igniting a generous community · direct, the largest home services dealer for security systems, the...
TRANSCRIPT
IGNITING A GENEROUS
COMMUNITY
2015
2
GENEROSITY: TO GIVE LIFE TO A COMMUNITY OF ABUNDANCE
3
Women are resourced as never before. Currently, women own more than half
of all personal wealth. And with advances in education and entrepreneurism,
their influence and affluence is projected to rise substantially over the next
two decades.
Today, women have an unprecedented opportunity to live lives of impact, using their financial and relational capital to be the hands and feet of Christ in their communities.
When Women Doing Well™ embarked on the first research study of Christian
women and giving, we didn’t fully understand all that God was doing in the
hearts of women to prepare a path for them to give and live generously.
CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE
for God’s purposes incommunity with others
4
The overwhelming results of this study illustrated women’s eagerness to strategi-
cally engage in the giving conversation. The research gave us the keys to
unlock joyful generosity.
• PURPOSE - Discovering their purpose and growing in their spiritual
life increased women’s joyful generosity.
• PASSION - Connecting the dots of their past experiences helped
guide focused generosity of time and talent. As women grew in the
ability to share their story, the message of giving spread.
• PLAN - Knowing what she has and building a budget for giving
accelerated generosity.
Although only 6% of the women surveyed were giving well, the majority wanted to
be. However, they lacked tools that fit their hands. Women Doing Well™ Initiatives
was started, with the mission of enabling more women to give well.
Women Doing Well™ Initiatives has experienced an exciting phenomenon as women
across the country spread the joyful message of generosity in their communities.
5
We’ve seen Matthew 5:14-16 in action! ‘Igniters,’ women who shine with the joy of
giving, ignite greater giving which draws others to our generous Father in Heaven.
As these 400 Igniters have grown in generosity, they have in turn reached their
peers—over 4,000 women. God is truly doing a new thing in women and giving!
After two years working in twelve cities, we asked Sagamore Institute, the
original research team, to come back and assess the impact of women who
are living and giving in God’s image. In this report on page 18, we present this
research with the desire that it will serve as a guide for others who desire
to ignite a generous community.
For God so loved He gave. And so, created in His image, she gives.
Pam Pugh, President of Women Doing Well™ Initiatives
6
7
To inspire women to discover their purpose, ignite
their passion, and develop a plan for living and giving
in God’s image.
From the first WDW research study, a Woman Giving Well:
• Holds a biblical foundation for giving
• Has clarity in her calling
• Gives to maximum capacity
• Shares her generosity story
• Budgets for financial giving
• Has confidence in the organizations where she gives
OUR MISSION—
8
ONE WOMAN
Meet Jessica LindseyJessica and her husband Dave were not new to generosity when Jessica found herself attending Inspiring Generous Joy. Since starting their company, Defender Direct, the largest home services dealer for security systems, the Lindseys have given more than $20 million to charity.
But it was in 2014 when Jessica attended Inspiring Generous Joy in Milwaukee that
she was able to reflect on how they had been giving and why they had so much joy.
“Hearing the stories and watching the videos was powerful, but it was during the
story workshop that God showed me how our generosity fit together and how it
was the reason for our joy.”
During the story workshop she remembered experiencing generosity as a child.
Jessica grew up poor and was only a toddler when her mother abandoned the
family, leaving her 22 year old father to raise two children alone. “When I say we
were poor, I mean we had nothing.” She remembers many experiences where people
from the community would give them gifts or provide clothes for them. She always
wanted to show the same to others, but giving was hard when she first entered
the working world.
When she and Dave married they began to experience the benefits of giving as
they volunteered with the Jaycees and Big Brother/Big Sister. But it was when they
9
“Listening to the stories of others is encouraging and helpful in connecting to others on this journey of joyful generosity.”
IGJ Participant 2014
started attending a church regularly that they learned about having a personal relationship with God
and how He has a plan and a purpose for all of us. Their giving grew and they experienced the joy of
investing in others.
Jessica felt her story and their generosity came together as she was encouraged tounderstand her unique purpose, embrace her unique passion and start a plan for giving.
She was very excited about the opportunity to help others achieve a life of significance and freedom
by bringing the event to her hometown of Indianapolis. She knew many of her friends would benefit
from the day and she desired to see the community grow in generosity.
This past November, with the help of Jessica and many others, Women Doing Well™ Initiatives had
the largest Inspiring Generous Joy event ever with over 350 participants in Indianapolis.
Today, Jessica and Dave live in New York City where they are helping to get National Christian Foun-
dation started, providing givers with a tool for leveraging their giving. Jessica says, “I remember hearing
Bob Goff, who wrote Love Does, say ‘The Holy Spirit is here to comfort us, but who needs a comforter
if we are not uncomfortable. Go out and get uncomfortable and see what the Holy Spirit can do.’ This
is how we want to live our lives.
10
ONE CITY LEADER
Meet Terri Ponce de Leon
God often works in ways we don’t expect. Terri Ponce de Leon’s story is proof. He gave her a vision and called her out from behind a desk and into the lives of women who longed to know their purpose. Along the way, Terri found her purpose too. Here’s her story.
Several years ago, I helped a family starting a women’s giving circle. At their
year-end meeting, I heard how the women in the circle struggled knowing where
and how to give. They did not know their purpose and passion for giving. I was
burdened, so I brought this to God in prayer.
