your work and your priorities will determine what you do first, second and third. Figure these things out and then go to work on completing them.
8. Encourage others and don’t compete with brothers and sisters: There will no doubt be other believers in the same type of work you are doing, and you may be tempted to view them as your competition. They are not. Spend time getting to know them and encourage them in faithful ministry. You may be able to develop an “iron sharpening iron” relationship.
9. Take care of yourself: Non-profit leadership is tough and requires the leader to wear lots of hats and manage a wide variety of problems ranging from HR issues, to board meetings, to fundraising, to local regulations and more. This work can be draining, and ministry leaders must take responsibility for their own mental, emotional, physical and spiritual well-being.
10. Stay close to your family and realize we are all interims: All of us in ministry leadership are filling a slot for a season. Our work is important as we strive to advance the gospel of Christ, but it can be easy to overestimate our own importance and lose sight of the most important people in our lives. Remember that you are an interim in your role and stay close to your family.
This article was originally posted at toddgray.org [2].