Transcript: Why Goal Focus and Strategic Clarity are Leadership Game Changers // April Chapman, Generous Giving

Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast

“Why Goal Focus and Strategic Clarity are Leadership Game Changers“

June 3, 2024

April Chapman

Intro: How do you keep a focus on strategy and goal clarity in a flourishing workplace? Well, what are the benefits of doing an Employee Engagement Survey in a smaller organization? Well, today on the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, we'll learn how the leader of a flourishing workplace stays focused on strategy and leadership character. Listen in to the practical steps that you can implement in your own organization.

Welcome: Welcome to the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, your home for open, honest, and insightful conversations to help develop your leadership, your team, and build a flourishing workplace culture.

Al Lopus: Hello, I'm Al Lopus, the co-founder of the Best Christian Workplaces and author of the book Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being. And I'm passionate about helping Christian leaders like you create engaged, flourishing workplaces.

Well, today I’m delighted to welcome April Chapman to the podcast. April's the CEO of Generous Giving.

Throughout our conversation, you'll hear April talk about her own career change from technology into Kingdom ministry, and how she keeps a clear focus on the ministry's strategy, what the disciplines are that lead to Christian character and inspirational leadership in her organization, and how to serve and inspire volunteers in ministry. There's also some great practical examples of how she and her husband maintain good work-life balance.

I think you're going to love this interview with April Chapman.

And I also want to say hello to our new listeners. Thanks for joining us as we honor your investment of time in creating valuable episodes like this.

But now let me tell you a little bit more about April Chapman. April worked in the tech industry for 20 years, including a tenure at Microsoft, managing teams responsible for consumer Internet sites, and orchestrating key partnerships. Prior to Microsoft, she developed groundbreaking software products in areas such as remotely piloted aircraft and manufacturing control systems, and taught nationally on software technologies. April left Microsoft to start a consulting firm and advise nonprofits on Internet strategy. She's worked with and invests in Christian-led organizations locally, nationally, and internationally to help maximize their economic, social, and spiritual impact. April serves on several nonprofit boards, including Praxis, Impact Foundation, and the National Christian Foundation Northwest, as well as several small/medium business boards. She's also previously the co-chair of the World Vision Innovation Fund. She will gladly engage you on conversations such as innovation, the power of generosity, the importance of influence, or happy marriages. She and her husband, Craig, have boy-girl twins and love the challenge of balancing home life with the call to serve. April holds an Oxford Diploma in Strategy Innovation and a B.S. in Computer Science from UC Irvine.

So, here’s my conversation with April Chapman.

Hi, April. It’s great to have you on the podcast, and I’m looking forward to our conversation today.

April Chapman: Me, too, Al. What a joy to be with you today. Generous Giving has benefited so much from BCWI’s assessments and coaching over the last several years, so I am delighted to be here.

Al: Well, so am I, April. And gosh, you know, we've gotten to know each other the last couple of years, but let's go back. The first 20 years of your career you were in the tech industry, including a long run with a local company here called Microsoft. And then you shift into consulting on Internet strategy with nonprofits and even worked with a number of nonprofits after that career. So talk about that shift in your own life, and why did you move from the for-profit tech world to supporting nonprofits? And were there any surprises along the way in this shift from this first half to the second half of your career?

April: Well, the why is easy, and you'll hear me refer to my husband, Craig, quite a bit as I tell my story or as you ask these questions because we’ve really been on this journey together. So the why is easy because Craig and I were at a marriage retreat in Colorado Springs, and for the first time ever in our life, we both sensed that we'd heard a word from the Lord, and we had never experienced that. We didn't grow up in families that talked like that or anything like that. And we woke up one morning while we were there and said to the other, “I think I just heard something from the Lord last night,” and the other one said, “Me, too.” And the interesting thing was that we'd heard the same thing, and it had to do with taking the experience both in technology and business, and starting to apply it more into Kingdom impact. And we thought that sounded pretty exciting and were ready to say yes to this adventure that we couldn't quite imagine but that we felt the Lord inviting us on.