Soon after, I learned about Women Doing Well™ Initiatives’ survey. I began to cry
when it confirmed my burden that so many women don’t know their purpose. I
also cried from fear as I realized that God was calling me out of my comfort zone.
The first step was serving as the City Leader for Inspiring Generous Joy. It wasn’t
hard; I like doing events and bringing women together.
After the event, I saw that women really wanted to go deeper. I knew that I was
called to take the journey together with them. The foundation president recognized
the same thing I did. He heard the testimonies of the women who were moved by
the generosity message, and he asked the board to support what God was doing
by providing me with administrative support so that I could get out of the office
and meet and pray with women face to face.
11
“A vibrant community of generous women is developing here as a result of Terri’s efforts. Her led-by-the-Spirit approach was instrumental in bringing in one of the largest gifts we have ever received in Southern California.” BRYAN FELLER
President | National Christian Foundation of California
I found myself very comfortable relying on God to lead me.
One CEO friend shared the message of giving by hosting a generosity retreat. Another is selling her
family business and contributing to her donor advised fund to give to Kingdom work. Still another
named her real estate business after her two-word purpose statement. I started a Facebook group
connecting about 100 women who want to join the generosity conversation.
Igniter, Karen Lorenz added, “Without Terri’s guidance, Spirit - sensitive wisdom and most of all friend-
ship, I would not be the generous woman I am today. Generosity has become my mission in life, thanks
to Terri’s mentorship.”
It’s hard to measure the ministry I have with women as we walk together. Yet this movement has
led to one of the largest gifts we have ever received in Orange County. That is nothing I could have
planned!
But I know it’s not me. I just keep saying ‘Yes’ to the Lord and setting up coffee appointments.
Conducting Kingdom business is exciting and intimidating. I’m committed to quickly obey what God
asks me to do and to trust Him for the outcome. I call on my Women Doing Well™ friends to pray
and coach me. They believe in me.
I discovered my own purpose for generosity, “inspire transformation.” Now I’m living it each day and
saying ‘Yes’ to God.
12
ONE COMMUNITY
Meet the Women of Denver
In 2013, several women gathered in Denver to talk about generosity. City Leaders, Idella Kercher, Kaye Lynn Fote and Debbie Perry-Smith share their story of Igniting Generosity in Denver.
“I’ve always had an interest in giving. I was a Women of Vision circle leader and
started the charitable foundation for our business. In 2013, I decided to host a giv-
ing experience for my girlfriends in Denver.” Idella indicated.
“More than 20 of our friends were there. I was very intrigued about Inspiring Gener-
ous Joy as a gathering just for women, and so I said to Idella, we have to have this
event in Denver.” shared Kaye Lynn. Idella agreed, “We all felt this would be a cool
thing to do, our friends wanted to be Igniters. We were ready to go.”
Kaye Lynn is on the board of Colorado Christian University and so it was a natural
fit to host the event in partnership with the university. “The venue would comfort-
ably seat 180 however, we were oversold early on. We had 200 attend! For the first
time, this was a conversation just for women. Not directed at men, as most of the
conversations about giving. It was so exciting.” Idella effused.
Kaye Lynn shared the impact on her life. “The biggest change is that now we are
cheerful givers. Before Women Doing Well came, I was just saying yes to everything
13
out of guilt. Giving is different than generosity. Giving is sterile. Generosity is alive. My heart and my
head have changed dramatically.”
I’m getting focused, which has been so helpful to me. Many of our Igniters still meets monthly to pray
and study the Bible, and we talk about our focus and share ideas about pursuing our purpose and
passion. Now, I’m cheerful about writing checks.”
Idella has seen changes in how she gives. “I used to be resentful about my giving, thinking I had to,
and not feeling the joy. Now my generous self is emerging. Thinking about my passion has helped me
focus my giving. And Kaye Lynn has become one of my very closest friends.”
Giving with friends has opened up this whole new world. Being generous for God’s Kingdom is a lot more fun!
An Igniter from 2014 felt God’s call to be a city leader for 2015 and bring Inspiring Generous Joy back
to Denver this time in partnership with Denver Seminary and Waterstone Foundation. “We were
delighted when Debbie felt the call to help us reach even more women with our second Inspiring
Generous Joy experience,” Kaye Lynn commented.
In Debbie’s words, “Two years ago, I began serving on the local Christian Foundations’ advisory board.
We began to cultivate relationships around generosity. As an Igniter, I saw the heart of God in this
message. God invited me to be the City Leader and bring Inspiring Generous Joy back to Denver the
next year.
Women Doing Well™, helped me discover my purpose statement ‘expanding territory.’ Now I am living
out my purpose to help expand the message of generosity.”
14
DENVER continued.
The personal experience for Debbie has been powerful. “I’ve moved toward
aligning my purpose and passion. And I feel lighter and freer than ever. I love that
everywhere I go, I can connect people to this generosity conversation. I love having
the tools that NCF and Women Doing Well™ Initiatives have given me!”
“Think about the influence and impact of the 300 Denver women who are ignit-
ed for giving.” Kaye Lynn commented. “Also, through WDW, we learned about the
woman’s generosity group at Biola University. We brought that idea to Colorado
Christian University and call it IVy Women.”
Idella has become an Igniter of Igniters in Denver. She celebrates the impact
of giving in her city. “Denver is alive with generosity! All of this started with
Women Doing Well™. It has been an inspiration. I see Denver changing and the
generosity conversation is growing by leaps and bounds. Women are living and
giving generously!”
