Faith in Numbers was created as an educational offering to churches and religious organizations in the Midwest region. Additionally, we wanted to provide an opportunity to gather with similar organizations to network, share insights and solutions, and act as resources for each other. As such, we want to reiterate our gratitude to the speakers, sponsors, and attendees who made Faith in Numbers 2018 a success! We look forward to seeing you again on October 29, 2019!
As we have shared previously, the videos are all available online now for attendees. In case you missed it, you can also access the entire conference video recording, including the keynote and access to every breakout session video, for just $50. Click on “Buy all $50.00” to purchase and stream anytime, or view the full agenda and session descriptions to learn more.
We’re going to highlight two of the sessions from the day
Vibrancy Day. This will probably ring a bell if you attended Faith in Numbers. Our keynote speaker, Brent A. Hafele, Senior Vice President of Client Services from Dickerson, Bakker & Associates, kicked off the day with a compelling question for each organization: “Are you hoping or planning for vibrancy?” What is vibrancy? According to Brent, vibrancy is achieving a nonprofit’s best community impact without sacrificing sustainability or the well-being of staff and other key stakeholders. Nonprofit organizations tend to be nice, thrifty, hard-working, and busy. Brent challenged us to think differently. What if your organization was kind, stewarding resources, working smart, and being proactive instead? For example, doing what is best for the organization (kind), not just what people want (nice). As Brent encouraged us in his session, set aside a day each month to ask yourself this question and evaluate your progress: are you hoping or planning for vibrancy?
Later in the morning, Scott Haumersen, Partner at Wegner CPAs, presented a session on risk management for churches and religious organizations. What is the number one risk today? According to the ECFA, the number one risk is having childcare and youth volunteers who aren’t adequately screened. Following behind that in the second and third place are unclear policies and procedures for pastoral counseling and lack of dual controls with church funds. Do you have policies in place to reduce or remove these risks? In the session, we learned about the four steps in a risk assessment process: 1) determine who will be involved, 2) identify, analyze, and prioritize risks, 3) develop a strategy to manage, and 4) monitor and report on risks. Not all risks are necessary or worth mitigating, but it requires an assessment to make that determination. Consider performing this assessment with your organization as you start off a new year.
