I was speaking with a pastor a few weeks ago and as we parted I felt very good about his church’s money culture. He was looking for resources he could share with his Finance Committee about healthy money cultures in churches. This happens sometimes when a church is in real trouble and the minister is […]

This post does not take sides in the ongoing debate about rights of homosexuals in our nation and our church. Please don’t pretend that it does. Conservative US Senator Rob Portman surprised many a few weeks ago when he announced that his position on gay marriage had changed. After learning that his son, Will, is […]

Get the right legs, under the right table, asking the right questions

As we are all aware, there are plenty of Americans sitting on couches on Sunday morning. Sure, some are coaching soccer, eating hash brown casserole at Cracker Barrel or walking in the park, but whatever it is they’re doing, what they’re not doing is coming to church. But once in a while, a few of […]

Last week I posted about my distaste for most donor recognition programs in churches.  Based on some emails I have received, I want to make clear the difference between recognizing donors and acknowledging donors. Donor recognition publicly lifts up certain donors, such as a listing in the program at Playhouse Square or a giving tree […]

Earlier this week the Cleveland Browns announced that First Energy is paying huge money for the stadium to be named after the electric company.  It’s a win-win:  the Browns get a huge infusion of cash and First Energy gets some good PR and visibility in the community. This practice, of course, is not new.  When I was […]

A week or two ago the family and I went to see Les Miserables at the movie theater.  We rarely go see a movie, but figured a classic story as a foundation for a great spectacle of show makes this worth seeing on the big screen rather than through the TV. It was a good […]

While there was no shortage of news coverage of the fiscal cliff in the last week, there was one piece of the legislation that surprised me, and it is certainly good news to our churches and our members, especially those who are older. For 2013, we have the IRA Charitable Rollover back. This means that […]

Last week Warren Buffet, the Oracle of Omaha, addressed small business owners at a seminar in downtown Cleveland. As a fund raiser, I tend to pay attention when the third richest man in the world is in my neck of the woods.  But I wasn’t interested in his money (although I would have been happy […]

David and Veronda Durden only wanted to make a gift to their church.  Now, because of a clerical error at the church, the couple is facing fines and other penalties for claiming a tax deduction they weren’t entitled to take. The Durdens gave $22,517 to their church through cash and checks.  No one disputes that […]