Getting people to work together is not easy; but it’s worth the effort.  

I have been at this for many years.  I served in churches, non-profit organizations, and businesses.  My main objective has always been to help people learn the value and benefits of working together.

When people really get on the same page, great things can happen!  This is especially true in community work.  I have spent a lot of time working on community projects.  I truly enjoy working with people with different giftings, passions, and expertise.  I’ve had the pleasure of serving as “architect” for many community projects that have touched the lives of thousands of people.

Tina told me that CharityTracker has been the catylst for getting people to work together.  She said, "For the first time in history, we have found common denominators that have rallied community service providers; an online tool that’s easy-to-understand, simple to use, and inexpensive."

So, if you want to get people to work together, find those common denominators that make it easy for people to come together.  Find their common interests or passions that everyone values.  Find a valid reason for working together that makes sense; a "win-win" situation for all.

 
Transformation has always been the ultimate goal of Christianity. 

The Apostle Paul said it best.

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.

2 Cor. 3:18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

In a practical sense, I believe transformation is a process that happens in one of four ways – renewal, revival, reformation, or resolve.

Renewal involves reopening the value for creative and innovative juices to flow; impacting traditional ideas.  We experience renewal when old ways of doing things are replaced with fresh, new ideas that breathe “new life” into our hearts.  In renewal we can clearly see the value of change.  We realize that we cannot keep doing the same things over and over again; expecting different results.

Revival means restoring back to life that which has died.  In revival our life is re-connected with the “power source” – the Holy Spirit.  As power is restored, we experience a newfound energy and motivation to live for Christ.  The joy of our salvation is revived.  We feel empowered to deepen our relationship with God and share our testimony with others.  In revival we learn to “live again”.

Reformation brings relevant change to misaligned concepts and outdated designs.  Reformation involves a sense of “remodeling” – a makeover in structure or style.  In reformation appearances and designs can go through radical; and often, very noticeable, radical change.  We experience a profound difference in the way we think and act.  The old has passed away; in with the new.

Resolve involves an unwavering determination that sinks deep within our souls.  Resolve means fighting through the toughest challenges; never looking back.  In resolve we “grab the bull by the horns and wrestle him to the ground”.  We don’t give up and never retreat; despite the circumstances.  Resolve may also mean blazing a new path; pioneering a new journey into uncharted territory.

I like to think of transformation as a window of opportunity that the Lord opens up to our life; bringing spiritual awakening, new revelation, and empowerment.  Here’s our chance to breathe deeply a fresh awareness of Jesus in our life.  We can also seize a divine opportunity to feel the mighty winds of the Holy Spirit breeze through our life once again.

These transformational processes may also be considered as points of entry into an exciting journey into new life – one full of lots of challenges and risk-taking.  This journey helps us "bridge the gap" between complacency and proactive change; paving the way for progress and growth.

I have, at one time or another, experienced all four of these processes.  I am a better husband, father, and worker because of these life-changing processes; or also stated, seasons in my life.  But the one that I am experiencing most right now is resolve.  This one is really hitting me hard right now in my personal and professional life.  Perhaps it is because I am much older now and have seen many things.

Whatever the costs, I want to make a profound “difference” in what I do with the rest of my life.  I am “locked and loaded”; ready for battle.  I am determined to do whatever it takes to hear those words from Jesus as he reviews my life on earth.

Think about it.  If this is happening to me right now; then just think, what could happen if other Christians within my community caught the vision and engaged transformation?  Working together we probably could make a major impact in the lives of family, friends, and co-workers throughout our entire community.

Come on Church.  What’d you say?  Let’s do it!

Our team is at the MinistryCom Conference in Franklin, Tennessee this week.  This is a national conference for church communication and marketing professionals.

The conference is being held at The People’s Church where Rick White is the Senior Pastor.  Thousands of participants are expected to attend.

We are one of many exhibitors who are at the conference.  We hope to learn much from others who share our same passion for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ in new and effective ways.

We hope to make new friends and build working relationships with other ministries.  We expect to hear a great report from our team.

Helen Keller once wrote, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." 

These words resonate within my soul.  They have become my mission in life – to help people discover the benefits of working together for common purposes.

This is especially true for community service providers; those who help meet the needs of people during times of crisis and despair.  Every community is faced with this enormous challenge.  So, would it not make good sense to share the responsibility?

Just think what would happen if every community service provider suddenly began working together.  By this, I refer to churches, non-profit charities, and social service government agencies.  Suddenly, service providers would say, “Count on us to help.  We don’t care who gets the credit for acts of service.  We simply want to see all the people within our entire community benefit from our working together.”

If this was to truly happen within a community, no one would go hungry; no one would go without shelter and clothes.  No one would feel alone in their sorrow or desperate situation.

I believe this can happen in any community in America if we would follow Henry Ford’s simple formula for success.

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." 
-Henry Ford

Service providers should start by “talking” with other service providers in their community.  Get to know each other; after all, service providers have the same passion and burden to help people.  This is true, regardless of what name appears on the organization’s letterhead.  They all have the same mission.