And then just a couple months later, we were at another ministry conference, and we came across this acronym of LIFE—L-I-F-E, which stands for labor, influence, finances, and expertise. And it really started shaping the way we were thinking about all that we might do for the Lord. Because at that time, we saw these medical folks who were going out on the field as missionaries and we’re like, “Well, what do technology geeks do to impact the Kingdom?” And this LIFE acronym kind of opened that up for us so that we could start looking for other opportunities in the L, I, F, and E areas.

So, and then I think it's noteworthy to call out that the reason we were at these two conferences, it's because, as you said, we were working at Microsoft at the time, and we had decided to cash in some of our stock because we thought, “We need to diversify a little bit.” We hadn’t had a bunch of money up to that point, but it was, like, “Okay. Let's diversify.”

And we had only been married five years, and the first year of our marriage, we decided to be obedient to tithing with our earnings. And now we were at this point where we had both been at Microsoft, we're cashing out some stock to diversify, and we got to tithe on these additional assets as well. And it allowed us to really give five of, well, certainly five of the largest gifts we had ever given to that time, and we were pretty excited about it. And now, I just want to, like, cast the through line here knowing what my job is today. This was 22, 25 years ago almost. And it started with us doing something with money and stewarding what God had given us financially. And it started opening these doors to this adventure of where the Lord was going to take us, just with a little bit of trust and obedience. Craig and I just crack up about that now, because it's just funny now that we look back, how that one little seed of generosity at that time, or just really obedience to that first baby step, kind of put us on this trajectory of several things we've gotten to do over the last number of years.

Al: Yeah. And what a journey it’s been.

Well, speaking to that, I had the opportunity to be at the Generous Giving conference just a few weeks ago. And your organization serves such an important niche in the world of faith-based nonprofits. Generous Giving’s mission is to spread the message of biblical generosity in order to grow generous givers, especially among those entrusted with much. You know, those that are given much, much is expected. So tell me a little bit about some of the stories of transformation that you’ve seen at Generous Giving.

April: Al, we have so many stories of transformation. In fact, Craig and I have our own after attending at a JOG. But every week, we get stories that come in after JOGs that we do. And our team even has a practice of sharing them biweekly at our team meeting. And it really helps us keep our eyes on the mission and on impact. It really is just fuel for the journey. So they are all across the board, all kinds of transformation.

For example, we had one gentleman who, after attending a JOG, gave away a kidney because he had heard about a need for a kidney. Another gal who actually gave a portion of her liver for a liver transplant. So sometimes you get really wild stories like that.

Another example is this couple we happen to know. The husband is a doctor, the wife is also involved in their multiple medical offices, and after going to a JOG, they decided to give, actually make a couple of personal sacrifices so that they could give away several million dollars to open up, I think it could be, I don't know, it was 20, 30, they may be up to 50, medical health facilities now in East Africa. And they did that through a partnership with World Vision and with some other donors. But it just really lit them up to be able to kind of think about that LIFE acronym again, right? Like, what is our experience, and what's our expertise, and then how do we bring our finances alongside that and really do something amazing?

We've had multiple business owners who have decided to give away percentages of their business and make percentages of their revenue available to do God's work. We have had people who have set spending finish lines and decided that, you know, at a certain point when their income increases, they don't need to also increase their lifestyle. And to them, it's like, “Hey, we're living a great life, and anything above this, we can give it away and do really good work with it.”

And I think one of the key things we've seen as a decision point for a lot of people is going through a JOG retreat and having some of these conversations, if you're married, even with a spouse, having these conversations is deciding on some of these things ahead of time. And then maybe when a financial event happens, it's just so easy. It's like, “Well, we've already had this conversation with the Lord,” and then it's just executing. And it really does just multiply the freedom and joy that comes with surplus and with some of this financial wealth, instead of it feeling like an obligation or a responsibility.

