89. Reaching Kids with the Gospel: CEF of Dallas' Vision Dinner Success Story [$10M Story, Part 3 of 5]

Summary

The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast
Episode 89: Reaching Kids with the Gospel: CEF of Dallas' Vision Dinner Success Story [$10M Story, Part 3 of 5]
Release Date: April 16, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 89 of The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast, hosts Jim Dempsey and Jason Galasinski delve into the inspiring success story of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) of Dallas. This episode is the third installment in their compelling series titled "$10 Million Story," which highlights the remarkable fundraising achievements of various nonprofits through the Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program.

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Guest Introduction: Warren Bird from CEF of Dallas (05:56)

Jason Galasinski: "We have a special guest today from CEF. Now, CEF stands for Child Evangelism Fellowship, and this organization has actually been around a very, very long time. Yes. And so I'm really excited to introduce the guest and bring him on in just a second."

Warren Bird: "Thank you for inviting me. I'm super excited." (05:58)

Warren Bird, CEO of CEF of Dallas, shares his journey from initial fundraising challenges to achieving a significant milestone with the Perfect Vision Dinner program. His story is a testament to the transformative power of structured mentorship and effective fundraising strategies.

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CEF’s Mission and Impact (00:10 - 00:46)

Warren Bird: "I'm a baby boomer. Every generation since then, fewer and fewer people are believers. Like, they believe in the Bible, they believe in Jesus... last year, we reached almost 6,000 children with the gospel. And that's just a drop in the water." (00:34)

CEF of Dallas focuses on evangelizing children who have never heard the name of Jesus, particularly targeting environments like daycares and community centers during significant events like Christmas and Easter. Their mission emphasizes the true essence of these holidays — celebrating Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection rather than commercial traditions.

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The Perfect Vision Dinner Program (06:17 - 10:07)

Warren Bird: "We had attempted to host a dinner a couple of years before, and we didn't have that much knowledge and how to host or run a fundraising dinner... we made three times what our previous dinner had brought in." (07:04)

Before joining the Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program, CEF of Dallas's initial fundraising efforts yielded modest results. Their first attempt brought in approximately $35,000, which, despite significant efforts, did not meet expectations. Discovering the Perfect Vision Dinner program through Fundraising Masterminds transformed their approach, guiding them to raise over $100,000 in their subsequent event—a threefold increase from their previous efforts.

Warren Bird: "We just did what they told us and it worked." (07:04)

The mentorship program provided structured guidance, empowering CEF of Dallas to execute a successful fundraising dinner. This structured approach helped them surpass their financial goals, enabling the organization to expand its outreach and impact.

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Warren Bird’s Personal Journey and Ministry Involvement (08:02 - 12:43)

Warren Bird: "I grew up in Florida... I trusted in Jesus." (08:02)

Warren Bird shares his personal transformation from a non-religious upbringing to becoming a committed Christian. His involvement with CEF began serendipitously through his church's children's ministry, leading to over two decades of dedicated service. His journey underscores the profound impact of faith and community involvement in personal and organizational growth.

Warren Bird: "My oldest daughter... she came to me and says, you know, part of the thing was they were... they had to go practice what they learned, and they had to go out to daycares and children's after-school programs... and they had to share their faith and kids about Jesus." (10:36)

Through CEF, Bird's family became deeply involved in evangelizing efforts, highlighting the organization's commitment to training and empowering individuals to share their faith effectively.

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Challenges in Fundraising and Overcoming Them (14:49 - 19:36)

Warren Bird: "I would equate fundraising... like getting a tooth pulled." (15:27)

Initially, Bird viewed fundraising as a daunting task, comparable to an unpleasant necessity. However, the Perfect Vision Dinner program revolutionized his perspective by providing clear, actionable steps that demystified the fundraising process.

Warren Bird: "The way that y'all put this training together makes so much sense. We can do this." (15:49)

The structured mentorship and step-by-step guidance offered by Fundraising Masterminds enabled CEF of Dallas to overcome previous fundraising barriers, transforming what was once perceived as a burdensome task into a manageable and successful endeavor.

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Strategic Partnership and Expansion Plans (20:55 - 22:19)

Warren Bird: "The worldwide president has a goal of reaching roughly 5% of all the children in the world... we are burdened. We're talking about the word burden to reach with the gospel." (20:55)

CEF's ambitious goal to evangelize 5% of children globally necessitates substantial infrastructure and support. The partnership with Fundraising Masterminds aims to provide the necessary tools and strategies to achieve this vision, ensuring sustainable growth and expansive reach.

Jason Galasinski: "Our worldwide president has officially partnered with us, and they're working with us... if you're a CEF chapter, it's all branded, ready to go." (20:58)

This collaboration has enabled CEF chapters nationwide to adopt proven fundraising methodologies, fostering a unified and effective approach to fundraising across the organization.