“WDW has played a key role in getting the women’s movement off the ground at CCU. IVy Women, an amazing group of women committed to Prayer, Service, Learning and Giving is a tremendous support to the University and its mission.”
PAUL ELDRIDGEJ.D., V.P. Development & Alumni Relations | Colorado Christian University
15
16
CITY LEADER
PRAYER LEADER IGNITERS
One or more womenwho are called to
share the message ofgiving well.
One prayingfor generosity
to grow inher city.
Influencers inthe community.
God has used the influence of women to grow a generous community. With the principle of multiplication at
work, 1 becomes 2, 2 become 20, and 20 become 200. It starts with one woman, a mobilizer called to share
the message and one woman, a prayer warrior who is called to cover her city.
PROVEN CITY STRATEGY FOR BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE GIVING COMMUNITY
17
INSPIRINGGENEROUS JOY
EXPERIENCE
WORKSHOPSAND BIBLE
STUDY
One Day Experience for 200 women to
explore their purpose, passion and plan for living and giving in
God’s image.
Smaller group experiencesdesigned for personal
growth.
“WomenDoing Well™ Initiativesfosters a community where generous women live and give in radical ways.”
TODD HARPERPresident,Generous Giving
“Today, I connected giving to the gospel. I see a path towards giving with freedom and joy!” IGJ Participant 2014
18
Women Doing Well™ Initiatives was founded as a
listening organization. After two years of working in
over a dozen cities, we wanted to understand the
transformation taking place in the lives of igniters and
the impact women were initiating. We wanted to know
what else might help women continue to experience
the freedom to live and give well. So we went back to
Sagamore Institute and secured their partnership to
conduct the Igniting a Generous Community Research
Study. Our hope is that this research will serve to
heighten how we all engage women who desire to live
a life of extravagant generosity!
IGNITING A GENEROUS COMMUNITYIgniter’s Research Study, 2015
Prepared by Amy L. Sherman, Sagamore Institute
I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
From 2013 to the present Women Doing Well™ Initiatives
(WDWI) has been offering interactive experiences for Chris-
tian women around the country aimed at encouraging their
growth in joyful, biblically informed, whole-life generosity.
To date, WDWI has hosted one-day “Inspiring Generous
Joy” conferences in 12 cities. These events typically gath-
er 200 women each. At each event, community members
called “Igniters” are recruited to assist WDWI in promoting
the conference. WDWI pours into these Igniters in multiple
19
ways—through teaching, encouragement, and special oppor-
tunities (such as generosity workshops led by WDWI leaders
as well as invitations to participate in a Journey of Generosity
[JOG]).
II. PURPOSE, GOALS, AND DESCRIP-TION OF THE EVALUATION PROJECT
In June 2015, WDWI turned to the Sagamore Institute for
Policy Research to conduct a modest, third-party evaluation
of its efforts, both for reporting purposes to its own stake-
holders/donors and as a means for quality improvement in
its offerings for women. Sagamore had worked previously
with WDWI in its landmark study of the generosity practices
of over 7,000 Christian women, the findings from which gave
rise to WDWI’s methods and pedagogy.
During the period July 1-December 15, 2015, Sagamore
Institute designed and implemented a mixed-methods
assessment of WDWI focusing on its work with Igniters. We
opted to focus the assessment on WDWI’s influence among
Igniters because this is the group of women nationwide with
whom WDWI has had the most contact. In each city,
as WDWI plans its signature Igniting Generous Joy (IGJ)
one day conference, Igniters are the women who under-
gird the initiative with prayer, invite their friends, and plan
post-conference follow-up events such as Bible studies
and workshops.
The assessment principally involved:
• 22 structured 35-45 minute telephone interviews
with Igniters from five cities (Albuquerque, Dallas,
Denver, Los Angeles, and Milwaukee). These Ig-
niters were selected for their diversity of age,
race, and marital status;
• Two focus groups (Denver in July 2015 and
Los Angeles in October 2015) with 7-10 Igniters
in each; and
• Three structured telephone interviews of about
45 minutes each with City Leaders in Milwaukee,
Fort Lauderdale, and Denver.
The evaluation sought to document the changes in think-
ing, attitudes, feelings, and behaviors related to generous
living and giving reported by Igniters. We explored the
extent to which the Igniters had become models and
20
messengers of generosity among their own personal and
professional networks. And we collected information about
the “ripple effects” of the IGJ conference in the five cities
studied, seeking to better understand what new “gener-
osity movement” initiatives had emerged as a result of
WDWI’s investments in Christian women leaders in these
cities. In short, the project’s goal was to get a snapshot of
the impact WDWI’s efforts in these cities had had in the
personal lives of the Igniters and in the life of the commu-
nities served. The research team also used the interviews
and focus groups as ways of collecting recommendations
for WDWI itself, as to reforms in their model that could
potentially increase their effectiveness.
Sample DemographicsWe sought a sample of Igniters that would be as diverse as
possible from the overall pool of Igniters with whom WDWI
has engaged. We achieved a good degree of diversity in
terms of geography and age (see Tables 1 and 2 below).
The degree of diversity was less in terms of marital status
and race. As shown in Figure 1 to the right, the majority (73
percent) of interviewees were Caucasian. Figure 2 shows
that 73 percent of participants were married.
