In this Issue:

• • Explore, Connect, Innovate with Lake Institute’s Resource Library
  • Expanded Perspective: Stewardship, Generosity, and Lake Institute
  • Enhance Your Fundraising Skills with ECRF
  • NEW DOLLARS/NEW PARTNERS Training Program

By Anne Brock, Associate Director of Operations at Lake Institute

Recently we invited alumni of our Executive Certificate in Religious Fundraising course to share their feedback about our educational offerings and resources in a series of small focus groups. As an organization that values innovation and adaptation, we want and need to hear directly from our constituents so that we can continue to grow and enhance what we offer.

Focus groups can be full of surprises! In asking for feedback about our online resources, we learned that not everyone is aware of the rich content available through our Resource Library. Since it can take 5-7 times of hearing a message before it is remembered, here is your reminder of (or first introduction to) all we have available for you on our website.

Explore.

At Lake Institute on Faith & Giving, we inspire religious and philanthropic leaders to think and talk about the power of faith for giving, and giving for faith, in confidence that these explorations will lead to greater generosity in life. We provide research-backed tools and support to help you cultivate a spirit of generosity, adapted to your own context and circumstances.

• Let’s Talk About Faithful Generosity: This is a free tool for facilitating creative and imaginative conversations about how congregations can use their resources in service to their local community. Co-created with the innovative design team at Rooted Good, Let’s Talk is designed to be used alongside our Faithful Generosity Story Shelf, which highlights congregations and other religious organizations who have sought to use their assets and resources in creative—and sometimes surprising—ways as an expression of faithful giving. This tool can be used online or in person.
• Where to Start: A Guide for Faith Leaders on Shifting Ground: Another co-created resource, Where to Start is a tool to help faith leaders consider what to do when they don’t know what to do about resources. It can guide you in clarifying questions that are pressing in on you and your religious work and point you to some helpful resources for taking next steps.
• Pyramid of Giving: This is one of the primary tools we share in our educational course and can be used to analyze giving patterns in your organization.

Connect.

Through our courses and resources, we seek to help leaders connect the why to the how. We offer credible research and tools to support religious leaders as you do the necessary self-work to understand why your organizations exist and how you will formulate a unique plan to instill generosity into your own day-to-day engagements.

• Philanthropic Autobiography: This collection of questions is an opportunity for you to reflect on who you are and to think consciously about your involvement in giving and volunteering. It is also an opportunity to recall how you came to experience and learn about charitable giving and what in your story motivates you to volunteer your time and give your money as well as your expertise for the benefit of others.
• Knowledge, Language, Relationship, and Self-Identity: In this six-page report, you will find key findings from a set of conversations that Rev. Jennifer Watley Maxell conducted with Black religious leaders, focusing on how they see the landscape of philanthropy and where they turn to, from a place of trust, for funding and support.
• Who is My Community and What Do They Need?: In this Insights article, Andrew Whitehead offers a way for congregational leaders to leverage free online data resources, including the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA), to discover their community and what they need. In the Expanded Perspective, Meredith McNabb notes that there are all kinds of ways for congregational leaders to use the ARDA, which has a vast amount of data compiled, and she offers some steps that Lake Institute has found helpful for those who are getting started.

Innovate.

Lake Institute invests in forward-thinking and inventive ideas–and in the relationships that make true innovation possible. We look to the future but understand that we can’t look to the future alone. Our conversation partners and convening events help us conduct better research and thinking for the future of faith and giving.

• The Faithful Generosity Story Shelf: Two new stories on the Shelf highlight innovation in congregational life.
  • A church’s fixer-upper parsonage becomes a community center to preserve Latino culture and bridge cultural, generational, and denominational gaps.
  • A church and mosque collaborate to power—and empower—their neighborhood by installing solar panels on the church roof.
• Cultivating Generosity: In April 2024, scholars, researchers, and practitioners came together to reflect on the theme of nurturing generosity within Hispanic/Latinx faith communities and explore these complex interconnections. The gathering provided a platform for sharing insights, strategies, and best practices aimed at fostering a culture of giving that resonates with the values and traditions of the Latinx community.
• The Critical Role of Philanthropy Sustaining the Black Church: This Insights article is also part of our Philanthropy and the Black Church Special Collection. George Shears III, D.Min., delves into how the Black Church tradition has evolved and continues to drive positive change today. From historical efforts in justice and civil rights to present-day responses to crises, learn how the Black Church remains a powerful force for innovating in the ways we meet community needs and foster growth.

These are just a few of the hundreds of free resources available through Lake’s online Resource Library. You can search by topic, type of resource, keyword, and more. We hope you will take some time to explore the library, discover connections, and experiment with innovations in your organization. And, as we asked our alumni, if there is a resource you wish we could make available for you, please let us know!