Al: Well, I say, April, another benefit coming through a JOG, my wife Kathy and I have been through one, and we came to a better understanding of how we can work together to determine where our contributions go. In fact, yeah, we've done, as a result, we've kind of done some planning over the next couple of years and where we want to put our money, and we've actually created a list, and we've agreed on it, prayed about it, and that's just improved our own relationship when it comes to our giving and contributions, as well as a lot of other conversations that are helpful around kids and so on.

April: Right.

Al: So, yeah, it’s just a great experience. I'd encourage it for others.

So, you know, April, you've been using the Best Christian Workplace Employee Engagement Survey now for several years, and Generous Giving is in a flourishing category, which I'll just say congratulations and thanks for your leadership. You've got a high percentage of engaged employees. In fact, sustainable strategy is one of your strong points, with four out of five of the strategy questions in our Survey in your top 10, your 10 best scores in the context of other similar organizations. So, how do you get to that level of clarity and confidence in the mission of Generous Giving to get everyone united around the goals and strategy? You know, you're a strategic thinker, for sure. But, you know, what have you learned over the years to help build strategic focus for your team as a group?

April: Thank you for that question, Al. I will start by saying I inherited an organization that has a great reputation and a history of impact. And so every day I feel like I'm stewarding a precious asset, and I get to think about opportunities and growth. We do have an amazing team, and we've worked hard the last couple of years to make it even stronger. I'd say where I've been able to add the most value at Generous Giving is in the strategic direction.

There's a book written by a friend of mine named Stephen Graves, Dr. Stephen Graves. It's called The Five Tasks: What Every Senior Leader Needs to Do! And I feel like it lays such a great groundwork for good leadership, and I would recommend this book. It really has helped guide me. And the five things every senior leader needs to do is, first of all, strategy. So we're going here, not there. Right? It really is about clarity. And I've tried to be so clear with the team in setting a strategy to where those opportunities are for our growth. Next piece is our culture. As you know, that's what you work on and how important that is as a foundational piece for a thriving organization. The third is pace. You’re going to have to set the speed for your organization. How fast do we go or grow? Fourth is resources, making sure we have enough or how much we need for where we're growing. And then fifth is risk. How much risk are we willing to take on? And being really clear, again with the team, so they know what to expect, and you’re kind of setting those boundaries for your team.

We also have picked up a line from Brené Brown. Clarity is kindness. And so I think in all five of these leadership areas, just being as clear as I possibly can helps the team know where they stand and what they can do to help us flourish and grow.

Al: Your work around these five strategic areas, April, is that with the team or is that just kind of direction that you’ve got?

April: This is more in my mind, right? This is what I feel like is for me to do as a leader. We talk about these things on the leadership team. I mean, as we are making decisions, they'll hear me refer to these five things. If a new idea comes up and it's, like, “Okay. Well, let's talk about the risk of that,” or “Let's talk about the resources needed for that,” or “How fast are we going to go on this? That feels too fast. I think we're going to put our team, you know, in a bad position there, or make people work a little harder than we'd like them to.” So we refer to them as we're making decisions.

One other thing I would add is I just say it’s all about focus. I think the strategy has to be focused, and then just setting clear expectations and clear communication. I think those are the most important points for the team.

Al: Yeah. Focus. Great.

Well, another area of strength for your organization is inspirational leadership and issues of Christian character. And of course, this is key, and our statistics tell us these are really the most important for Christian workplaces. So as you've built your senior team, what qualities are most important to bring leaders in who share these values? Are there some regular leadership practices or habits that your people engage in to keep growing in character and integrity in their leadership?

April: So, we as a leadership team have been really keen to make sure we have the right people on the bus, and that especially means having great hiring practices. And so one of the tips I've picked up from Pat Lencioni and the Table Group is we hire hungry, humble, and smart. And I just feel like those three character qualities have served us really well.