Age
Number
30s
2
40s
5
50s
9
60s
4
70s
2
City
Number
ABQ
3
ATL
1
DAL
5
DEN
4
MKE
3
FLL
1
LA
5
TABLE 1. Age of the 22 Igniter Interviewees
TABLE 2. Residence of the 22 Igniter Interviewees
Source: Sagamore Institute “Igniters Evaluation,” 2015. n=22.
21
Figure 1. Race of Igniter Interviewees
Figure 2. Marital Status of Igniter Interviewees
III. RESEARCH TOPICS
Our structured telephone interviews with Igniters exam-
ined four principal research topics. First, we explored
what new practices of generous living and giving the
women’s experiences as WDWI Igniters had stimulated.
Second, we sought to identify changes in or new think-
ing or feelings about generosity that the Igniter expe-
rience influenced or catalyzed. Third, we asked what
further training or equipping provided by WDWI these
Igniters felt they could benefit from. And fourth, we
sought to see whether their involvement as Igniters had
influenced their growth in six specific areas:
• Having a deepened conviction about the central-
ity of generosity in the life of a disciple of Christ;
• Having a deepened understanding of how to
share their story of generous living and giving
with others;
• Having an increased understanding of the
Bible’s teaching on generosity; post-conference
follow-up events such as bible studies and
workshops.
Source: Sagamore Institute “Igniters Evaluation,” 2015. n=22.
Source: Sagamore Institute “Igniters Evaluation,” 2015. n=22.
White
Hispanic
Asian
Pacific Islander
Married
Not Married 27%
22
• Having a deepened grasp on their own financial
condition and knowing what is available for giving;
• Having a changed perspective as to whether
they are giving to their maximum capacity; and
• Having deepened understanding of how God
might use the hardships/suffering in their lives as
potential means of helping others.
With regard to the Focus Groups and City Leader inter-
views, our principal aims were to (1) learn about what
was happening “post-conference” in the cities where the
Igniting Generous Joy event had been held, and in partic-
ular what “ripple effects” the Igniters’ experiences were
having as they sought to be advocates of the generosity
message in their personal spheres of influence; (2) gather
recommendations for WDWI about how to improve the
IGJ process; and (3) ascertain the degree to which these
communities continue to need WDWI’s help in order to
keep the momentum of the “generosity movement” in
these cities growing.
IV. KEY FINDINGSSeven key findings emerged from the study.
1. The Igniter experience significantly influenced the women’s generosity practices (see Table 3).
In particular, as a result of their experience as Igniters, 84
percent of the women indicated they now pray more over
their generosity decisions. Nearly three-quarters reported
that they have increased the amount of hours they spend
volunteering with ministries that align with their personal
passion/purpose. Seventy-six percent had increased their
spontaneous giving as a result of being Igniters and 60
percent reported that their regular giving had also increased.
Eighty-four percent indicated that their Igniter experience
had spurred them on to new forms of relational generosity.
Sixty percent reported increasing their annual financial
giving by 5 percent or more.
60% of the women reported they had increased their annual financial giving by 5 percent or more as a result of their experience serving as Igniters.
23
Table 3. Influence on 12 Generosity Practices
As a result of my experience serving as an Igniter…
I/we (my husband and I) have attended a Journey of Generosity (JOG)
I have prayed more often about my generosity decisions
I have increased the amount of MY giving to ministries, causes, or people that fit with my passion/sense of purpose
I have increased the # of hours per month that I volunteer in alignment with my passion/sense of purpose
I/we have received help/counsel from the National Christian Foundation regarding our financial stewardship
I/we (my spouse and I) have increased my/our REGULAR financial giving (e.g., the percentage of our income we give each month or year)
I/we have increased my/our SPONTANEOUS financial giving (e.g., when a special need is mentioned in church or you learn about some international crisis)
I/we have intentionally denied myself/ourselves some small pleasure or expense—not just to be frugal, but specifically to give that money away to someone in need
I have shown relational generosity to someone in a new way (e.g., forgiven someone, spent more time with a person a need, invited a lonely person over for dinner)
% Yes
64%
84%
72%
52%
36%
60%
76%
48%
84%
Source: Sagamore Institute “Igniters Evaluation,” 2015. n=24.
24
Table 3. Continued.
2. A significant majority of Igniters indicated that they had grown in their understanding of how to share their story of generosity with others.
Fully 71 percent reported this. They gave a number of
examples of how they are carrying the message:
• 12 of the 14 married Igniters (86%) reported that
they had talked more with their husbands about
generosity as a result of their experience as Igniters.,
• One Igniter encouraged her daughter (a young
mom) to attend the IGJ. The daughter was so
inspired she decided to host a “Women of Vision”
event for women in her neighborhood—and over 60
women attended.
• One Igniter met with her senior pastor to encourage
40% Roughly 40 percent of the Igniters interviewed reported that they hadintentionally decided not to make some major purchase so that they could instead give that money for charitable purposes.
As a result of my experience serving as an Igniter…
I/we have decided NOT to buy a significant item that I’d/we’d planned to purchase (e.g., a new appliance or piece of furniture) and instead gave that money away. [Again, with the motivation not just of being frugal but specifically of wanting to have more money available for giving.]
Increased my/our annual financial giving by 5% or more
% Yes
40%
60%
Source: Sagamore Institute “Igniters Evaluation,” 2015. n=24.