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The Perfect Vision Dinner Mentorship Program Explained (23:08 - 25:14)

Warren Bird: "You take it by little bites... you're never really going to be overwhelmed by it." (23:08)

The Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program is a 21-week course designed to guide organizations through the process of planning and executing a successful fundraising dinner with the goal of raising $100,000 or more. The program breaks down the process into manageable tasks, ensuring participants are well-prepared and confident.

Jason Galasinski: "We mentor you through... our goal is to help you raise a hundred thousand." (23:08)

This structured approach not only demystifies the fundraising process but also equips organizations with the necessary skills and confidence to exceed their financial goals.

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Event Execution and Success (25:14 - 27:53)

Warren Bird: "The event was very upscale without being upscale. The schedule was like a theater production with no gaps... we made over a hundred thousand dollars." (25:50)

CEF of Dallas's Vision Dinner was meticulously planned to create a seamless and engaging experience for guests. The event maintained high standards without incurring excessive costs, ensuring both elegance and efficiency. The well-orchestrated schedule eliminated awkward pauses, contributing to a positive attendee experience.

Warren Bird: "We've already started the vision that we had was to be more involved in Dallas itself." (26:46)

The successful execution of the Vision Dinner not only met financial targets but also solidified CEF of Dallas's commitment to expanding their influence within the Dallas community, particularly within local schools and youth programs.

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Future Goals and Vision (27:53 - 28:31)

Jason Galasinski: "Next year, we're going to be shooting for a $250,000 goal with your second dinner." (28:49)

Encouraged by their initial success, CEF of Dallas plans to amplify their efforts by setting higher fundraising targets for future events. The momentum gained from the first Vision Dinner serves as a foundation for exponential growth and increased impact.

Warren Bird: "We are going to need a much larger infrastructure, lots more volunteers... It’s about what we're going to do for the kingdom." (28:15)

To achieve their ambitious targets, CEF of Dallas recognizes the need for expanded infrastructure and volunteer support, reinforcing their dedication to fulfilling their mission effectively.

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Conclusion and Call to Action (30:37 - End)

In wrapping up the episode, Jim and Jason encourage listeners to consider participating in the Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program. They emphasize the limited enrollment period and urge interested organizations to apply promptly to leverage the program's benefits.

Jason Galasinski: "If you're listening to this and you're like, I think I'd like to check that out... we've got two weeks until enrollment closes." (24:23)

Warren Bird: "They can go to our website, that is cefdallas.org and there's a way to contact us through the website." (30:37)

Listeners are invited to explore CEF of Dallas's impactful work and consider joining the Perfect Vision Dinner program to transform their fundraising efforts and expand their organizational impact.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Warren Bird (00:34): "Every generation since then, fewer and fewer people are believers. Like, they believe in the Bible, they believe in Jesus."

• Warren Bird (07:04): "We just did what they told us and it worked."

• Warren Bird (15:27): "I would equate fundraising... like getting a tooth pulled."

• Warren Bird (20:55): "The worldwide president has a goal of reaching roughly 5% of all the children in the world."

• Warren Bird (23:08): "You take it by little bites. So you, it's... you're never really going to be overwhelmed by it."

• Warren Bird (25:50): "The event was very upscale without being upscale. The schedule was like a theater production with no gaps."

• Jason Galasinski (24:23): "We've got two weeks until enrollment closes."

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Final Thoughts

Episode 89 of The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast offers a compelling narrative of transformation and success. Warren Bird's experiences with CEF of Dallas illustrate how structured mentorship and strategic fundraising can elevate an organization's mission and impact. Their collaboration with Fundraising Masterminds not only achieved significant financial milestones but also set the stage for continued growth and expanded outreach in the Dallas community and beyond.

For nonprofit leaders seeking practical solutions to fundraising challenges, this episode serves as both inspiration and a blueprint for achieving ambitious goals. The success story of CEF of Dallas underscores the importance of embracing effective strategies, engaging volunteers, and maintaining unwavering commitment to one's mission.

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For more information about CEF of Dallas and their initiatives, visit cefdallas.org.

Transcript

[Jason Galasinski]

You're listening to the number one podcast for nonprofit leaders getting your nonprofit fully funded. This is the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast.

[Warren Bird]

I'm a baby boomer. Every generation since then, fewer and fewer people are believers. Like, they believe in the Bible, they believe in Jesus. What we're finding now is we'll go into daycares or community centers ourselves at Christmas time or Easter, we'll share the gospel. Here's what Christmas is really about. It's not about presents and or Easter. It's not the Easter bunny. It's, you know, it's about Jesus sacrificing his life. And so we'll go in and there's actually children who've never heard the name of Jesus.

[Jim Dempsey]

Wow.

