Recency, Frequency, and Amount

For three years I worked as Development Director for a nonprofit organization. ‘Development’ is short for ‘donor development’, or fundraising. It happens that my wife works as a donor database administrator for an educational institution.

There’s a report development directors use (and that database administrators provide) to assess the general health of their work. The report shows Recency, Frequency, and Amount.

Recency: how recently did each donor give?

Frequency: how often does each donor give?

Amount: how much does each donor give?

This report maps the engagement of a nonprofit’s financial investors.

Might this also be a good way to assess our own involvements? Like with our community? Our family? Our church? And most importantly, our God?

Recency: how recently did we give?

Frequency: how often do we give?

Amount: how much do we give?

These metrics aren’t only—or aren’t even primarily—about our money. They’re about our time and attention. Our heart. Our desire.

When Christians don’t hold the line

I run most mornings. It's usually dark outside and, even though I wear a bright reflective vest, there's always someone who nearly runs me over. I assume they're still asleep.

Today I waited to run until the sun was up. Along the way, a teenager passed within inches of me on a bike. I know she saw me; she looked right at me. She held a perfectly straight line and I did too—so we didn't crash.

But there have been mornings when I've tripped, even fallen down. I'd have felt better if the biker had given me a little more margin.

It's something I need to remember in my relationships with others. Sometimes they may be asleep—not focusing at the moment on Christ and his kingdom. Others may have too much confidence in their ability—and mine—to hold a straight line. If one of us swerves, we're going to crash.

It's better to anticipate error and provide a bigger margin of grace.

The ol’ college try

Two ways to wash clothes:

1. Throw everything in together and press 'Start' (like I did in college).

2. Carefully sort the clothing and use the most appropriate settings for each type.

Two ways to cook a meal:

1. Throw the ingredients you can find in a pot and apply heat (like I did in college).

2. Carefully select the best ingredients, add them at the appropriate times, monitor the heat and other conditions, and adjust the pace.

When discipling people, 'the old college try' comes up short. Getting Things Done (GTD) is too blunt. We need to know our people, choose the best materials, offer information and experiences at the right times, and pay attention to context and pace.