25
“Sharing the generosity message is innate in us at this point. It’s not a question anymore. It’s just something
that we talk about. My husband and I made a conscious decision that we weren’t going to tiptoe around it,
because it is something that is so important to us. Of course, speaking with love and respect for others, but
not being afraid to have that as a point of conversation with our friends.”
him to plan a time during a Sunday morning
service when a woman she knew through WDWI
could give her testimony of generous living (he
agreed).
• One Igniter led an adult Sunday School class at
her church on generosity.
• One Igniter taught a class on generosity to her
Navigators small group.
• One Igniter established a new pattern with her
children: she gives them $50 at Christmas with
instruction for them to give it away to someone in
need. She has supplied them with the book The
Treasure Principle too.
• One Igniter paid for a friend to accompany her to
the Generous Giving conference.
• Several Igniters have led others through the two-
word purpose exercise that they had learned at
the Igniting Generous Joy conference.
• One Igniter led an effort within her workplace
to raise funds for an employee’s medical needs.
3. As a result of Igniters carrying the message of generous living and giving into their spheres of influence, a number of new community initiatives have been launched.
Several examples are listed below.
In Denver, half of the Igniters who participated in the
focus group reported that they had spoken about
generosity with their church leaders. One Igniter had
made three presentations: to the church’s Board of
Stewardship, her pastors, and a women’s group at the
church that she is a member of. Since the first Inspiring
- AN IGNITER FROM ALBUQUERQUE
26
Generous Joy conference, Denver Igniters have hosted
multiple workshops to engage more women in learning
about giving strategically. “We are experiencing a move-
ment of generosity in Denver,” the IGJ City Leader there
enthused. “The spark was lit in our first Women Doing
Well™ Initiatives event.” The first IGJ, held at Colorado
Christian University, spurred the launch of a new women’s
giving group, The IVy Women. This group is now over
90 members strong and exists to mentor, learn about,
and give to the mission of Christian higher education in
Denver.
In Fort Lauderdale, JoAnne Daudt, the City Leader
for Igniting Generous Joy, founded a new women’s giving
circle called Strikeforce. This giving circle, in its third year
of operation, has already engaged 90 women. In 2014 it
made $100,000 worth of charitable grants to local non-
profits. In addition, through her involvement with WDWI,
JoAnne met the women’s leader from “Prime Movers”
and offered this learning community to her friends. It was
highly successful and a second cohort began this year. In
2016 a third cohort will begin, led by a graduate from the
first one.
In Milwaukee, City Leader Linda Maris launched a group
called Ambassadors, which is composed primarily of Igniters
and other attendees of the IGJ conference. The Ambassa-
dors plan two “generosity exercises” each year and broad-
cast these opportunities widely through their social and
professional networks. The current exercise is a supply drive
for two urban ministries that serve low income women. Once
all the donations are received, women who choose to can
participate in “Stuff the Bus,” when the supplies will be de-
livered to the ministries and the executive directors of both
nonprofits will make presentations about their work.
A number of new community
initiatives have been launched
as a result of Igniters carrying
the message of generous living
and giving into their spheres of
influence.
27
In Los Angeles, an Igniter who works in real estate and is
part of an investment club has helped new members consid-
er their purpose statement. She explains, “I’m stepping into
my purpose and living it out more intentionally.” This woman
has challenged the club members to invest in buying homes
that can serve as affordable rental properties for homeless
families who have graduated from a local ministry called
Path of Life. Already a number of club members have done
this; Her goal is to have the club invest in 55 homes. Another
Igniter has launched a Facebook group called “On Purpose.”
It is an online gathering place for women to share their
stories of generosity and direct them to generosity events
occurring in the area. “It’s keeping the women [who’d attend-
ed the IGJ] connected.” She now engages with women full
time around the topic of generosity. Her efforts to encour-
age women to live into their purpose and optimize their
giving have been highly successful in growing giving through
the local foundation in Orange County. The foundation will
experience one of its greatest years in giving, largely due to
the impact of this Igniter’s influence.
In Albuquerque, City Leader Della Moya worked with oth-
er Igniters to plan a follow-up workshop. It’s scheduled
for February 2016 and they have already filled all seats.
Della takes women to lunch on a regular basis to ‘disci-
ple’ them in giving. An Igniter from Albuquerque recently
joined the Board of Directors for a local Christian Foun-
dation and is now hosting Generosity Awareness Events
in her home inviting business colleagues and friends
together to learn about the joy of living and giving gen-
erously. This Igniter also took the opportunity to share
the message of “How to Give Like Jesus” with several
hundred businesswomen.
4. Overall, Igniters with less exposure to biblical teaching on generosity changed more on a series of inquiries about convictions and abilities related to generosity than did those with “a lot” of exposure.
Just over half (54 percent) of the Igniters interviewed in-
dicated that they had already had “a lot” of exposure to
biblical teaching on generosity before becoming Igniters.
Nine percent of interviewees said that they had “very
little exposure” to biblical teaching on generosity and 41
percent reported a “moderate amount” of exposure.
28
We explored six potential areas of transformation:
• Having a deepened conviction about the centrall-
ty of generosity in the life of a disciple of Christ;
• Having a deepened understanding of how to
share their story of generous living and giving
with others;
• Having an increased understanding of the Bible’s
teaching on generosity;
• Having a deepened grasp on their own financial
condition and knowing what is available for giving;
• Having a changed perspective as to whether
they are giving to their maximum capacity; and
• Having a deepened understanding of how God
might use the hardships/suffering in their lives
as potential means of helping others.