[Warren Bird]

Because their parents are nuns, which they're not anti anything. They just have no religion. And so last year, we reached almost 6,000 children with the gospel. And that's just a drop in the water.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

A million students is what you said.

[Warren Bird]

So 5% of a million is a lot more than 6,000 kids. To get there, we're going to have lots more volunteers. And that's why we can't just rest on. Okay, we made 100,000 this year. It needs to be way more than that.

[Jason Galasinski]

Well, welcome back to another episode here at the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast. We're so excited to have you join us today. My name is Jason Galasinski, and with me, my co host, Jim Dempsey.

[Jim Dempsey]

Hey, Jason.

[Jason Galasinski]

Jim. How are you doing on this beautiful April day today?

[Jim Dempsey]

I am. It's beautiful. I love April. We're really starting to hit into the spring. Of course, in Florida, it seems like it's always summer or spring, but it's especially beautiful this April, for sure.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah. Well, we've got a special episode lined up for you guys today. We're in the smack dab middle of a series called the $10 million story. And what we thought we would do is just take some time to pause and reflect back on 2024. As you know, we've been talking. We had about a hundred organizations. Just a little bit over a hundred organizations go through the Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program. And once all the results of all the dinners came through, we added up and it totaled up to about $10 million.

[Jim Dempsey]

That's 10 million going to the kingdom.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

And. And what we're doing is right now we're focusing in on the five best stories of 2024. And we are currently in episode number three. So I'm excited about that.

[Jason Galasinski]

So in the first episode, we interviewed John with the Niagara Gospel Mission. The second one we had Chris Iasco come on from Young Life. So if you haven't seen those yet, definitely check them out. But we've got a special guest today from cef. Now, CEF stands for Child Evangelism Fellowship. And this organization has actually been around a very, very long time. Yes. And so I'm really excited to introduce the guest and bring him on in just a second. But before we do, why don't we just turn our attention to this quick 3 minute video so we can learn a little bit more about what Child Evangelism Fellowship actually is.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to it.

[John]

This is John. He's 21. He's never met Jesus. It's possible he never will. He's already formed his beliefs. His heart is hard. He no longer believes God is good. He's not alone. You can share the gospel with them, and you should. But according to George Barna, what you believe by the time you were 13 is what you will die believing. After the age of 19, someone's probability of accepting Christ drops to just 6%, leaving John on a path to a Christless eternity. How do you change his future? Let's go back in time to when John was a child. He never went to church. His mom doesn't trust them. So let's find his public school and establish a Bible club down the hall. There, someone introduces him to Jesus who takes his life in a new direction. John's so excited, he tells his friends one of them comes to Christ. His mother sees the change in his life. When he asks to go to church, she comes too. And she comes to Christ. And it all began in a public school, Good News Club. But where did that club come from? Let's go back in time again. This is Jane's second year with Child Evangelism Fellowship. CEF trained her, created the materials to equip her and her team as they teach and helps her raise support to work with children full time. Jane is not alone. Her church partners with CEF to host and staff Good News Clubs and two other schools. And around the world, hundreds of thousands of Christians do the same, evangelizing children, discipling them and establishing them in local churches. As God transforms children's lives in Asia, Africa, the Middle east and around the world, making the appointments and adjustments to bring the right person into the right life at the right time. Some he calls his children, some as adults. But for each, he changes the line of their lives forever threading them into a beautiful tapestry. This is his work, but he invites us to be his agents, to join him in taking the gospel to every child, every nation, every day. Because today is someone's future, and this is. Is how you change the future.

[Jim Dempsey]

I always love that. I've been a big fan of child Evangelism Fellowship for a long time, and that video in particular always inspires me. So I appreciate that.

[Jason Galasinski]

Well, let's introduce our special guest today. We have Warren Bird. He is from CEF of Dallas, Texas. And, Warren, thank you for joining us today.

[Warren Bird]

Thank you for inviting me. I'm super excited.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah, we're glad to have you.

[Jason Galasinski]

So you took the Perfect Vision Dinner course in the fall, or actually, you started in the spring of 2024, but really worked towards having a dinner in the fall. And give us kind of an idea of kind of what you were doing before you were introduced to the Perfect Vision Dinner.

[Warren Bird]

Well, we had. We had attempted to host a dinner a couple of years before, and we didn't have that much knowledge and how to host or run a fundraising dinner. And it, you know, it brought in rough $35,000, and it's like, ugh. We put a lot of effort into this, and, you know, this is my opinion, we put a lot of effort into this, and the results weren't all that great. What else can we do?

[Jim Dempsey]

Sure. Right.

[Warren Bird]

And so when we found out about the Vision Dinner course through, you know, fundraising masterminds, like, oh, you know, the more we looked into it, it's like, well, gosh, how could you? I mean, it was almost like, how could you go wrong if you follow the steps? Sure. We were dumb enough to do whatever you guys told us to do. That's great. And that's pretty much the testimony is that we just did what they told us and it worked.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

That's great.

