
Solving the Leadership Gap-Giving Shy People The Strength To Get Up And Do What Needs To Be Done

I asked him to tell me about their current board. He said they were enthusiastic and supportive during their meetings, but they were not helping out with development. He then explained that he asked them to go to a board training workshop sponsored by a leading nonprofit. They all enjoyed it immensely and reported they learned a lot but they didn’t do anything different after the training.
Fuller Center board members are charged with the task of recruiting donors, volunteers and filling board and committees who are the hands and feet of our housing ministry. As our President David Snell likes to say, “This is a righteous undertaking.” We represent the compassion of Christ for people in need of decent shelter.
How many appointments do you have set up this month to talk about The Fuller Center?
This question is the same whether they are tasked to prospecting individuals, businesses, service organizations or churches. The best boards hold themselves accountable to this question.
Below is a list of some of the common types of call reluctance and a few thoughts in how to overcome our shyness about sharing our story and the needs of our families we serve:
- Over preparing
- Stage fright
successful presentation. If you believe in the importance of your ministry, your
passion and energy will help you overcome butterflies and you will be well received.
- Fear of failure
times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over
and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.
- Low self-image
not our competition, they are our prospective collaborators. A few days ago some folks
from Habitat for Humanity joined us for one of our board meetings. They timidly
introduced themselves and shared where they worked. I said, “Don’t be embarrassed,
we LOVE Habitat… We invented Habitat!” The laughter around the room diffused their
anxiety and I said “You are welcome and among friends here.”
to a family in need of our assistance. There is no need for low-self esteem in a
righteous undertaking. God abundantly loves us and the people we are called to serve.
- Fear of rejection
got more when we asked.
We heard him use that humorous line quite often. What he communicated with that
message was that he turned his fear of rejection into a fear of regret. It was okay
to be rejected, and turned down. But it was not okay to live with the regret of not
trying on behalf of our partner families who were on our long waiting lists living in
shacks and trailers or even homeless. Regret for not trying was a far worse problem.
"Made from whole wheat raised in the rich bottomlands of the Lake Wobegon river valley by Norwegian bachelor farmers, so you know they’re not only good for you, but also pure, mostly" which "give shy persons the strength to get up and do what needs to be done.
Heavens, they’re tasty and expeditious."
Come on down to Americus, we’re baking them right now!

PS If you feel the need to turn down my invitation to breakfast, you might still want to enjoy this PowerPoint called “How To Make The Ask” by Beverly Black our Director of Donor Development.
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