One of our core values is authenticity. And so that keeps us being really honest with each other and going deep in our conversations about character and integrity. Another core value is growth. So we have a budget for people to grow personally and professionally, and we're really intentional about that. And another core value we have is being Spirit led. And so we have an incredibly spiritually mature team. And in fact, prayer is one part of our strategy. We pray a lot. I pray daily for my team and our mission weekly. We have all-team prayer calls. Each of our functional teams pray together. Our board prays for us. Our funders pray for us. So that is a key component of what we do.

The last thing is we’re a virtual team, and I think that brings many of its own challenges as well. So it's another area where we've had to be very intentional about building culture. And what's really helped us is having a regular rhythm for team meetups. So we have weekly leadership team calls for two hours a week. We have biweekly all-team calls. We have quarterly in-person retreats with our leadership team, where we get together for two and a half, three days. And we have semiannual all-team retreats, where we get together for three and a half to four days. So we've really tried to hone in on maximizing our time together and figuring out how to do that well so that the team feels connected.

And it's funny because the last time we got together as a team, we call them team retreat, and I said, “You know, it really kind of feels more like a team reunion when we get together because we feel like family.” And one of our staff members said, “Can we just call it that every time, because that really is what it feels like?” So it feels like a bit of a love fest when our team gets together.

Al: Oh, that’s great. Well, that's a commitment you've made. I'll have to say, April, that's fantastic. Weekly, biweekly, quarterly, and semiannual. Having all of those clearly part of the calendar helps with your culture. And, yeah, I agree with Dr. Stephen Graves, his book, those five aspects. I would reorder them and put culture in front of strategy.

April: Yeah. He doesn't actually say there's an order.

Al: Oh, okay.

April: He just says they're all five important. And you're right. Yes.

Al: Culture will eat strategy for breakfast, somebody said. Yeah.

April: That’s right.

Al: Right. Yeah.

Well, April, Generous Giving has a staff that you've got about, what, 25 or so people? And so the question I have is, what's the benefit of using an Employee Engagement Survey? You've been doing this now for several years. Can't you just talk to everyone and get their input? That's what we hear from many people, who, it's, like, “Yeah. We don't need to do that. We just, you know, have conversations. I know what's going on,” I hear leaders say. But so from your perspective, what are the benefits of the Survey, and what can you share with our listeners who might be leading an organization of your size?

April: Yeah. Thank you. And we've been growing. We're up to 30 now. So the Employee Engagement Survey gives teammates an opportunity to share honestly and openly about key issues we care about in the org, and also about anything else that might be on their mind. And to your point, hopefully, we're always having these conversations, right, in our one on ones and in our team meetings. But the Engagement Survey just gives an extra level of openness. You know, certain personalities just, they may not feel comfortable saying certain things to their managers or to other teammates. And so we believe the Survey really fosters an environment such that our team knows that we respect and value their opinions—I think that's one of the things I love about it the most—and that it gives our leadership team the information we need each year to focus on a couple of growth areas. And we talk about those with our team. We talk about them each quarter and how we're progressing on those couple of things that we've chosen to work on. And so even though we've got a really highly functioning and flourishing team, it makes everybody feel like we just keep getting better and better, and it does create a great culture.

Al: I trust you’re enjoying our podcast today. We’ll be right back after an important word for leaders.

Female: Are you a leader searching for ways to enhance your organization's workplace culture and foster employee engagement? Well, we have just the solution for you. It's our proven Best Christian Workplaces Employee Engagement Survey for the Christian-led workplace. Picture this: your organization radiating with a renewed sense of purpose, where employees are excited to come to work every day. With our Employee Engagement Survey, you'll gain powerful insights into the heart of your organization, discover hidden strengths, uncover areas for improvement, and unlock the full potential of your team. But that's not all. By conducting the Survey, you'll see productivity skyrocket, increased job satisfaction, and decreased turnover rates. Imagine the impact on your mission as your team unites around a shared vision driven by purpose and fueled by a positive workplace culture. Your organization will become a beacon of light, inspiring others with its exceptional leadership. Don't wait any longer to create a flourishing workplace. Visit our website at workplaces.org, and ask for the Employee Engagement Survey Sample Report today. Take the first step towards transforming your organization into a thriving, purpose-driven powerhouse. Together, let's build a workplace culture that honors God and empowers your team to flourish.