[Jason Galasinski]

How much did you guys end up coming in at? Do you remember?

[Warren Bird]

I think our. Our total was 102. I don't remember the exact numbers. Like, 102,000.

[Jason Galasinski]

It was something around there.

[Warren Bird]

So, like, we made three times what we. Our previous dinner had brought in.

[Jason Galasinski]

Well, so you could definitely say we helped you get to that $100,000 mark.

[Warren Bird]

Oh, my gosh. Yes. And that's just, you know, that's just one year. We realize that every year as we get more proficient at this. And also, our volunteers, our table hosts, they understand more what's. We look forward to bringing in a whole lot more for the kingdom, as you were talking about.

[Jim Dempsey]

Well, the first year is like taking a sip of water from a fire.

[Warren Bird]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

And so afterwards, it gets easier and easier. Okay, we know what the model looks like. We know it's supposed to be. Gets easier, so. Well, let's take a step backwards, though, and would love to find out, Warren, about your story, what got you to CEF and going into ministry like this. And then maybe we'll get you to Dallas or. Or I guess you were in Dallas and got connected. But tell us your story.

[Warren Bird]

Well, I grew up in Florida, and my. My dad got a job in Texas when I was a teenager, so we moved to Texas, and so. But I grew up in a home that did not acknowledge God. And I got more and more bitter about life as a teenager and college student. So I. I thought of my. I don't. I didn't understand that at the time, but it was almost kind of like, you know, Paul before he was. He was converted by Jesus, where I was trying to talk my friends out of their faith in Christ.

[Jim Dempsey]

Sure.

[Warren Bird]

And then. But more and more people kept coming to me and sharing their faith, and it's like, oh, this is starting to make sense. And then I met my wife quite by accident. I thought. I didn't know that was God ordained, but she said, well, you can't see me any. You can't see me at all unless you go to church with me, because I want to know where your heart is.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

So I started going to church and the pastor started making sense. It's like, oh, my gosh. And so I. I trusted in Jesus.

[Jim Dempsey]

Sure.

[Jason Galasinski]

And, you know, I mean, Christianity makes sense.

[Warren Bird]

It makes sense, you know, logical. I was. I was a science major in colle. I was totally absolved, involved in evolution and all this other stuff. And then, you know, I realized I've got to figure this out, because if one little spot or tittle or whatever the terms are in the Bible is incorrect, the whole thing is a wash for me. And so I did all this research, you know, and I've like, you know, the Lee Strobel story did all this research. It's like, oh, my gosh, it all makes sense even more. Right. And so I trusted in Christ and went after it. And then after we got married, we lived in the Houston area and at the church we were in, I started getting involved in the children's ministry, loved working with the kids. I was already working in a career where I was already serving families and the career that I was in. And then we moved from the Houston area up to the Dallas area. And the church we were in there also got involved in the children's ministry and then child evangelism fellowship. The main thing they do is they train believers how to share the gospel with children and use, if they want to, they can use the curriculum and other tools that CEF provides. And so one of the things they do is they train teenagers how to share their faith in Jesus.

[Jim Dempsey]

Sure.

[Warren Bird]

And basically, and I understand that that doesn't happen with a lot of churches. They're not really training people how to share their faith. And so my oldest daughter, who's now in her 30s, and she, she went to this training and she came to me and says, you know, and part of the thing was they were. Then they had to go practice what they learned, and they had to go out to daycares and children's after school programs, you know, community centers, and they had to share their faith and kids about Jesus and. Dad, I need a ride.

[Jim Dempsey]

Wow.

[Warren Bird]

And then our church, who was already doing an after school Bible club using CE of curriculum, it's called a good news club, they decided to. The leaders decided to also do a Saturday morning apartment ministry. Okay, so, dad, I need a ride to the apartment. I was too busy because I was working. Right, sure. So I go to the apartment, and next thing you know, I'm teaching what they have this mission story, and then I'm teaching the kids how to memorize scripture. I got hooked.

[Jim Dempsey]

So they start reeling.

[Warren Bird]

They reeled me in. And so I've been a volunteer through CEF, through our church. Church for over 20 years now. And then I retired from my job almost. Well, eight years ago. Eight years ago.

[Jim Dempsey]

Okay.

[Warren Bird]

And within a couple weeks after I retired, I got a call to come work for cef. I asked him, I didn't know CF had jobs. And they said, yeah, we need people to go do training and things like that. And that's how I got involved with cef.

[Jim Dempsey]

Oh, man. Right. Right up your alley. That's great.

