95. Practical Tips for Mapping Out Your Nonprofit's Vision

Summary

The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast - Episode 95 Summary: "Practical Tips for Mapping Out Your Nonprofit's Vision"

Release Date: June 25, 2025

Introduction

In Episode 95 of The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast, hosts Jim Dempsey and Jason Galasinski delve into the essential strategies nonprofit leaders need to effectively map out their organization's vision. Tailored for leaders in various nonprofit sectors—including ministries, Christian schools, homeless shelters, and more—the episode offers actionable insights to help organizations transition from day-to-day survival to long-term, fully funded missions. This summary captures the key discussions, practical tips, and inspiring conclusions shared by the hosts.

Section 1: The Foundation of Prayer in Vision Mapping

Timestamp: 02:57 - 09:18

Starting with Prayer

Jim Dempsey (B) emphasizes the paramount importance of beginning the vision-mapping process with prayer. He states, “[Prayer] is the foundation for everything. God is the One who has given us our vision” (03:05). This spiritual grounding ensures that the organization remains aligned with divine direction, preventing deviations that can lead to mission drift.

Jason Galasinski (A) shares personal anecdotes illustrating how initial fervor in prayer can wane over time, leading to decreased dependence on divine guidance. “Sometimes we start with a burden and pray about it, but then we get into the daily grind and think, 'I got this,'” he explains (05:01). This shift can result in organizations veering off their intended path, as likened to a rocket missing its target (04:16).

Key Insights:

• Seek Divine Counsel: Regular prayer sessions help leaders reconnect with their foundational mission and avoid losing sight of their purpose.
• Maintain Spiritual Vigilance: Leaders must continuously prioritize prayer to sustain organizational momentum and divine alignment.

Notable Quote:

“We need to go back to prayer… Why am I doing this? What is God calling me here for?” — Jason Galasinski (06:19)

Section 2: The Importance of Specificity

Timestamp: 09:42 - 12:36

Being Specific in Vision Planning

Jim introduces the second practical tip: being specific. He criticizes the common broad and vague objectives often seen in nonprofit fundraising, such as “keep our doors open” or “survive another day” (10:45). Instead, he advocates for precise, measurable goals that provide clear direction and facilitate effective funding strategies.

Jason concurs, emphasizing the necessity of breaking down large visions into manageable, time-bound objectives. For instance, instead of aiming to “start 50 schools,” a nonprofit should set a goal to “start two schools in the next two years with an enrollment of 50 children each” (11:25).

Key Insights:

• SMART Goals: Utilize Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives to create actionable plans.
• Clarity for Stakeholders: Detailed goals enhance communication with partners and donors, increasing the likelihood of securing funds.

Notable Quote:

“If the size of your vision is not intimidating to you, then it’s probably an offense to God.” — Jason Galasinski, paraphrased (14:05)

Section 3: Dreaming Big

Timestamp: 12:54 - 15:16

Encouraging Ambitious Aspirations

The third tip revolves around the necessity of dreaming big. Jim addresses the common limitation of organizations thinking within restrictive boundaries, often due to a scarcity mentality. He contrasts this with an abundance mindset, which fosters expansive and inspiring goals that can energize both staff and donors.

Jason highlights the legacy of visionary leaders like Bill Bright, who epitomized grand dreaming. He suggests that audacious goals not only inspire teams but also resonate with donors, making fundraising efforts more effective.

Key Insights:

• Inspire and Motivate: Big dreams can drive organizational enthusiasm and commitment.
• Attract Donors: Ambitious visions are more likely to attract philanthropic support and sustained funding.

Notable Quote:

“We in CREW create these things called BHAGs—Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals,” — Jason Galasinski (14:31)

Section 4: Writing It Down and Executing the Vision

Timestamp: 15:16 - 17:05

Documenting and Implementing the Vision

The final tip underscores the importance of writing down the organization's vision. Jim cites research indicating that individuals who document their goals are 42% more likely to achieve them (15:24). This practice transforms abstract ideas into tangible plans and maintains focus over time.

Jason shares personal strategies for those who are more auditory or visual, such as recording voice memos that can later be transcribed and organized using technology like AI tools. He also suggests creating a "log line"—a concise, one-sentence summary of the organization's mission, similar to a movie plot summary (16:45).

