In a charity race dubbed “Aero vs Auto” a team of five small planes will compete against a team of five Mini Coopers over a 370km course. Lim Hui Juan, co-founder of Quotient TravelPlanner, the company that put Aero vs Auto together, hopes the event will raise $50,000.

Why am I, in north Louisiana, writing about a fundraiser and children’s home in Singapore? For this reason: too often, we become provincial.

I remember reading a book in a pastoral ministries class in college titled, “The Seven Last Words of the Church: We’ve Never Done It That Way Before.” One temptation children’s home administrators face is to assume they’ve done it all and that it works as it should, or worse, that they’ve already discovered the best way to do their work.

Aero vs Auto is a unique fundraiser, but more importantly, if you’re interested in different perspectives on child welfare, look to what others are doing well in other countries. Seeing quality in other cultures can be a source of inspiration and new ideas for your own work.

Explore the Chen Su Lan Methodist Childrens Home web site, read their newsletters and financials. If, as a child care administrator, you only look for ideas in your own culture or professional associations, it may be an eye-opener for you.

Here’s what I most enjoy about the Internet: Google.com

Here’s a good example of why I enjoy Google (the noun). Google (the verb) the three words, nonprofit survival recession. As Emeril says, “Bam!” Instantly, you have access to 286,000 articles about ways nonprofit organizations can survive economic recessions.

Just a decade ago, most leaders of nonprofit organizations only had access to relatively limited information about surviving difficult economic times. If a nonprofit was old enough, the leader could look through the agency’s own history, visit with other leaders, and maybe (if times weren’t too tight already) attend a seminar on financial management in tough times. Now, we type three words and click the “Google Search” button.

Of course, with much information comes much responsibility. Not every idea is a good idea. Not every good idea is a good idea for every organization. Access to much information requires much discernment. Information is not knowledge. Wisdom is required to choose the ideas or amalgam of ideas from among the 286,000 pieces of information which will be effective for your organization.

It’s easy to let too much information go to your head. Not all information has value. It’s important to take time to consider what you discover.

In fact, much of what I read while “Googling” (the gerund) reminds me of the bubbles on the top of a new pitcher of tea. You taste them with the wooden stirring spoon but are always disappointed. The froth on top isn’t nearly as tasty as the tea. If you want the good stuff, you must put ice in your glass and pour deeply from the pitcher into your own glass. You probably want to sip it on the front porch while you contemplate the meaning of life (for your nonprofit).

Just a few thoughts … from RickWheat.com