[Jason Galasinski]

I love it. Yeah, that's great. Yeah. And my kids have actually gotten involved with CEF as well. That's how we got connected with CEF is mostly through my children, you know, getting the training, you know, so one of the things that I about CEF is, you know, you're. You're going into the schools and you're sharing the gospel, and. But it's not just you sharing the gospel, it's the peers that are sharing the gospel. So you're, you're training other peers how to share the gospel with their peers, you know, in after school programs or summer clubs and stuff like that. And, And So my kids were kind of a product of getting that training, and it really helped them to understand, you know, how to share the gospel, because to us, it's just. We know what it is and we know how to say it. But for them, you know, they really enjoyed having, like, a structured kind of understanding. And CEF is really, really great at, you know, explaining how to teach it.

[Warren Bird]

And we're finding that, at least I am, because I'm. I'm. You know, before I started working as CEO, I really know anything about ministry. I had no idea how churches operated because, you know, our church is very small and there's no paid staff, and that kind of. And so, like, I did not really. I was not confident in sharing the gospel until I started working for cef.

[Jim Dempsey]

Wow.

[Warren Bird]

My own children came to Christ by being led by somebody else, you know. You know, that told them about Jesus and drew them into relationship with Christ. And so. But ces, there's three things that ces, their purpose is, and that is to basically, you know, reach children with the gospel of Jesus, to disciple them in the word of God and just the word of God, and then also to establish them in a local fellowship or a local church. And one of the. It's not in writing, but the other thing we teach the children to do, after they trust in Christ, after. And then they're being discipled. We also train the children how to go share their faith. And so I can't go into a public school, whether the elementary, junior, senior high. I can't go in during school time and share my faith with Jesus and Jesus with the children or the teens, but those teens and those children can.

[Jim Dempsey]

Sure.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah. That makes so much sense.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah. And today, you know, with just the way that the culture has gone, you know, it seems like we're. We're, you know, families have fallen apart. In a lot of cases, their divorce rate is skyrocketed. People aren't going to church like they used to. And so I. Kids are just growing up. Not. It's not. It's not even that they've chosen to not follow Christ. It's like they don't even know about it. Yeah. You know, so it feels like CEF is needed now more than ever.

[Warren Bird]

Yeah.

[Jason Galasinski]

It's almost like the fields are ripe for the harvest.

[Warren Bird]

Amen. You know, Luke 10:2.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

Yeah. The research shows that, you know, every generation from, like, I'm a baby boomer, every generation since then, fewer and fewer people are believers, like, and they believe in the Bible, they believe in Jesus and what we're finding now, and it's part of our ministry in Dallas and other. Other. Other chapters of cef, because they're all over the world.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yep.

[Warren Bird]

Is we'll go into daycares or community centers ourselves and we'll share, like, at Christmas time or Easter, we'll share the Gospel. And here's what Christmas is really about. It's. It's, you know, not about presents or Easter. It's not the Easter Bunny. It's. It's about Jesus, you know, sacrificing his life to take on the sins of the world and then coming alive again. Three days anyway. And so we'll go in, and there's actually children who've never heard the name of Jesus.

[Jason Galasinski]

Wow.

[Warren Bird]

Because their parents are nuns, which they're not anti anything. They just have no religion.

[Jim Dempsey]

Right, right.

[Warren Bird]

So they're not teaching their kids anything.

[Jim Dempsey]

They're not talking about Jesus on a daily basis. I mean, he's. Yeah. Just a character. Well, let me ask you. Certainly in ministry, you are called at times to have to raise money. Before you met fundraising mastermind and got involved, what was your experience with having to fundraise? I mean, was that a. Was something you look forward to? Something that was a necessary evil? Something that you dreaded? What. How did you feel about it?

[Warren Bird]

I would equate fundraising, and I'm being very, very frank about it. I would equate fundraising in any. Any endeavor. Kind of. Probably like, I've never had one, but probably like getting a tooth pulled.

[Jim Dempsey]

Right?

[Jason Galasinski]

Sure.

[Jim Dempsey]

Absol. Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

You know, but. But, you know, it's kind of like I talked about how I wasn't comfortable sharing the gospel. Well, I learned how to do that. Now, you know, I'll talk to anybody about Jesus and the way that you guys put together. Sorry, I'm not from Texas, but the way that y'all put this. This training together is like, oh, my gosh, this makes so much sense. There's. There's no. We can do this.

[Jim Dempsey]

I love it.

[Warren Bird]

You know, and so that's what's so exciting about this vision dinner, because we talk to people on our. On our local committee and. And other folks that support the local chapter of CEF or other chapters of cef. And, like, we're putting together a vision dinner, like, oh, yeah, right. And then they see how. What the quality of us. Like, oh, my gosh, we want to be part of this.

[Jim Dempsey]

That's so neat.