Al: Welcome back with April Chapman.

That's great.

And another thing is that Generous Giving uses trained volunteers to host your Journey of Generosity events. I mean, you couldn't really do much without your volunteers. It's an important part of your organization, but also other nonprofits, people that are listening to our podcast. So help us. What are some of the best practices your organization’s developed to inspire and equip volunteers who support your mission and want to invest time in helping other people become generous givers?

April: It's such an important question, Al, because so many nonprofits do rely on volunteers. This year, we'll have over 700 volunteers who help make these Journey of Generosity retreats happen. And our team will say it's all about relationships. And so the way we approach our volunteers is we want our volunteers to be known, valued, and cared for. So we keep in touch with our volunteers through regular communication: texts, emails, Zoom gatherings, in-person gatherings. And just like our teammates, we really think that focus and clear expectations are critical with volunteers, too. They need to keep getting inspired. They need to know exactly what you're expecting of them—you know, what they're responsible for and what you're going to do. We share best practices to equip them. We want them to feel equipped. And lastly, another thing we found so important is in building community. These folks have a common passion. And so the more we can help them grow individually in that, but then also together in community, we've just found that a huge value.

Al: One other area we really want to dive into is innovation. And, you know, again, when you have a flourishing workplace culture, like you've got, people are thinking and they feel comfortable coming up with ideas. So in the giving and fundraising space, where do you see the next steps in innovative practices? I mean, this is a space that you live in. What sort of new ways of engaging generous givers will be important for the next generation of givers that you see coming through the doors?

April: I'm reluctant in a way to answer this because I feel like it is so individual to the organization, right, the kind of work they do, the kind of donors they have. So I don't feel like there's, you know, a “one size fits all” here. There's a one size fits one. These days it's everything from crowdfunding, like we see our friends at the BibleProject, who have just been, you know, they've exploded in terms of what they've been able to do. And most of it has happened through crowdfunding, which is there's just some really cool factors about that, right? More people engaged in being part of how ministry happens. And on the other end of the spectrum, many organizations exist on a few very large donors or foundations. And there's some real benefits to that, too, right? and risks in both of these. And you can imagine all the things in between.

I think one thing that is consistent across the full spectrum goes back to our word is relationship. And I think the organizations that do the best job at fundraising are those that have the best relationships with their donors. And I don't know that that's innovative. I think it's just an observation of what I've seen over the last 25 years or so. Certainly as a donor, the organizations I've enjoyed working with the most and those that I've least enjoyed working with when it feels transactional rather than relational. So that's one point.

Al: Amen. I agree with that 100%, April.

April: I can maybe add one other thing. As I think about our own work, the content that we deliver, which is about biblical generosity, I would say that message, we don't need innovation, right? It's like, that's God's business. And so we are going to be storytelling. We're going to be having discussions. We're going to be listening to the Holy Spirit. We're not going to try to change the content we're delivering up. But where the innovation can happen, I think, is in the delivery method. So maybe where you were trying to lead a little bit with your question is, as we have younger audiences coming up, we do need to make sure that we're relevant to the way we're relating content, right, or delivering biblical messages. And so I do think that we need to stay on top of the best methods for doing that.

I will also say sometimes that's not always following the latest technology. And again, I come from that background. So there are certainly times that we want to lean into that. But there are also times what I'm seeing even in Gen Z, our kids are Gen Z, is kind of a movement away from some of the technology and back into some of those quieter, more-relational methods of doing ministry.

And so there you go. I think there's a wide, again, a wide spectrum of how we can experiment with different delivery methods.

Al: So, I know another important part of your life is living as a whole person and finding balance between your work life and your family life, and you and your husband, Craig, are parents of twins at the same time. And so what thoughts can you share with leaders who are committed to excellence in serving through the work and also have a flourishing family? How do you set priorities and boundaries when it comes to work life, especially as we're talking and you're working out of your home office, which is a thing that's hard for me because I don't put boundaries between work and life doing that. So, what's your advice?

