Entries by Travis Hurley

3 Best Practices of a Volunteer-Driven Ministry

An empowered volunteer team can be the backbone of an effective and cost-efficient ministry. The more clearly you convey how essential they are, equip them to succeed, and show you appreciate their efforts, the more likely you are to have such a team. TCI’s Travis Hurley shares best practices in recruitment, training, and retention.

Take the Fear Out of the Ministry of Fundraising

If your experience has been anything like mine, you’ve had a negative view of fundraising at some point in your life (and maybe you still do now). When I was approached ten years ago to consider coming on staff in the development department with a private college, I first had to ask what “development” even was. When I was told it was primarily fundraising, I said, “No, thank you!” I didn’t want to be part of a field I had always seen as a necessary evil that burdened donors, and I was fearful of the responsibility that came with finding an organization’s necessary funding.

Three Things You May Not Know About Your Top Donors

It’s no secret that maintaining a strong relationship with your organization’s top donors is paramount to long-term sustainability. It takes intentional effort to ensure those relationships extend beyond a mere exchange of money. Wouldn’t it be helpful to know their thoughts and attitudes about your organization, their resources, and the factors that bring the two together?

Neighbor Connect: Meeting the Needs Next Door

Kyle is a young man who has been mowing the yard for Mary over the past two summers. Mary is in her sixties, suffers from depression and anxiety, and is on disability. Kyle and Mary were introduced through Neighbor Connect, a program of Watered Gardens Ministries that cares for the local community by connecting one neighbor’s need to another neighbor’s skill. By databasing and categorizing the services volunteers can offer, Neighbor Connect took Kyle’s willingness to volunteer mowing services and paired it with Mary’s lawn care needs.