[Jason Galasinski]

Isn't it interesting how, like, when things are done well. Oh, right. And the vision is cast. I Mean, CEF has a huge vision, right, to reach children for Christ. I mean, it's like, it's a needed thing, it's practical, it's doable. You know, like, you just need to activate people and get them excited. So, I mean, the vision dinner really helps present, you know, what's the problem? What's the solution? What are we going to do about it? And if you do it in a compelling way, it motivates people to want to get involved because people are looking for something, you know, to fix the world. And when CEF comes along and says, hey, we've got the solution, you know, and this is what we're going to do. But you're doing it in a compelling way, not in a boring church basement, stuffy nosed kind of way. You know, you're doing it in a very lively, energetic way. Then it really motivates people and people jump in and they, they get on board.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah, yeah. Well, if, you know, of course, it may have been you or may have been somebody else, but how did you get connected with fundraising masterminds? What was the connection?

[Warren Bird]

I'm not sure who actually found it first.

[Jim Dempsey]

Okay.

[Warren Bird]

I just know that at a, at a staff meeting, it was like, you know, the, the chapter director, Brian said, okay, we're going to do this.

[Jim Dempsey]

Okay, okay.

[Warren Bird]

I've already agreed what all, whatever I've got to sign in blood, I've already done. There was no signing, but at least.

[Jim Dempsey]

That you wanted to share.

[Jason Galasinski]

I remember.

[Jim Dempsey]

You didn't see that.

[Jason Galasinski]

I remember talking to Brian. I had that first call with him and he was like, he was just so logical about it. You know, I shared with him, you know, what the program is. It's 21 weeks. We mentor you through. I kind of walked him through the process and I said, our goal is to help you raise a hundred thousand. He was like, well, heck, if you want to raise a hundred thousand, if you're going to show me how to raise a hundred thousand, like, I'm all in, let's go. You know, and he's like, if this, if you guys are really who you say you are, and you, you can walk us through the recipe, like, let's do it. Yeah. He just jumped right in and, well, here's the thing.

[Warren Bird]

Our worldwide president has a goal of reaching roughly 5% of all the children in the world.

[Jim Dempsey]

Okay.

[Warren Bird]

So if we go down to our Dallas chapter, which is five counties, there's roughly a million children. That's a lot of children. If you just take 5%, that's a lot of children that we are burdened. We're talking about the word burden to reach with the gospel. And that's going to need a whole lot more infrastructure than we have now. And you know, that infrastructure is going to be, need to be supported. So we need supporters for that. And years ago, many decades ago, I had my wife and I had our own business and the one thing we did, we, we were told if you plug into our system of success, we can't give you 100 guarantee, but we can tell you it's going to work. And it was about being trained, changing the way you think, and then being active in that business and even, yeah, we were very successful at it. Within a year, my wife was able to retire from her job and I was looking at retiring from mine. Things happened and we ended up having to say, oh, we had to walk away from it because we found out there were some immoral things going on. But it also changed the way it helped me change my thinking is it had made me a better person, a better father, you know, more active in church because. And also I was also doing better because I also still had a regular full time job. I got way better at my job from all of the leadership and management training that I was taking. Well, that's what you guys have done when it comes to support raising because, you know, it's like the saying about, you know, rising tide affects all SIPs. Well, yeah, every one of us that was involved in this vision dinner was affected in a positive way from it.

[Jim Dempsey]

Wow.

[Warren Bird]

Because it makes us more open to. Okay, well, if I can talk to somebody about coming to our vision dinner, what else can I do when it comes to support raising?

[Jim Dempsey]

Absolutely.

[Jason Galasinski]

And Warren, you may not have realized this, but you guys are actually part of a guinea pig test trial.

[Warren Bird]

Why am I not surprised?

[Jason Galasinski]

Not that we were testing the concepts on you, but we had actually were working behind the scenes to try to get a partnership with CEF usa. And we had talked to Jeff, who's the VP of CEF and he said, why don't you try it on a few CEFs and then let us know how it goes, you know, because everyone thinks, well, it works for pregnancy centers and it works for this and it works for that, but it's not going to work for cef. And I'm like, well, it will. But you know, I did. We didn't have any like real data to prove it, you know, so we did some digging and we tried to, you know, we had about five or six CEF chapters go through the program last year, and they all did well. And so, you know, I came back to Jeff with the data, you know, and he's like, all right, let's go. And, you know, the exciting part is Jeff and I were dreaming about what would it be like if cef, if every single CEF chapter in America, and there's hundreds of them, what would it be like if they all raised 100,000? What would that do to the face of CEF as a whole?

[Jim Dempsey]

That's your.

[Jason Galasinski]

That got Jeff pretty excited.

[Warren Bird]

It would revolutionize the Ministry of cef.