Among Igniters with “a lot” of exposure, 43 percent
reported at least one area of significant transformation.
By contrast, 55 percent of those who had less prior ex-
posure indicated at least one or more area of significant
transformation.
5. Among all Igniters interviewed, the two specific areas of the most transformation were growth in the ability to share one’s story of generous living and giving with others and growth in “getting a good handle” on one’s finances.
Among all Igniters who indicated substantial transformation
in at least one of the six areas, 47 percent identified growing
in their knowledge of how to share their story of generosity
with others and 41 percent reported growth in better grasp-
ing their finances.
6. The need for further equipping mentioned most often by the Igniters concerned “engaging my family members/relatives on the topic of generosity.”
This was noted by 54 percent of Igniters (see Table 4).
The second area most commonly noted was “managing life
transitions in terms of their impact on my giving.”
“The two most significant areas of transforma-
tion were: growth in “my ability to share
my story of generous living and giving” and
“getting a better handle on my finances.”
29
7. There was broad agreement that women-only focused events are effective for stimulating women towards great-er generosity.
We explored this topic with Igniters and the City Leaders.
Four common themes emerged. First, women felt that the
women-only gathering was empowering. They appreciated
seeing female leaders and speakers. As an Igniter from Los
Angeles said, “When women see another woman in lead-
ership it’s empowering. Many women love the opportunity
to be with other women to discuss these topics. Wom-
en love to be encouraged by other women.” Second,
interviewees suggested that women were more open
and vocal in this setting than they would have been in a
mixed-gender one. “When it’s a couples thing, the wom-
en clam up,” explained one Igniter who is a wills and trust
attorney. Third, there was a sense that women want to
talk about this topic but haven’t found a forum for doing
so. The IGJ gathering (and follow-up events) provided
this. As an Igniter from Los Angeles described:
Is This a Need/Struggle That WDWI Could Help You Address?
Getting my spouse “on the same page” with me regarding our giving
Engaging other family members/relatives on the topic of generosity
Narrowing my focus better so that I’m giving my time, skills, and/or finances to orga-nizations that are in line with my purpose/passion
Managing life transitions (e.g., getting married, entering retirement) in terms of their impact on my giving
Growing more confident that I’m giving to the right organizations
Yes
21%
54%
25%
42%
29%
TABLE 4. Areas of Ongoing Need Expressed by Igniters
Source: Sagamore Institute “Igniters Evaluation,” 2015. n=22.
30
“It was like I was given permission to talk to other wom-
en about generosity. Having worked for Ronald Blue &
Co. for 25 years I knew these concepts but I didn’t have
anyone to process my thinking with. Having this forum
to process what I believed with other women was great.
This platform gave me an opportunity to talk about what I
had been thinking about generosity. It validated that what
I’d been thinking was true. We now have a place to talk
about it.”
Fourth, women appreciated connecting with other wom-
en who were further along on the journey of generosity.
They felt inspired by these models and challenged to
imitate them. They loved just being around these women
because they felt it was a (positive) shaping experience
for them. As an Igniter from Denver put it: “Who you sur-
round yourself with is going to influence you—as much with
giving as with anything else.” Encouragingly, several Igniters
mentioned that they had already begun implementing some
of the creative ways of giving that they saw modeled in the
testimonies of speakers they heard. For example, one had
gone through her jewelry, kept a few pieces that meant a lot
to her, and took the rest to a dealer. This raised over $1,000
that she was able to donate to a favorite charity. Another
was inspired to downsize her lifestyle by the testimony of a
female doctor who had decided to “live on a nurse’s salary”
in order to free up maximum resources for the Kingdom. A
third had bought a pair of shoes for a homeless woman as a
result of a story she’d heard at IGJ.
V. RECOMMENDATIONS
Overall, interviewees expressed resounding enthusiasm for
both the process WDWI has developed for implementing
the IGJ and for the conference (and follow-up events) them-
selves. A number of recommendations were also offered
for WDWI to consider as ways of further strengthening the
model.
“I am running the capital campaign at
our church. Being an Igniter has given
me boldness to talk about generosity
more often.”- AN IGNITER FROM LOS ANGELES
31
Help Igniters Know How to Describe the IGJ Experience
Several Igniters noted that they had had a difficult time
adequately articulating to their friends what the IGJ was
going to be about. Without exception, all of these in-
dividuals quickly added that the conference was high-
ly profitable and enjoyable to them—and an excellent
experience for those they brought. Many, though, made
remarks to the effect that they wished they had experi-
enced the IGJ before inviting others to it: having “tasted
and seen,” they felt they could now do such a better job
describing to others why they should attend. In light of
this issue, a few practical suggestions for improvement
were made:
• WDWI should produce a short video explaining
the “jobs” of the City Leader, the Igniters, and the
prayer team;
• Whenever possible, have key leaders from a city
that is planning an IGJ actually attend an IGJ in
another city.
“Being an Igniter has…made me think more,
want to dig deeper in [to biblical teaching
on generosity]. I thought I knew everything
about generosity and I found out that I don’t!
I hadn’t really looked at it as much before as
I have since the [IGJ conference].”