The second step is a little more difficult.  Service providers should make considerable effort to build relationships with each other.  This may mean cutting through all the busyness and noise in our own organizational environment; finding time to gather together with others from different organizations.  Luncheons, casual visits, telephone conversations, and roundtable discussions are all good ways to build friendships that lead to working relationships.

Another way to stay together is to find a "common tool” that helps facilitate an on-going working relationship.  One that helps all community service providers stay “connected” in communications, collaborate, and shared case management.  This progressive step with ultimately lead to a better understanding of needs and a focused approach to care.  This can happen through a web-based software solution that everyone has access to and really likes.

The third step in actually working together will provide a broad-based solution for care that covers the entire community.  Everyone benefits.  Service providers can now share responsibility. No one is overwhelmed.  More resources are identified for meeting needs.  Referrals are easily found.  Recipients are given proper care.  No one “falls through the cracks”.

This shared working environment will also cut back on duplication of services and combat benevolence fraud.  This saves organizations time and money. The right resources get into the right hands.

Another great benefit of a shared working environment is innovation.  Innovation happens as we capitalize on knowledge-sharing, which becomes a powerful asset.  I’ve come to realize that all of us are smarter than any one of us.  This then leads to a collective-knowing, which serves as a catalyst for community-driven solutions with creative applications for other areas of concerns.

By working together, community service providers can find hope in transforming their community from the inside out.  Instead of only seeing problems, needs, and deficiencies, the focus can shift to solutions and assets. 

This ignites progress and growth.

When people work together, great things happen!  

For years I have rallied the cause for relational synergism – people working together for greater purposes realized only through concerted efforts.  The results can be phenomenal.

When hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August of 2005, the aftermath impacted my community in Northwest Alabama.  Over 330 displaced families from the Gulf Coast found refuge in our community.  Social service agencies, non-profit charities, and churches came to the rescue.

Many resources from different sources were allocated to Katrina victims, but a problem emerged.  Who was getting what and how much?  Were services being unnecessarily duplicated?  Were the right people getting the right resources?

This awareness sparked much dialog among community service providers, who realized that this problem was not an isolated incident, but a “big problem” that had been prevailing for years.  Something needed to be done to help service providers “get on the same page” in communications and collaboration.

Leaders from the United Way, Red Cross, Salvation Army, government agencies, and churches sat down together and talked.  This rare encounter paved the way for a collaborative solution for “shared case management”.

These leaders approached us at Simon Solutions in October of 2006.  Looking for a software solution, they handed us a single sheet of paper with only a few ideas.  They said, “Can you build us something that we all can use; something simple to understand and easy to use?”  We said “Yes, but only if we work together throughout the entire development process to see if this solution is something everyone will like and use.”  They agreed.

Combining our knowledge of software design with ideas from community service providers, we built CharityTracker (known as SEANTracker in our community).

Tina Scott, director of the United Way of Northwest Alabama, said “For the first time in our community’s history, churches, non-profit service providers, and government agencies have found a common way to work together; using a simple, easy, and affordable tool everyone can use.”

CharityTracker is a “shared community database”, a centralized hub for communication that is networked throughout the entire community.  All information is entered and edited by individual case workers with shared access.  And because CharityTracker is powered by internet technology, service providers have instant access to information 24/7, 365; whether at the office or in the field. 

CharityTracker works best when only one “community network administrator” is designated for the entire community.  This organization is usually the one who has built working relationships with other service providers.  As administrator, this organization maintains the integrity of the database by qualifying organizations that share access to confidential information.

All information in CharityTracker is safe and secure.  Only authorized users with a password have access to shared case files.  No IT department or webmaster is needed to host or maintain CharityTracker.  We (Simon Solutions) do it all.  We also upgrade the software; depending upon feedback from service providers and their needs.

CharityTracker has given our community a simple and easy solution for “shared case management”.  With better communications, service providers are seeing measurable results in reduction of fraud and duplication of services. 

Becky Daughtery of Woodmont Baptist Church says, “Just in the last few weeks, the software has proven itself more and more valuable; and we are really starting to see that the more benevolence organizations that use it; the more effective that it becomes.”

In less than one year of service within our community, CharityTracker has enabled over 74 agents (representing 33 agengies) to work together in shared management of over 4,000 cases.

CharityTrackers helps save time and money; enabling service providers to focus their resources on people with real needs.

Simply stated, it works!

Just as Katrina’s devastation swept across the Gulf Coast, a solution for helping victims more efficiently is sweeping all across the state of Alabama.  The word is getting out quickly.  Prior to our official nationwide launch on September 4th, ten networks of community service providers, scattered throughout Alabama, were already making plans to use CharityTracker to better serve their communities.

Our community’s synergism is a powerful testimony to other communities all across the United States.  If we can "get people on the same page" here in Northwest Alabama, you can do it also!

For more information, go to www.simonsolutions.com or www.charitytracker.net.