What Off-the-Shelf Donation Recording System Would You Recommend?
A large mission organization wrote this past week asking for help in picking out some new donor-tracking software. They need to replace their system to record gifts received from churches and individuals for mission partners scattered around the globe. They feel that off-the-shelf accounting packages don’t provide for the complexities of their context — so they’re seeking recommendations from other agencies. What system would you suggest? Of course, every org is different, but what are some of the best systems out there? Please click “Comment” following the web version of this item. Thanks!
Parenting book: “Give Your Kids a Break”
Kim Fredrickson, author and former counselor, has a new book, “Give Your Kids a Break: Parenting with Compassion for You and Your Children.” It is slated to be released on the 24th of October, but the digital version is available to pre-order now for only $2.99 (regular price 8.99). Most parents care deeply about their little (and big) ones. But if they don’t know how, they might default to a blaming behavior, shaming and bashing others. The good news is there is another way. Get the book. : )
Looking for a Debriefing Experience for Your Missionary?
If you’re a church looking for a debriefing experience for your missionary — and you need it right away — check out Recalibrate.
It’s your missionary’s chance to review, refresh and refocus. It’s a place where your missionary can safely tell his or her story to unbiased people who care. (Thanks Jenny!)
Catch the Member Care Update of All Member Care Updates!
We loved the September Member Care Update from Kelly and Michèle O’Donnell. In it, they created a kind of ‘index’ of just over 100 previous Member Care Updates. Check it out at…
http://mailchi.mp/316e702772b5/moral-care-member-care-update-may-1317137
You can search by date-title (core summary); by date-title with a description (annotated summary), and by topic-theme (general content summary). Love it. Thanks Kelly and Michèle!
Is Your Organization Still Doing Psychological Screening? Oops.
This past week, while attending Missio Nexus, we were able to take in a workshop by Laura Mae Gardner, author of “Healthy, Resilient and Effective”
https://www.condeopress.com/products/healthy-resilient-and-effective
and Brent Lindquist, CEO of LinkCare
http://www.linkcare.org/staff/brent-lindquist/
Dr. Lindquist clearly explained that there were both legal and moral implications AGAINST using psychological screening, even though he pointed out that member care practitioners and counselors (like Laura and Brent) were some of the very outspoken proponents for this practice even 20 years ago. Bottom line: According to these experts, organizations using psychological screening as a part of the application process should take steps immediately to a) redefine what they want the testing to accomplish and, more than likely, b) stop the practice immediately. Brent even went so far as to apologize for introducing the term, “Member care.” He went on to explain that the term has become so broadly applied, yet so often misunderstood. The best he could do was recommend we start saying, “Missionary health.” But either way, he said more often than not, people were thinking of member care people as counselors. He would RATHER the definition be much bigger than that. He urged organizations to redefine what they meant by “member care” — and suggested that the definition focus around the kind of care that everyone in the organization could show to everyone else. He said there was still a place for professionals, but held that member care can’t be delegated to a single department.
You Can Submit an Item to Brigada — For Free!
It’s easy. Just click to…
https://brigada.org/submit-an-item
Be sure to read the submission guidelines first. It’s ok to pitch in a gift toward Brigada’s budget if you like (and it’s true that pitching in helps bump up your item in the calendar and the order of appearance), but you really don’t have to do so. The money helps meet the budget, but the goal is the Great Commission.
We’re Grateful for…
…the $30 gift from a guy who loves to get free resources out to mission workers worldwide. He empowers Brigada because he believes in the Great Commission and he wants to get help and hope to those living it out. Bless you brother.
Would you like to empower Brigada too? Do you think your church would consider sending a one-time gift to multiply the capacity of each of the thousands of churches, organizations, and individuals who receive Brigada? It’s easy to give. Just click “Donate” at www.brigada.org, or mail a check payable to Team Expansion (Brigada), 13711 Willow Reed Drive, Louisville, KY 40299. Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so, for USA citizens, your gift to Christ through Team Expansion is tax-deductible. Thank you, in advance, for your partnership!
The Last Bit: Our Small Study of Collaborative Writing Apps/Tools
Granted, it was a small study, actually. And, to be fair, we decided not to include Google Docs. That’s because, when we read their privacy policy at…
https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/
we just felt it was a little too easy for them to learn a little too much about some of the sensitive information some of us might be creating in these docs. So we focused on apps like Etherpad and Ethercalc. Learn more about them at…
and
These are web document apps and web spreadsheets that you or your I.T. partner can install on your own server. The idea behind these kinds of tools is that a) multiple people can view and even edit a document and/or spreadsheet simultaneously. In a sidebar, these viewers and editors can talk about the content, making comments, “at” mentions, etc. And with these two options (Etherpad and Ethercalc), all the information is completely private — because you own the servers. This seems like the best option for those with sensitive information (like — ideas related to people serving unreached peoples in places some might misunderstand). In the case of these apps, you host them on your own servers — and the app software is free, so these services, if you can stage them, are not only secure, but in addition, they are essentially free. And they do pretty much what Google Docs and Google Sheets do. We found in using Etherpad and Ethercalc that they perform pretty much as promised. Yes, it’s possible to cross wires with someone while editing, so we should always back up our work. (But we should always back up all our work anyway, right?) There are occasional error codes when opening documents. This might cause some to lose a bit of confidence in the apps, but after trying these apps for many weeks, we only experienced one occasion in which we actually lost data (that we hadn’t backed up yet in the same day we lost it).