“Before this Igniter experience, my thought
had been “Oh, I’m just one person. I don’t
make a lot of money. What can I really do?
I can’t really make a difference.” The Igniter
experience opened her eyes to the power
of collaboration and Christian women work-
ing together to make a difference. It was
eye-opening to learn about how God has
wired women to be generous. “I feel more
powerful now.”
- AN IGNITER FROM DALLAS
HOW IGNITERS’ THINKING ABOUT GENEROSITY HAS BEEN INFLUENCED
- AN IGNITER FROM ALBUQUERQUE
32
Hold Igniters Accountable for Engaging in Deliberate Follow-up With Their Invitees
Several Igniters admitted that they had not done as good
a job in following up with their invitees after the IGJ con-
ference. They suggested that WDWI make this follow-up
work more prominent in the “Igniter’s job description” and
provide Igniters with practical resources (books or articles
to hand out, links to good online stories or testimonies)
that the Igniters could use as they engaged in follow-up
conversations.
Tweak WDWI Materials and the IGJ Conference to Better Reach Younger Women
A number of Igniters suggested that the conference
and materials needed to be modified to be more rele-
vant to younger women (those under 40). “[M]essaging
to younger women is very different,” said an Igniter from
Denver, “and it’s very difficult. We really need to start talking
about: How do we talk to younger women? How do we get
them involved at the way they need to be involved—in short
spurts, or whatever it is? I think this is a problem for groups
of women our age. We are not really good at bringing younger
women in and getting them involved.” Another Igniter agreed:
“I think they [women under 40] were all inspired by the day [i.e.
the IGJ]. They loved everything they heard. It’s the follow-up
that’s a little different perhaps with these different age groups.
The younger gals were overwhelmed. They didn’t feel neces-
sarily that they were prepared to be a part of this thing, but it
planted a lot of seeds. They just need to know, ‘How do I take it
from here? If I don’t have great [financial] means, how do I take
it from here?’”
Ensure WDWI Materials and IGJ Content Focus on Whole-Life Generosity
Some of the interviewees (particularly from Denver) worried
that some of the WDWI materials and the testimonies shared
focused too much on financial generosity at the expense of
other forms of generosity (with time and skills).
Ensure Content/Stories Shared Are Fresh
A concern raised in the Los Angeles Focus Group was that
some attendees had been through a JOG shortly before
the IGJ event. These women were disappointed when some
33
of the videos shown at the IGJ were the same ones they
had seen at the JOG. Thankfully, since other content at the
IGJ was new, these women’s experience overall ended up
being positive. But the Igniters that had invited them felt
embarrassed that they’d seen some “repeat content.” They
suggested that conference planners be very aware of what
other generosity events/trainings had been done in the city
in the months leading up to the IGJ, so that content could
be planned to minimize the chances of women hearing the
exact same stories.
Help Women Penetrate our Churches with the Generosity Message
Finally, a number of interviewees and focus group partici-
pants desired to take the message of whole-life generosity
into their churches, but felt inadequately equipped to do
so. Some individual Igniters had reported some success in
“penetrating” their congregations. For example, these inter-
viewees had been able to teach a class or a course in their
women’s groups, small groups, or adult Sunday School.
But these were in the minority. Women from megachurch-
es especially lamented their inability to carry the message
effectively into their large congregations. Few had good
ideas for how to tackle this challenge; they are definitely
looking to WDWI for guidance. One practical suggestion,
though, was made (and had been implemented by one
Igniter in Los Angeles). This was to specifically identify
female congregational leaders and invite them to the IGJ
so they could experience it for themselves, with the hope
that they’d catch the energy and excitement and return
to their church-based women’s ministries with a greater
desire to incorporate teaching on generosity more inten-
tionally into their programs.
VI. CONCLUSION
Women Doing Well™ Initiatives has designed an effective
model for engaging highly networked Christian women in
major cities in the generosity movement. Their approach
has worked well in each city, leading to thousands of
women being exposed to clear biblical teaching—and
practical equipping—on whole-life generosity. Strong,
consistent attendance at the Igniting Generous Joy con-
ferences indicates that women are interested in gather-
ing to discuss this topic and willing to give a day
34
of their time to it. The hard work of the local team in
praying for and coordinating the event over several
months’ time has typically led to the creation of new
friendships between female leaders in these communities.
These relationships have laid the foundations for follow-up
activities. Enthusiasm for and participation rates in these
have been less than hoped-for in some cities (Milwau-
kee, Fort Lauderdale) while more “fully booked” in other
locales (Denver, Albuquerque).
The strength of the “ripple effects” of the IGJ events has
varied by city, with some leadership teams further along
than others. Some key leaders have developed creative
ideas for further activities in their locales (e.g., Giving
Circles, “Lifestyle of Generosity” gatherings, generosity
“exercises”). Others seem very willing to do more, but are
looking to WDWI to come up with the practical ideas for
“what’s next.”
In general, the Igniters that participated in this study
desire further help from WDWI (either for themselves
personally, or for women they brought to the conference)
on carrying the “joy of generosity” message to their ex-
tended family and friends. Many also think that future efforts
should be calibrated to more effectively address the con-
cerns of younger women (under 40).