Key Insights:

• Clarity and Focus: Written documentation helps in maintaining a clear and consistent vision.
• Visibility: Displaying the written vision prominently within the organization keeps goals front and center for all members.

Notable Quote:

“People who write down their goals are 42% more likely to accomplish their goal just because they wrote it down.” — Jim Dempsey (15:17)

Section 5: Practical Applications and Tools

Timestamp: 16:27 - 18:10

Implementing the Tips

Both hosts provide practical methods to integrate these tips into daily operations:

• Prayer Retreats: Taking time away to reconnect spiritually, as exemplified by an executive director who retreats to a cabin weekly for reflection and vision alignment (07:30).
• SMART Documentation: Developing specific, measurable plans with clear deadlines and resource allocations.
• Auditory Tools: Utilizing voice recordings and transcription services for those who process information better through listening.

Conclusion

In this episode, Jim Dempsey and Jason Galasinski present a comprehensive framework for nonprofit leaders to effectively map out and pursue their organization's vision. By starting with prayer, setting specific and measurable goals, dreaming ambitiously, and meticulously documenting and executing the vision, nonprofits can transition from immediate survival concerns to strategic, growth-oriented missions. This holistic approach not only fosters organizational resilience but also significantly enhances the capacity to attract and secure necessary funding for long-term success.

Final Thoughts:

“We should be the least fear-filled people on the face of the planet because God has told us, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I am with you. I am for you.” — Jason Galasinski (00:00)

This powerful affirmation encapsulates the essence of the episode, encouraging nonprofit leaders to embrace their missions with confidence and divine assurance.

Stay Connected

For more practical advice and in-depth discussions on nonprofit leadership and fundraising, subscribe to The Fundraising Masterminds Podcast and join hosts Jim Dempsey and Jason Galasinski in their quest to help organizations become fully funded and impactful.

Transcript

[A]

You're listening to the number one podcast for nonprofit leaders getting your nonprofit fully funded. This is the Fundraising Masterminds podcast. We should be the least fear filled people on the face of the planet because God has told us, I will never leave you. I will never forsake you. I am with you. I am for you. So if we really believe these things and we believe that God has called us to this mission, then what are we afraid of?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Let's just jump, you know, say, all right, God, I'm in. Let's go.

[B]

Right.

[A]

Let's get a big vision for what it is that God has called you.

[B]

To and let's accomplish it.

[A]

Welcome back to another episode here at the Fundraising Masterminds Podcast. My name is Jason Galasinski and with me, my co host, Jim Dempsey.

[B]

Hi, Jason.

[A]

And we've got another great episode lined up for you today. We're going to be talking about four practical tips for mapping out your organization's vision.

[B]

I like that.

[A]

Sounds good. And we love vision, right? We do, yeah.

[B]

Without vision, the people perish.

[A]

Yeah. So this is going to be a little bit of a learning cap. Put on your learning cap. You know, sometimes we got it. Sometimes we have some great stories, sometimes we have guests on. But today we're going to be diving into some practical tips.

[B]

I love it.

[A]

If you wouldn't mind subscribing to this podcast, we release weekly content for nonprofit leaders. So. So if you work in ministry, if you work for a Christian school or private school or camps or a homeless shelter or pregnancy centers or Young life or CEF or FCA or any of those organizations. Or crew. Or crew, yeah. This podcast is for you, basically, if you're involved in running a nonprofit, just in general, we exist to help you come up with a vision and then helping you figure out how to get that vision funded. That's what we mean by fully funded, you know, so it's not, you know, well, we're going to help you, you know, pay the bills or get the next month's rent in. It's where we're thinking bigger, long term picture. Right. What are you trying to do in the next five years?

[B]

So you're not just going to a board meeting every month saying, how are we going to make payroll next week? And you, you're not having to sweat the minor expenses that you might have.

[A]

Right. So if you've been listening to this podcast for a while, you would probably think the way that you map out a vision is by having a vision dinner. Right, Jason, Right. Well, we're going to go into a little bit more detail. We're actually going to start with four things, four practical tips. So here they are. And we're going to dive into each one of these in more detail. So number one, we believe that you should start with prayer, everything. Number two, we believe you should be specific. And number three, you need to dream big. And number four, you need to write it down and execute it.