But if you don’t have an I.T. professional and you’re not sure how to install such things on servers, or if you want even more confidence in your data, you’ll need to pay someone for these collaborative tools. Why? Because by paying a small fee, you no longer have to use Google’s services, which are ad-supported (but free to you) and you get professional help and guidance.
One of these options is a fairly new Dropbox product called Dropbox Paper. Learn more at…
If you already use Dropbox, this might be a good option for you. But it doesn’t seem to provide you with the opportunity to do spreadsheets. But at least by paying a small fee to Dropbox, it seems you now own the material. They aren’t trolling you for potential marketing information.
If, however you want additional features like spreadsheets, the best example we could find for these purposes might be Quip, which was recently purchased by Salesforce.
Actually, this implementation is a bit cooler anyway. It goes beyond Etherpad and Ethercalc by merging both functions together (words and spreadsheets can appear in the same doc), and by creating the coolest implementations ever for mobile devices (like your phone and tablet). Neither Etherpad nor Ethercalc have mobile apps — and none are in sight. You’ll pay a monthly fee for Quip (like $30/month for 5 users), but you will own the content. Quip’s privacy policy doesn’t read the same as Google’s, naturally, in that they’re not trolling your data for content through which they can market you.
Do you know of other collaborative document platforms/tools for teams that permit multiple people to edit/view the same word processing document at the same time?? If you’ve got a favorite, please tell us by clicking “Comment” following the web version of this item. And thanks, in advance, for your input!
Subscription Information
Want to unsubscribe? Just click the “Unsubscribe” link at the end of this email. It’s one touch — so easy.
Want to change your address? That’s easy too. First, use the unsubscribe instruction above to get rid of your old address. Then just click to www.brigada.org and enter your new address in the one-click subscribe box in the upper right. That’s it! If necessary, verify the new address by watching your inbox for the confirmation from our email sending service. Be ready to click on (or copy and paste) the link into your browser. That’s it! It’s that easy!
To Submit An Item — We love to feature your news & resources! To find out how, read our submission guidelines and use the web form at:
https://brigada.org/submit-an-item
Disclaimer –
We can’t screen ’em all. Please forgive us if a particular site contains offensive information! The web is constantly changing. We’ll do our best to scout it out in advance, but if the sea changes after we visit a site to check it out, please forgive.
Please Don’t Subscribe Us To Your List Without Asking –
Sorry, nothing personal, but we’re already deluged.
Warning About Forwarding Emails –
Just say no! :-) Read our thoughts about forwarding emails at
Donate to Brigada –
To give online, just click “Donate” in the upper right at www.brigada.org. Or if you’re reading this via email, scroll to the bottom to find a handy link. By the way, you don’t need a PayPal account to give. If you reach a screen asking for your PayPal I.D., look on the left side of the screen, about halfway down, and find the prompt which says, “Continue without a PayPal Account.” If you’d rather send an old-fashioned check, just make it payable to Team Expansion and send it to: Team Expansion (Brigada), 13711 Willow Reed Drive, Louisville, KY 40299, USA. (And by the way, Team Expansion is a 501(c)3 incorporation so for USA citizens, your checks made out to Team Expansion are tax-deductible.) Thanks to those who have suggested this cause to their local church missions committees, mission teams, and/or missions ministers/pastors. We appreciate you!
Privacy Information –
We will never give your information to anybody. We won’t market you, won’t hassle you, and won’t ever bother you. You will NEVER be signed up for mailings you didn’t request. Your address is safe and your future is secure. Life is good. :-)
Copyright — This issue of _Brigada Today_ is Copyrighted 2017. However, permission is granted to freely redistribute these materials, including those available on the Brigada website, provided that such redistribution is to those who will help the Good News of Jesus Christ to reach the unreached. To copy or reproduce Brigada Today for any other reason is illegal and is not permitted.
When you quote or paraphrase material from Brigada, please include this
phrase: “For a free subscription to Brigada’s weekly missions publication, visit Brigada on the web at www.brigada.org.”
2017/09/24 — Brigada Today
Compiled/Edited by Doug Lucas and Tina McCormick, Team Expansion
Brigada online has more graphics and links at https://brigada.org
In this issue…
1) Get Trained to Work Among Muslims While Networking with Others
2) Christian Prayer Resources
3) Applied Linguistics Training in Southern California
4) One Way to Start a Spiritual Conversation with a Muslim Neighbor
5) Someone Prayed for Us This Week — Because of a Prayer App
6) “Shine” Prayercast Song has Haunting Images and Psalm 67 Message
7) Parenting book: Give Your Kids a Break:
8) Pre-Order a Free Travel Medical Guide from Good Neighbor Insurance
9) Powerful Missions Mobilization Video for Your Next Sermon/Rally?
10) Yay! Saudi Women Can Drive!
11) Curious About What Will Happen with North Korea?
12) Web Hosting in West Africa
13) We’re Grateful for…
14) The Last Bit: We Need to Read the Terms Before we Act
15) Closing Stuff
Recent Comments