Overall, the Igniters themselves have experienced consider-
able transformation in their own practices of whole-life
generosity. Nearly three-quarters are giving more financially
to causes/ministries that align with their passion/purpose
and over half are also donating more volunteer hours
with organizations fitting their passions. Their sense of the
importance of this topic has grown—to the point where
some now consider themselves true ambassadors of this
message. Encouragingly, these women exhibit a palpable
sense of joy and excitement (rather than a sense of duty)
about doing this. •
“I’m just more confident about everything—
about talking with others about generosity,
about making decisions, about what my
purpose in giving is.”- AN IGNITER FROM DALLAS
35
The Sagamore Institute for Policy Research is a nonprofit,
nonpartisan research think tank founded in 2004 and head-
quartered in Indianapolis, IN. Sagamore seeks to research,
analyze and respond to difficult issues, to serve as a meet-
ing place for disparate groups, and to offer wise counsel
for a world in progress. Jay F. Hein, Sagamore’s President
and co-founder (with Senator Dan Coats) has long been
a leader in the U.S. “generosity movement.” Sagamore
has led a number of research projects focused on giving
among American Christians, including an in-depth case
study on the unique Mission Increase Foundation (based in
Portland, OR); a survey of affluent families at an American
megachurch; and the largest-ever survey of the giving and
volunteering habits of Christian women (for Women Doing
Well™). All of these projects were led by Sagamore Institute
Senior Fellow Amy L. Sherman.
Sherman served as Principal Investigator for the 2015
Women Doing Well™ “Igniters” Evaluation. Sherman
holds a Ph.D. in economic development from the
University of Virginia and is the author of six books
and over 80 articles in a variety of Christian and secular
periodicals. In 2013 she was named by Christianity
Today as one of the 50 most important evangelical
women influencing the Church and culture.
The research team consisted of:
Principal Investigator Dr. Amy Sherman
Research Fellow Laurel Christensen
Research Fellow Holly Mumford
Advancement Officer Connie Kauffman Sparks.
Women Doing Well™ Initiatives is grateful toSagamore Institute for their excellent research.
36
RESEARCH SPONSORS
37
“Women have a tendency to have a shotgun approach to giving. Now I’m much more like-ly to cut back on commitments, to focus and annually plan what we [her husband and she] will give. Then we’ll evaluate our giving a couple of times a year. It has become a lot more fun to give.”
- AN IGNITER FROM DENVER
“WDW taught me about giving my
time more, being more open-handed
with relationships. Giving of money has
never been hard for me, but giving of
time and energy is something that has
definitely changed [as a result of her
Igniter experience].”
- AN IGNITER FROM LOS ANGELES
“[Being an Igniter] helped me to dial in to places where I can have an impact instead of being spread thin.”
- AN IGNITER FROM LOS ANGELES
“I learned about financial generosity from my husband, but WDW has taught me about whole-life generosity.”
- AN IGNITER FROM MILWAUKEE
“It challenged me with outside-the-box thinking.
My husband and I had been thinking: “‘Well, when
we have more, we’ll give more.’” But this experience
helped me to recognize that if we changed our life-
style we could give more.
- AN IGNITER FROM LOS ANGELES
38
Women Doing Well™ Initiatives is helping women discover their purpose, passion, and plan for an abundant life. Here’s how God grew our influence in 2015.
In 2015, 179 additional Igniters became involved in their cities for the purposes of engaging their friends in the generosity message for a total of 353 Igniters across the country.
Experiences Total Reached
9 Igniter Gatherings 290
4 Prayer Teams 60
4 Inspiring Generous Joy 885
1 Igniters Celebration 45
9 Workshops 181
32 Journey of Generosity 640
Total # Attending Experiences 2,144
WOMEN DOING WELL™EXPERIENCES 2015
39
A Bible Studyto Explore
the Generosityof God
A way for women toexpress their support for women globally.
womendoingwell.org
A website with tools tohelp women with theirpurpose, passion andplan for generosity.
ExpressingGenerosity
NEW TOOLS FOR ENGAGING WOMEN 2015
40
INCOME AND EXPENSE STATEMENT
Income
Donations
Event Revenue
Sponsorships
Product Sales
Total Income
Expense
Program Expense:
Events
Marketing/Web
Fund Development
Operations
Total Expense
* Includes amounts given in 2014 for use in 2015
January - December 2015
$372,909
$146,060
$57,500
$16,381
$592,850
$246,434
$122,683
$47,411
$96,419
$512,946
*
41
• GRACE – hope-filled encouragement and acceptance
• INTEGRITY – integrated authenticity
• LIFE-GIVING – breathing abundance into every encounter
• INNOVATION – celebrating fresh perspective
• COLLABORATION – growing through community
CORE VALUES:
WDWI Executive Board
42
JOINWITH US
in themovement!
43
HOW CAN I GET INVOLVED?God is igniting the hearts of women to share the inspiring message of generosity in their city.
Join with us in the movement:
If you would like to bring Inspiring Generous Joy to your city or to your organization, contact us.
Women Doing Well™ Initiatives is here to help.
[email protected]. Box 670614Dallas TX 75367
“…You’re here to
be light, bringing
out the God-colors
in the world… I’m
putting you on a
light stand. Now
that I’ve put you
there on a hilltop,
on a light stand—
shine! Keep open
house; be generous
with your lives.
By opening up
to others, you’ll
prompt people
to open up with
God, this generous
Father in heaven.”
Matthew 5:14-16
THE MESSAGE
WomenDoingWell.org | P.O. Box 670614 | Dallas TX 75367