Josh is a financial planner who has built a consulting firm around the idea of helping people discern and accomplish their life plan. His speciality is not just helping you invest money but also gain clarity about what it is you want to do with that money.

Josh is a believer who is passionate about helping others not only increase their generosity and decrease debt but understand what to do with the other 90 percent. This eBook is one I looked for when I graduated from college but couldn’t find. It spells out all the dimensions of money in a way that provides context and balance for those looking to gain their first financial foothold and those looking for a more specific, mature financial strategy.

I strongly encourage you to download the eBook and consider how Josh may be able to provide a fresh perspective as our culture seeks to make sense of the new normal of money.

What steps are you taking to implement a balanced financial plan for your life?

My enthusiasm for the tool has led me to share about Evernote with just about everyone I get the chance to. In fact, I pay for a year of premium service for every client. I’m convinced that if I can get them to use it for 12 months, then they will never be able to stop using it.

I ran into a hurdle I didn’t expect, though. Pastors…people I thought would see an immediate application for this software…could comprehend how it might be useful to them but had a very difficult time translating the tool into their work. They loved its flexibility yet were paralyzed by it. They needed to see how someone else (e.g. another pastor) used it before they could begin formulating their own ideas as to how it might help them.

A home builder once told me how difficult it is to sell a home that isn’t finished. Even though a buyer is going to change the flooring and paint immediately, they often pass on the opportunity to buy the house before it’s finished and put in the flooring and paint they want as it is being finished. The same is true when it comes to pastors and Evernote.

So I reached out to my friend Ron Edmondson who loves Evernote just about as much as I do. He’s a pastor and has figured out how to make it work for him. We decided to write an eBook about Evernote. It’s not a user’s manual, so temper your expectations. The goal is to provide context for pastors to begin to understand how Evernote can help them in their work.

Sadly, pastors are often reluctant to incorporate technology into their work. However, pastors are not afforded the choice to embrace technology or not. Pastors are professional content collectors, consumers, and creators which means software and digital media must become native to their habits.

A Guide to Evernote for Pastors will help you take your first steps.

Are you a pastor who uses Evernote? What is your favorite thing about Evernote?

I remember leaving my accountant’s office. We had discussed my need for an assistant, what would be my first hire. I knew how much I could spend, but I was terrified.

• Where would I find this person?
• What if it didn’t work out?
• What if business tanked, and I suddenly couldn’t afford to pay an assistant?

I happened to have a phone call with my friend, Bryan Miles. He was asking about my business as good friends do. I told him about my recent decision to hire an assistant. He then told me about a new business that he and Shannon were starting called Miles Advisory Group. And a few days later I became MAG’s first client. (It was the only time – technically – that Bryan could use that sales technique.)

Vicki is amazing. I doubt I could have someone of her caliber on my own. If I had, I’m sure I wouldn’t have been able to afford her. She is bright, intelligent, quick to learn, pays careful attention to detail, incredibly responsive, and is proactive. I trust her not only to coordinate details but also interact with clients and prospects. I regularly get compliments on her work ethic and attitude.

We started at 5 hours a week and have made two increases over the past 12 months. It won’t be long before we make yet another increase in hours. It’s hard for me to imagine my daily workflow without Vicki. She helps me stay focused on the things only I can do which increases my productivity and allows me to continue to grow the business.

I can honestly say that choosing to hire Vicki through Miles Advisory Group is one of the best business decisions I’ve made in the past year.

Have you made a decision in the last year that has had a significant impact on your business? What was it, and how has it changed things for you?

I want to tell you about two new additions that I’m very excited about (and I think you will be, too):

Bill Seaver. Bill is someone that I’ve know for more than six years. He has been instrumental in helping me navigate the digital marketing space. I’ve benefited from his expertise and recommended him to numerous individuals and organizations. It became very apparent about six months ago that we needed to think about how we can more closely work together. Bill brings a wide variety of publishing, agency, and consulting business to the table in corporate and nonprofit settings. Adding Bill to the team means that BenStroup.com can offer a wide variety of training and development opportunities, expanded social media assessments and audits, and additional expertise to the table to service small and complex accounts. You can email Bill directly at bill[at]benstroup[dot]com.

David Wright. I’ve been looking for a “David Wright” since I started this new venture. When I was working in corporate marketing, I depended on people like David to help me validate my ideas. He is one of those guys that wakes up thinking about polynominal regression theory and predicative analytics. Not only will he help with internal decision making, he will be supporting our work with clients as we measure the impact of our strategy. Too many times, business and organizations tend to make decisions “with their gut” rather than by searching through the numbers to see what intelligence it holds. Whether its uncovering revenue trends, tracking lead generation and conversation, or segmenting an existing database, David’s expertise will be invaluable in helping our clients expand their capacity to accomplish more than they ever thought possible. You can email David directly at david[at]benstroup[dot]com.

Please take a chance to visit the team page to read more about Bill and David and to learn more about the entire leadership staff at BenStroup.com. This is one exceptional team working together for maximum impact!

Now we’re introducing the second one in the series: Hanging Up The Leisure Suit: How To Get Unstuck.

Here’s why I’m excited about this second infusion of content into an already dynamic conversation: Tony gets practical. The strategy of the first book is translated into a tactical guide designed to help your church get unstuck.