[B]

Amen.

[A]

So let's start with prayer. Everything we do, we want to start with prayer. Now why is that, Jim?

[B]

Well, prayer is the foundation for everything. God is the One who has given us our vision. He's given our mission, our vision, our values. We've got to go to him and seek his advice, his counsel on direction. When we get out ahead of God, that's when mistakes start to happen. We aren't in line with his plans, his goals, his direction for us. We'll get off target. And it's, you know, if you, if you can imagine a rocket being sent off into space, facing the moon so that it lands on the moon and then starts to get off target little by little by little. After a while, you are so far away from the planet. It's exactly the same with God's vision and God's plan. If we aren't in sync with God's plan and what he intends for our organization, this is not our organization. We are stewards of this organization. It's God's organization and we are simply stewards. And we need to go to him to say, it's your organization, you need to fund it and you need to give us the direction and you need to give us the vision. And he will do that when you go to him. But if you try and do it in your own power, it's going to fail.

[A]

Yeah. You know, I have a many, many, I have many, many stories in my own life where the Lord has given me a vision for something usually comes through a burden that God gives you through with people or talking with your pastor or whatever. But in this case, you know, there, there's. I've started many organizations, so I've, I've started some businesses and I've started some non profits.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And you know, it usually starts with the burden.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And I usually do start by praying about that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then what happens is, you know, you get the thing started and there's momentum. And at least for me, I usually say, well, I got it from here, you know, I can, I can take it from here, Lord, you know, and I don't like, mentally. I don't, like, audibly say that.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But that's kind of like my attitude kind of just becomes less dependent on him. I'm not praying about things as much as I used to, and I just kind of get into the daily grind, and basically the attitude is, well, why? I don't need to pray about this. I got this. I know it needs to be done.

[B]

God's leading me. Yeah, I know that.

[A]

Right.

[B]

We get so focused.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

We put God in the back.

[A]

So it's a. It's a slow kind of veering, like.

[B]

What you were describing or whatever.

[A]

And, I mean, that's happened to me multiple times in my life, like, maybe major multiple times. And. And God usually slaps me on the side of the head with some major crisis, you know, that kind of brings me back to, like, oh, my goodness, you know, I need to pray about this.

[B]

Yeah, right, right, right.

[A]

We've drifted here, you know.

[B]

Exactly.

[A]

And so I think it's really important that you start with prayer. Absolutely. Especially if you feel like things are getting kind of stagnant in your organization. You feel like, you know, you're just going to work and you're just. You don't know why you're there, and you. You just feel like, oh, man, I just got email after. Really want to be here. And you're just starting to lose the energy and the excitement of being in ministry and working for the king of kings.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, it's. You need to go back to prayer. You need to go back to, why am I doing this? What is God calling me here for?

[B]

Right.

[A]

Why has God put me here? Why am I on this earth right now at this particular time? You know, what is God calling me to do at this organization? You know, and everyone. Everyone can play a part. You know, it doesn't matter if you're the. The executive director or whether you're the janitor.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, everyone is working for your organization and can play a part in, you know, glorifying God and bringing him, you know, helping to move the ministry forward.

[B]

Right. Absolutely.

[A]

Some key verses here that are my personal favorites is Matthew 6:33.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Which is, seek first the kingdom, and his righteousness, and everything else will be added unto you. So that's a scripture that I keep going back to is, am I putting God first in everything?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, if I'm not, then chances are I'm probably needing to go back to prayer. And.

[B]

Well, I would say for me, Proverbs 3, 5, and 6, trust in the Lord, with all your heart and lean not on your understanding, your own understanding. That is such an important verse that we've got to put the Lord first in everything. And when he starts to fade to second or third in our life, all things start to come apart.

[A]

You know, there's a guy we were working with a couple years ago who we helped start their radio drama ministry, and he's the executive director, but he also does writing.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And one of the things that he does on an annual basis just to kind of reconnect with why he's doing what he's doing, is he goes to a special cabin and he just kind of locks himself in a room for like a week, you know, and, and he spends that time, you know, praying, seeking the Lord and getting some fresh ideas and writing and just whatever. He just really tries to connect with what is God putting on my heart to, to write about.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, and I think that's so important.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So tip number one, if you're feeling like you need to have some fresh vision in your organization, find a quiet spot, you know, get alone with the Lord, maybe even, you know, fast for a day or so, and, you know, get serious, get on your kn and, and just say, lord, what. What do you have for me here? What do you want from me?