[Jason Galasinski]

So that's really our goal. With the partnership with CEF headquarters, Jeff Nichols has officially partnered with us, and they're working with us. We've customized the program now, so we've got some CEF templates in there, so we have regular templates, but we've made it even easier by just saying, if you're a CEF chapter, it's all branded, ready to go. And so it's even easier for them. But if you're listening to this and you're. You're thinking, man, I'm a CEF chapter. I think I could do this. It doesn't matter if you've, you know, if you're currently raising 5,000. I mean, we had a CEF chapter that was, like, at zero, you know, and they came in at over a hundred thousand, you know, so it doesn't really matter, you know, what you've done in the past or what. You know, all that matters is that you put some effort in and you commit to the process, because it really is the process, you know, of trusting the process, trusting the recipe, and. And letting us help you. You know, so many people, they want us to help them, but they don't really want to. Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

Or they want to pick and choose what they want to use.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

It's like, for cef, it doesn't matter how large your chapter is. If it's, you know, from a small town or, like in Dallas, a big city or Houston, you know, you're going to do better, you know, exponentially better than where you were before.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

In fact, after I went through some of the training, I met Jeff at a conference in April. And afterwards, you know, Jeff's very open, says, hey, you know, you want to talk, you have anything you want to, you know, you know, send to me or whatever. We'd love, love ideas and stuff like that. One of them, I. I think one of them was, hey, you should check out this, you know, fundraising masterminds group, because they have A really great system when it comes to raising funds as support. And that was one thing that I've noticed across the nation is that, you know, CEF is an awesome ministry, but they didn't have like a, you know, kind of like a fill in the blank way to raise support for your state or local chapter.

[Jim Dempsey]

Right, right.

[Warren Bird]

And now, you know, Jeff and his team have bought onto that, so that's exciting.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Jason Galasinski]

Well, Warren, just so for the folks who maybe don't know what the Perfect Vision Inner is, how would you describe the Perfect Vision Inner mentorship program to a CEF chapter that's listening right now?

[Warren Bird]

How would I describe it? It's. They get, you know, there's a, it's a huge enchilada Texas phrase. Sorry, sorry.

[Jim Dempsey]

That's okay.

[Warren Bird]

But you take it by little bites. So you, it's. You. You're never really going to be overwhelmed by it. There's a lot, but it's, it's spread out over several months. And you know, Jim and Jason are awesome at meeting once a week. There's other times if you want to do it specifically, you can meet with Jim or Jason about specific questions. They have tasks that they have set up for you to accomplish every week, and if you do all those, you'll be ready to go on whatever date that you set for your Vision dinner.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

You know, I can't give you 100% guarantee, but. But it's a pretty sure fire guarantee you're gonna be ready to go.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah. I always like to say we, we like to plan and execute a Perfect vision dinner in 21 weeks with the goal of getting a hundred thousand dollars or more. That's really kind of what it boils down to. Right. And it doesn't matter where you're from, what you've done before. You know, if you're a CEF chapter or you're a different organization listening to this and you're thinking, wow, I'd like to try that. The Perfect Vision dinner is definitely going to help you get there, you know, and we are actually two weeks away, Jim, from enrollment closing. So if you're listening to this and you're like, I think I'd like to check that out. Well, you got to get your application in in the next two weeks.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Jason Galasinski]

Or the doors are going to close and you have to wait another six months to get.

[Jim Dempsey]

And don't wait on it because our classes always fill up quickly.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

So.

[Jason Galasinski]

So we've already got a number of applications in and we're reviewing those. We're very selective about who we want in there because we really want to make sure that you're serious. So if you scan the QR code on the screen, it'll take you to a page where you can check out more information about it. And then there's an application you fill out. It's. It's free to apply, but once you apply, then our team will get in touch with you and we'll have a call where we just want to get to know you and learn about your organization and see if it's going to be a good fit. And then if we're good, then you can get on board and. And get into the training. Uh, so definitely don't wait to do that. You've got two weeks until enrollment closes, so jump on that right now.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Jason Galasinski]

Uh, so Warren, I remember, you know, having that call with. With Brian, and I believe that the way that he kind of approached you guys is. It wasn't really a question. He kind of came to you guys and said, we're doing this. I paid for it. Um, and then you guys kind of went through the training.

[Warren Bird]

Right.

[Jason Galasinski]

Um, and you kind of described, you know, the training kind of walked you through the process. Now that you're on the other side, you know. Well, actually, before you get there, could you describe, like, what the event was like, how. How did guests feel when they went to the event, What. What did the event do, what it.

[Jim Dempsey]

Was intended, Positive feedback, all those things.