April: This is always the challenge. You have to be so intentional to keep a balance. We have started to practice a day of Sabbath the past several years, and that has helped tremendously. I really love that, and I wish we had started that earlier, when our kids were younger.

We put a high priority on our marriage and my time together with Craig. This is one of the best things I think we can do for our children: showing them how to prioritize our marriages. For example, it's always been very important to us to have regular date nights and debrief each night. You know, we call it couple time.

Another way we do that is we serve together in ministry, and I think that's just so helpful for couples. Craig has been so involved in Generous Giving. We’ve done this together for the last, gosh, 12 years now.

Another idea is practicing hospitality at home. It helps introduce our kids to godly ministry and business leaders. So that's been really fun.

Then lastly, for our kids, just being available when they want to talk. That's probably the biggest thing. And as they get into those teen years, and now ours are even in college, it's just being available when they need you to be available.

Al: That's great advice for us. Sabbath, regular date nights, serving together in ministry—that's something for many of us to think about—and practicing hospitality, especially with kids, giving them the opportunity to see who it is that you work with and why people do what they do. Yeah. Great insights.

Well, April, we've learned so much from our conversation. Just going back, listening to you talk about the career shift and how you've moved from doing work with technology into Kingdom work. And the transformation stories that you've described, as a result of your Journeys of Generosity, your JOGs, and how you helped to keep a strategic focus on the strategy of Generous Giving. And I love your five tasks of culture, strategy, pace, resources, and risk, keeping that on the top of your mind as you are kind of leading and engaging and participating in conversations around the ministry. And the importance of regular spiritual practices with daily, weekly, you know, especially around prayer. You mentioned everybody's praying for each other, including your board and your funders. And the rhythms that you have, the way you serve volunteers, 700 volunteers in your ministry. And as you say, it's all about relationships. And to make sure your volunteers are known and valued and cared for to help create community amongst them. Just fantastic.

So April, this has just been a great conversation. Thanks so much.

Is there anything you'd like to add that we haven't talked about?

April: Thanks for one last comment, Al. I'll just put in a plug one more time for generosity and why we think it's so important as an important discipleship area for believers and for Jesus followers. Generosity is one of the most winsome and tangible apologetics of our time. We believe that building a culture of generosity in North America really is a critical path for the church to show the love of Jesus in a compelling way in a time when people are more anxious and fearful and cynical about Christianity. So let us know if we can help you bring a JOG to your donors or your board or your friends.

In terms of BCWI, I just want to thank you so much for this opportunity, Al, and just say again how valuable your assessment and your coaching has been to Generous Giving. It really is a valuable tool that has helped us create a team that is thriving and on purpose. I love how it gives everyone on the team a voice in where we need to grow, and it gives our leadership team the information we need to focus on team health.

Al: Yeah.

Well, April, I want to thank you for your contributions today. And most of all, I appreciate your commitment to equipping people to live out the principles of biblical generosity. And thanks so much for taking your time out today and speaking to the lives of so many listeners.

April: Thank you, Al. What a joy to be with you.

Al: Thank you so much for listening to my conversation with April Chapman. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

And you can find ways to connect with her and links to everything we talked about in the show notes and transcript at workplaces.org/podcast.

And if you have any suggestions for me about our podcast or have any questions on flourishing workplace cultures, please email me, al@workplaces.org.

And leaders, if you want to improve your leadership, expand your organization's impact for good, and see greater faithfulness in our broader culture, help us achieve our goal to see more flourishing Christian-led workplaces. To help, please share this podcast with another leader or launch a project in your own organization to discover and improve the health of your workplace culture. If you're interested in learning more, go to workplaces.org and request a sample report.

Outro: The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast is sponsored by Best Christian Workplaces. If you need support building a flourishing workplace culture, please visit workplaces.org for more information.

We'll see you again next week for more valuable content to help you develop strong leaders and build a flourishing workplace culture.