[B]

Yeah, go to the one who creates the vision.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And just open up the word. Spend some time really digging in. And, and don't just do it as like a, a 10 minute ritual, but really, really get serious about trying to hear. And.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, and don't, don't just speak.

[B]

Do a lot of listening.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And, and be there. Because we, we can sometimes get into her prayer habit and it's just me saying, God, give me this, give me this, give me this, give me this.

[A]

Right.

[B]

When we just need to shut down and start to listen to him.

[A]

One of the best things that someone told me once was, you know, get along with the Lord and you know, get, get the word open or whatever and, and open up the word and meditate on it and do all the normal stuff, but then open up your journal and just sit and be quiet.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know, let, let the Lord speak to you. Write down what he's telling you and meditate on it and you know, then listen to some more and, and certainly we could all do more of that. You know, I'm not, I'm not perfect at it, and I know you're not. For sure.

[B]

No, for sure not. That's. Yeah, you know me well enough. Yeah.

[A]

So that's tip number one. And, and Jim, what would be the second tip?

[B]

Well, the second tip, and it really is an important tip. I mean, I wouldn't, I wouldn't be saying it if it wasn't an important tip. But that in my mind, that second tip can be extremely important. And you know, a lot of times, you know, people, they get off the mark and they even forget what their tips are sometimes. But from my standpoint, that second tip is, is be specific. I people, it just frustrates me when I talk to people who are in development and fundraising and every one of their needs is so broad and so general. You know, we need to keep our doors open. We need to survive another day. We need to try and pay rents in February. It's just so important to be specific and, and make sure, in addition to specific, the partner, the hand, the glove was specific. Is be measurable as well, too.

[A]

So we work with an organization that, you know, works with children. You work at an organization that works with youth.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And the founders had huge, massive goals like reaching every child in every nation every day with the gospel.

[B]

But even they had to break it up into specifics.

[A]

Yeah. And, and my point is it's not, it's okay to have a big vision like that. You know, maybe you want to start a Christian school in, you know, the whole Chicagoland area and you have a vision to start 50 schools. That's okay. You know, but what we're saying is when it comes down to having a vision mapped out for the next three to five years, you've got to get specific.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So in the next three to five years, funded. Yeah. And it needs to look like in the next three to five years we're going to start two schools in this specific region of the Chicagoland area with a goal of having 50 kids per school enrolled in the next year or two, you know, and, and getting, giving.

[B]

Some bite size chunks. Yeah.

[A]

Right. So being able to break that down and when you're, when you're presenting your vision to major partners or at a vision dinner, you've got it like really specific, you know, like we are, we want to plant 100 schools in the Chicagoland area, but we're gonna, in the next two or three years, we're gonna plant two.

[B]

Yeah. You know, we're gonna, we're gonna one in West Chicago.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Whatever.

[A]

And, and it's gonna cost this much.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And we need your help.

[B]

Right.

[A]

You know. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you know, we're gonna do it by next year at this time.

[B]

And it costs 25,000 to open up a campus.

[A]

So being specific is really important. So it's important that you use numbers, it's important that you use dates. It's, it's important that you have specific, measurable, obtainable, realistic, time sensitive goals. Yeah, those like smart goals and phrase.

[B]

That I like is that some is not a number and soon is not a time. And I think that really resonates because it just shows that something that's vague doesn't work.

[A]

Yeah. So Jim, let's talk about the third tip for mapping out your nonprofit's vision.

[B]

The third tip is to dream big. And I can't tell you how often I see organizations who are thinking small thinking in the box. If you don't have a board member, you don't have an executive director, you don't have a leader who is thinking big. I worked for the consummate big dreamer, who was Bill Bright. No one that I ever knew dreamed bigger or had a bigger vision for the future. And it's so important because those big dreams are going to excite the staff and they're going to excite our donors. And it's so important that we are looking into the future and thinking about those specific programs, projects that resonate with people. Unfortunately, the scarcity mentality will get us thinking small, it'll get us thinking little, It'll be thinking get us thinking on the cheap when we think with the abundance mindset. The abundance mentality, that's going to get us thinking big.