Some key ideas you’ll discover in this eBook:

• Systems help us understand what is happening.
• Healthy systems produce healthy churches. (Sounds simple but many continue to miss this.)
• Systems are measurable, which means they reveal “the gap” between where we are today and where God is calling us to be.
• More teaching may not be the ultimate answer or “magic bullet” many church leaders think it to be.
• No matter how unique you think you are, systems — healthy or unhealthy — are already in place. The challenge is to uncover the substance of the systems that define your church today.

Tony leaves the reader with a sense of encouragement as he ends with these words:

Good people using bad systems will never produce good results. Normal people using good systems will produce great results.

Is it time for you to hang up your leisure suit?

BUT ideas are just ideas…words on a board…scribbles on a page…random thoughts on a voice recorder.

Pithy statements about what we HOPE to be DOESN’T accomplish anything. They may make us FEEL good about ourselves…but how can you MEASURE feelings? YOU CAN’T!

Action is what MAKES THINGS HAPPEN.

In two years of consulting, I’ve only fired ONE client. Why? You guessed it. They only wanted to talk…and talk some more…and then some more. They paid on time. They scheduled meetings. But they never wanted to get ANYTHING done.

Honestly, I lost interest. If I wanted to meet and listen to people talk — and never take ACTION — I would have been a therapist. (I’m guessing that wouldn’t have worked out AT ALL.)

I get BORED…easily. (Which is probably why I never “fit” in corporate culture.)

Maybe the reason you’ve LOST the INTEREST and AFFECTION of your donors, prospects, or clients is because you’re not DOING anything. Donors, prospects, and clients are not built-in annuities to support your lifestyle. Donors, prospects, and clients are opportunities to DO SOMETHING that REALLY MATTERS.

ACTION keeps me engaged. It’s no different with your donors, prospects, or clients.

Are you JUST BUSY or are you MOVING things FORWARD? I’m TIRED of TALKING. Aren’t you?

• New perspectives about what’s happening in a larger context.
• Additional insight into how others are responding to or dealing with organizational challenges.
• Validation of key internal decisions, systems, and processes.

Research doesn’t have to be limited to charts, graphs, and tables. It can also include case studies and white papers, one area of marketing content that is sorely underestimated. Case studies and white papers are similar in some ways and different in others:

• Case studies are typically one to two pages in length while white papers are usually eight to ten pages in length.
• Case studies profile the experience of the client while white papers are intended to be more objective and data intensive.
• Case studies are presented in story form while white papers are intended to convey ideas rather than emotion.

The primary reason case studies and white papers are underutilized tools is because they take time to ideate, to gather the necessary information (including client interviews), and to write. Therefore, those who choose to invest in them will have valuable content assets that your competition most likely will not.

The secret to the potency of case studies and white papers is the reality that what others say about you, your product, and your organization is more important that what you say about you, your product, or your organization. Case studies and white papers are worthy assets that will pay exceptional dividends with prospects, clients, and donors.

For our clients who need research assistance, we help them:

• Gather and summarize research for any number of projects.
• Ideate and execute case studies and white papers.
• Stay current with trends, benchmarks, and options.

How are you meeting the research demands of your work?

What about about database analytics for the rest of us?

Now that I work with a variety of organizations, I’m amazed at how many nonprofits and churches with multi-million dollar operating budgets don’t invest in this kind of vital business intelligence and process mapping. The prevailing practice — in many instances — is to “just go with it” and see what happens.

I can certainly understand why:

• The urgent squeezes much of the opportunity to pause for analysis of any kind.
• The availability of people who can perform such work is often limited.
• The salary  for a database analyst (when you do find the fight person) is often out of reach for many nonprofits and churches.

My goal is to remove obstacles for my clients, so I’ve found a way to provide database analysis for the rest of us.

It’s really simple (on your part at least):

• You identify the questions you’re trying to answer. (e.g. What age groups are growing in total dollars given? Who has increased/decreased their giving in the last 12 months?, etc.)
• We help you get the data we need out of your existing database. (e.g. ERP, ChMS, etc.)
• We process the data, put it into graphs and charts you can use internally, and offer insight into what we discovered.

Here’s what you can do with this information:

• Modify existing workflows or organizational strategy for better performance. (Huge area for growth among existing clients is in the area of assimilation and donor tracking.)
• Adjust your existing content strategy.
• Evaluate new initiatives or areas of opportunity to invest time, money, and people. (Stop leading with your gut.)

Take a look at some redacted charts and graphs we’ve created for some of our clients. Databases are powerful tools if used correctly. Part of harnessing the intelligence captured in this one place is understanding how to interpret and report over the available information. The questions you’re asking (or maybe afraid to ask) are probably hidden within the data you’re already collecting.

How do you use database analysis to inform your content marketing strategies for mission-critical functions like donor acquisition, cultivation, and relationship management? For churches, how can you be sure your assimilation process is engaging people who are then investing in your ministry with their time, talents, and resources?

The people to stand the most to gain from these tools are:

• Independent consultants and freelancers.
• People who have a desire to go paperless.
• Individuals who are open to business administration in “the cloud.”

This is not:

• A magic formula (like that exists anyway!)
• The only available options (of course there is more than one…I chose the ones I actually use.)
• The best option for you (only you can determine that.)

Below is the handout I used for the presentation. Feel free to distribute (with appropriate acknowledgements). And if there is a tool that I need to consider adding to my toolbox, please let me know.

You can view and download Long Hollow’s Compelled Ministry Plan for 2011, and be sure to check out the interactive dollar on their giving page.

What is your church’s approach to church budget communication?