Author Archives: Stewardship Foundation

Faith of our Fathers Today and Every Day

Posted on by

In honor of our nation’s celebration of Independence Day, PBS aired a documentary of the religious views of our founding fathers. I was reminded how fervently these leaders relied on their faith and allowed their faith to guide the principles on which this great nation of was founded. They did not impose their faith on fellow citizens, yet were compelled to follow the precepts of their faith to form the enduring statutes that made the United States of America a beacon to the world.

Recently I attended a series of local school board meetings. A board member stood to inform those present that he would no longer say the words “under God” when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. He talked of creating a compliant environment that not only allows, but invites students to ignore the words, “under God” if they wish. Fellow board members nodded in resignation if not support. I can’t believe that I was the only attendee experiencing shock, sadness and dismay.

Constitution signingThe Stewardship Foundation proudly supports the Christian values espoused by our founding fathers. We further believe that those who desire to take God out of the public forum and out of our schools create a recipe for disaster. When a key ingredient is removed from a recipe it can alter the very flavor or texture that makes it great.

We assure you, the Christian values of the Stewardship Foundation will not change. We will always support life, faith, family, and religious freedom. We invite those of you who have private or family foundations to consider placing your foundation under the Stewardship Foundation. If you are worried or concerned that your children or grandchildren will not honor the values you intended to animate your foundation, then the Stewardship Foundation can provide the assurance that your legacy and core values will endure.  Contact us to see how we can assist you.

On this July 4, 2013, we invite you to spend a few moments learning more about the lives and words of our Founding Fathers.

The Great Gatsby

Posted on by

green lightRecently I saw the new release of the movie The Great Gatsby, which is based on the novel written by my favorite literary author, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Many literary critics believe that Fitzgerald best captured the spirit of the roaring twenties and defining the hopes associated with the American Dream.

In the last line of the book, narrator Nick says: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter— tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… and one fine morning… so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Did you notice how Fitzgerald leaves Nick’s thoughts unfinished? Perhaps because his narrator knew that Gatsby would have remained ceaselessly engaged in being carried back to the past – so what was the use of looking forward and planning for the future?

The non-profits and charities that we support can’t survive in a world of Gatsbys – they need supporters who believe wholeheartedly in their cause to “run faster” and “stretch their arms farther” with volunteerism and charitable donations. These supporters live the true American Dream, they make America a better place. Knowing that it’s not beyond their reach to make a difference, they give of themselves and their money and are happy to do it.

Gatsby had a romantic idea of happiness that ceaselessly brought him back to the past. Research in psychology has examined how giving affects people’s emotional well-being and determined that helping others leads to positive emotions such as warmth and happiness. If only Gatsby had known that the elusive Daisy (represented by the green light) would never have brought him the happiness that helping others could have. If only Gatsby had spent less time with a room full of interesting people, and more time with the Stewardship Foundation.

Admittedly, we too at the Stewardship Foundation have romantic ideas. We want to help make the world a better place by supporting transformational giving based on a set of moral values set out in the Manhattan Declaration. But unlike Gatsby, we stretch out our arms everyday and run harder to help our clients discover true happiness that comes from helping causes that are aligned with a moral compass.

If you have non-cash assets like property or valuables and would like to learn how you can use those assets to do good in your lifetime, please contact us. No beating against the current here – just moving forward to what defines us as Americans. Call us at (614) 800-7985.

The Iceberg Theory – What Donors Can’t See Can’t Help Charities

Posted on by

During college I took a literature course from a professor who greatly respected Nobel Prize winning author, Ernest Hemingway.  One characteristic of this great American’s writing style is the Iceberg Theory, also known as the “theory of omission.”  

If a writer stops observing he is finished. But he does not have to observe consciously nor think how it will be useful. Perhaps that would be true at the beginning. But later everything he sees goes into the great reserve of things he knows or has seen. If it is any use to know it, I always try to write on the principle of the iceberg. There is seven-eighths of it underwater for every part that shows. Anything you know you can eliminate and it only strengthens your iceberg. It is the part that doesn’t show. If a writer omits something because he does not know it then there is a hole in the story.
— Ernest Hemingway

What if non-profit organizations kept this iceberg principle in mind when talking to major donors? What if their executive directors and development officers started “observing” their donors—consciously listening for the “part that doesn’t show” – the 7/8 they can’t see or perceive because donors typically reveal only the tips of their icebergs? icebergDonors do not consciously omit information, but they only reveal what is necessary to answer your questions. And isn’t the typical question, “Are you willing to increase your donation amount this year?”

The question is interesting because it ignores the 80% of donor wealth tied to non-cash assets like land and buildings, a business, or holiday home. A typical family earning $100,000 a year gives a little over $2,500 to charity. What wonderful things could happen if donors only knew how to leave a legacy by leveraging their wealth tied up in vacation homes or vacant land!

At the Stewardship Foundation we provide tools and support that advisors and non-profits can use to help their donors realize the charitable intent potential hidden “below the iceberg.”  For example, on our website we post Questions for Donors to help development offices and other financial professionals listen for certain donor concerns that may indicate a willingness to move from “donation” to “legacy.”

The tragic story of the Titanic illustrates the danger for those who ignore the Iceberg Theory’s suggestion that when a writer (think nonprofit or charity or donor) omits something then there is a “hole in the story.” By ignoring the wealth that lies beneath the iceberg, charities and nonprofits may lose the opportunity for sustainability, and donors lose the opportunity to accomplish great things during their lifetime.

If you are a nonprofit or charity and want to learn how you can apply Hemingway’s wisdom to your development efforts, then we’d love to share our knowledge about transformational giving. If you are a donor who has never considered using your “hidden wealth” to make a difference in your community during your lifetime, then we’d love to share our knowledge about planned giving. As a huge Hemingway fan, it would be my pleasure to honor this great American author by helping in some way to plug a few holes and leave our community and causes in a better place because we did.