Listen to a dialogue with Don Durham and get to know his passion for helping congregations Develop Resources:
TFL Dialogue, Don Durham on Meet Don
TFL Dialogue, Don Durham on Coaching Capital Campaigns
TFL Dialogue, Don Durham on Transforming Normal
Contact Don at DDurham@TheColumbiaPartnership.org or call him at 336.309.2489.
July 1st Don Durham of Denton, NC joined The Columbia Partnership as a Ministry Associate concentrating on Developing Resources. Don is now available to assist congregations with capital campaigns, planned giving, and annual giving as part of the Developing Resources Team with TCP.
Don desires to help “congregations do healthy work to raise the resources they need to do the work they believe God has called them to do, and to be the generous believers God has called them to be.” He feels he can best do this through The Columbia Partnership as part of the Developing Resources team led by Ruben Swint, a Ministry Partner and board member with TCP.
From June 2002 through June 2010 Don served as President of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The work of CBF Foundation focuses on helping individuals who want to use their resources to provide permanent financial support for Baptist causes related to Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF), and offering endowment investment and administrative services for CBF-related churches and ministry partners. CBF Foundation has more than $34 million under management.
Don’s other ministry and work experience include functioning as a development director for United Methodist Family Services in Richmond, VA, vice president for foundation development for the Albright Care Foundation of Lewisburg, PA, and an assistant to the president and director of gift planning for Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, NC.
Don completed undergraduate work at Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina (BA, Religious Education, 1991) and seminary at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY (M.Div, 1994). He has done additional study in economics, charitable gift planning, and non-profit organizational management. His personal interests include motorcycles, voracious reading, surfing and scuba diving, and most any sort of live music within reasonable driving distance.
In describing his Developing Resources experience, Don says the following: “I’ve worked in fundraising for over 17 years in four very different settings: a Baptist University, a United Methodist continuing care retirement community, a United Methodist child and family services agency, and a denominational foundation. All of my work in not-for-profit settings has been in church-related organizations for which congregations are an integral part of their supporting constituency. During the last eight years I have focused on assisting congregations with endowment promotion and strategic visioning for fundraising.”
With the addition of Don Durham to the Developing Resources Team, TCP now has as members of this team two former presidents of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Foundation—Don and Ruben Swint.
Don is a native of High Point, North Carolina, has two daughters, and currently resides in Denton, NC where he will be starting a new congregation.
To contact Don, you may send him an e-mail at ddurham@thecolumbiapartnership.org or call him at 336.309.2489.
Special Note: Dialogue with Don Durham live on Wednesday, July 21st at 2:00 p.m. EDT. Call 605.715.4900, then access code 954492#.
Developing Resources Areas Led by Don Durham Through The Columbia Partnership
Developing Resources at The Columbia Partnership encompasses a variety of consulting and coaching services that lead to a transformation in the financial behavior of congregations and individual Christians. Rather than conforming to fundraising strategies of nonprofit institutions, Developing Resources services are designed and delivered with the Biblical goal of transforming lives towards a Kingdom view of the world and its inhabitants. Congregations and individuals are encouraged to raise their values, enlarge their intentions and increase their actions toward the example of Christ’s self-giving love and service. Resource Development at The Columbia Partnership enables congregations to fund their full Kingdom potential as their members become as generous as they have always wanted to be.
Consulting and Coaching
CAMPAIGNS
Capital Stewardship Campaign: A highly successful capital stewardship campaign with full time consultant guidance. Includes generous time on site, Bible study materials and all training materials with web-based resources.
Campaign Coaching: A consultant-assisted campaign for campaign-experienced congregations or for smaller financial goals. A lower fee with reduced time on site.
Campaign Retainer: A staff-led campaign benefiting from consultant advice and counsel. Strategic site visits with unlimited phone and email support.
Missional Campaign: Uses a campaign structure and strategy to fund ministry and mission projects or a blended project that includes a mission component.
Campaign Assessment: Campaign Feasibility Study, Campaign Readiness Review.
ANNUAL GIVING
A consultant-led experience in significantly growing your church's annual giving.
PLANNED GIVING
Consultant guidance in creating a planned giving program for bequest income.
GENEROSITY COACHING
Generosity Check Up: A thorough examination of the giving and receiving systems of your congregation. Provides a full report with recommendations and timetable.
Generosity Weekend: Presentation of a generosity workshop to train staff and lay leaders plus a combined adult Bible study. Can include preaching in worship.
Generosity Team: Equipping and leading a team of staff and lay leaders for 12 months to grow generous giving in your congregation. An effective alternative to the annual “hunt for green October.”
Generosity Staff: Providing staff level leadership to establish a ministry of generosity in your congregation. Includes coaching for annual giving and major and planned gifts.