[Warren Bird]

Yeah, that was. Excuse me. That's the other thing about the event. It was. It was very upscale without an upscale. I love the way how you guys were able to make it look really good without, you know, exorbitant costs associated with making great. And the schedule was, you know, there's no gaps. There's. There's, you know, it's kind of like you're running a theater production or something. There's no breaks, and there is scripted, so there weren't any, like, awkward gaps or anything. Right. And we, we. We reached our, our goal. We. We'd made over a hundred thousand dollars. And, you know, we went into that and was wondering, how is this going to do? Because we didn't do that. Great. But we have a lot more people here than last time, you know, at the table, and we, we, the table hosts, have bought in to our vision for what we wanted to accomplish, and we were able to. We've already started The, The. The vision that we had was to be more involved in Dallas itself.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

And to have more CEF staff involved in working in The Dallas, the city of Dallas, the Dallas school district itself. And so we're in the process right now of hiring two people to do that. So then we come back to the vision Dinner, you know, next fall, we can say, well, here's what we did with what happened.

[Jim Dempsey]

Here's the people you can even show.

[Warren Bird]

Here's what we're going to do with the next round.

[Jim Dempsey]

I love that. I love that.

[Warren Bird]

Yeah.

[Jason Galasinski]

So give us some. Give us an idea of kind of what some of the things are that you guys are planning to do now that you've raised your goal. What were. What were the accelerators that you were kind of pitching?

[Warren Bird]

Well, the. The basic accelerators where we needed more staff. I mean, we have an awesome team in the Dallas chapter, but, you know, to ask them to do any more, we just didn't have enough people. And so we needed more support to hire more people to specifically target the Dallas area, Dallas school district. And that's what we're doing right now is we are in the process of hiring those two people. One would be an overall area coordinator, and the other one would be more of a youth. Youth coordinator, because we want to get teenagers more involved in the gospel.

[Jason Galasinski]

And what would you say is your. Your big, huge vision for Dallas?

[Warren Bird]

Oh, my gosh. Well, this year. I'm sorry, last year, we reached almost 6,000 children with the gospel.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah.

[Warren Bird]

And that's just a drop in the water.

[Jason Galasinski]

Oh, yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

A million students is what you said. So.

[Warren Bird]

Yeah.

[Jim Dempsey]

Wow.

[Warren Bird]

And so my, my Aggie math is Right. You know, 5% of a million is a lot more than 6,000 kids.

[Jason Galasinski]

Right.

[Warren Bird]

And so, so. But, you know, to get there, that, that 50,000 or whatever, how many children it is, we're going to have a much larger infrastructure, lots more volunteers, and that's why we can't just rest on. Okay, we made 100,000 this year. It needs to be way more than that.

[Jim Dempsey]

Absolutely.

[Warren Bird]

It's not, because that's what we want to do. We're following, you know, the Lord Jesus told us, you know, that we are to go out. Not just, you know, in Jerusalem we're to go out, but we're going to focus on our Jerusalem, and that is Dallas.

[Jason Galasinski]

Well, you guys are in the winner's circle now because you hit that goal. You got your award and you got.

[Jim Dempsey]

The invitation from us and got the.

[Jason Galasinski]

Invitation to the winner circle. You accepted that. And so now you're in the. You're in the winter circle, and you're going to be learning about how to keep those new partners and how to build upon that base. And next year, we're going to be shooting for a $250,000 goal with your second dinner. And we're going to keep building and building and hopefully get to even, you know, half a million beyond, you know, in the next four years or so.

[Warren Bird]

And that's something else that y'all were saying in the training the for the first dinner we had is that the folks that will support us now, whether it be just a small amount or whatever, it typically increases.

[Jim Dempsey]

It does.

[Warren Bird]

When they see success coming from what they're doing.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah. Success breeds success.

[Warren Bird]

Yes.

[Jim Dempsey]

Everybody wants to be on the bandwagon. And when you start to get to be the winner, that's the. That's the neat part.

[Warren Bird]

Yeah, we're excited about that.

[Jim Dempsey]

Yeah, we are, too. For you, absolutely.

[Jason Galasinski]

Well, Warren, thank you for joining us today. It was great to hear your story, great to see all the amazing work that you guys are doing. And if you guys are listening to this again, we're two weeks away from the Perfect Vision Dinner mentorship program starting in May. So jump on it, scan the QR code, fill out the application, and let's get the ball rolling. We want to get you fully funded in the fall.

[Jim Dempsey]

And for, for us, you know, if you like this episode, like what you heard, hit the like button. Make sure that you comment. Let us know you may, you know, have been one to Christ yourself through child of angels and fellowship. Let us know down in the comment section. And please share this. If you're connected to CEF in some way, forward it to those people. Share this with your friends or other ministries that just need to raise money. Share this with them.

[Jason Galasinski]

Yep. But Warren, how can people learn more about CEF and specifically if they want to get in touch with you? What's the best way to get in touch with you?

[Warren Bird]

Well, they can go to our website, that is cefdallas.org and there's a way to contact us through the website. That's probably the easiest way to get to a cefdallas.org awesome.

[Jason Galasinski]

But next week we're going to be hearing from a Christian school. We're going to be bringing on a special guest for there, so you're not going to want to miss that. And thanks again for joining us us today. We'll see you next time. Take care.