[A]

Yeah. And just some practical little tips here. Challenge yourself and your team to think beyond what you believe is obtainable.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

Someone once said, if the size of your vision is not intimidating to you, then it's probably an offense to God.

[B]

Oh wow. I love that. That is great.

[A]

Because that means you're not trusting him, right?

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah. We in crew, we create these things called bhags and I'm sure other organizations because we got it from a book. But it's a big, hairy, audacious goal.

[A]

So it's important that you know your calling, know why God has called you to this.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

And then you know, if God is with you, who is against you?

[B]

Right.

[A]

I mean like we should be the least fear filled people on the face of the planet because God has told us, I will never leave you, I will never forsake you. I am with you, I am for you. You know, so if we really believe these things and we believe that God has called us to this mission, then what are we afraid of?

[B]

That's right.

[A]

Let's just jump.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

You know, say, all right, God, I'm in. Let's go. Right. You know, let's. You know, why else are you here on this earth? Let's get a big vision for what it is that God has called you to, and let's accomplish it.

[B]

Yeah, exactly. Yep.

[A]

I love it. So after you've prayed about it, you've dreamed big, you've gotten specific.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

Then the fourth thing we would recommend is that you write it down.

[B]

Absolutely.

[A]

Jim, did you know this?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

People who write down their goals are 42% more likely to accomplish their goal just because they wrote it down.

[B]

Yeah, I did know that. It's always fascinating. Yeah. That's one of the things. My wife and I, we head out to Starbucks or some coffee place a few days after the new year and start to write our goals for the year and write them down. When they're right there in front of you, it makes a big difference.

[A]

One thing that really helps me, because I'm kind of an audible learner. I'm not really a writer.

[B]

I'm an auditory.

[A]

Yeah. One thing that I like to do is I like to record voice messages, and I just go, like, walking around the neighborhood. My neighbors probably think I'm crazy, but, you know, I just go outside and I just start spewing out all these ideas. And, you know, back in the day, I. You know, if I wanted to, like, try to make sense of some of that, I'd have to listen to it. But the cool thing about AI and all the technology that exists now is I can, like, get my recording transcribed.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Through a free transcription service. And I can just feed that into Chat gbt and say, give me an outline of everything that I said, because I have no idea what I just said. But it was pretty. I thought it was pretty good.

[B]

Right.

[A]

I would be like, here's what you said. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And I'm like, oh, that's nice. That's almost like I knew what I was talking about. Right.

[B]

I love that. That is great.

[A]

So, you know, some people like to write things down. Some people like to, you know, speak it out.

[B]

Right.

[A]

But whatever you got to do to kind of get it off your chest and, you know, make it real, it organizes it.

[B]

If you've got a sequential brain, it's organizing it in your brain. I just. Yeah, it's such a great way to do that.

[A]

Yeah. So some practical tips for this. Some of my boys are really into movies and filmmaking, and one of the things that they always do when they're making a film is they create a log line. And a log line is essentially one sentence. Not two or three or four paragraph, but one sentence that basically says the entire plot of the whole movie.

[B]

Wow. Got one for you. The Matrix. A computer hacker discovers the truth about his reality and his role in. In a war against its controllers. Yeah, that's powerful.

[A]

Yeah. So I guess what we're trying to say here with the log lines is that it's important to have something written down about what you are trying to accomplish. Right. You can't film a movie without having a log line. It's like the first thing that they ask you to say is like, what's the log line? What's your budget? It's just like, what's this thing about? So when you're trying to map out a vision for your organization, try to create a log line. What are you trying to do in the next five years? You know, I'm trying to start three pregnancy centers in the Chicagoland area to save a hundred thousand babies from getting an abortion. You know, just be specific and practical. Write it out in a clear, concise way and make it visible. Once you have it written down, you know, and you, you have that vision made, then print it out, make a poster, put it on your wall, you know, keep it in front of you. Because so often we forget.

[B]

Absolutely. Yeah.

[A]

Well, Jim, this was a great episode and I hope that you found this helpful and we will see you next time.

[B]

Take care.