LO was invited, along with eleven other Christian non-profits in the Northwest, to receive Board Leadership Training and Coaching this year from the Murdock Foundation. This was quite an honor, since the Murdock Foundation can choose from Montana, Idaho, Washington, Alaska and Oregon!
The late Melvin J. “Jack” Murdock, co-founder of Tektronix, Inc., was an innovative, entrepreneurial leader with business interests throughout the Pacific Northwest. Upon his untimely death in 1971, his will directed three Trustees to establish a charitable trust “to nurture and enrich the educational, cultural, social and spiritual lives of individuals, families and community.”
To our delight, we found that LO, as an organization, is one that falls under the description of flourishing. The five essentials of such an organization include strength in these areas; leadership, fundraising, vision, administrative services and programs. The mission statement and the board of directors are the foundation on which these five essentials rest.
We have spent four days with such brilliant minds as author Dr. Scott Rodin, John Pearson who served 25 years with Willow Creek Association, Dorothy Kim, named by Fortune Magazine as one of their “50 Women to Watch,” and other board consultants of national renown. The individual coach assigned to us by the Murdock Foundation is Kim Triller, CEO of seven (soon to be eight) pregnancy medical clinics in King and Pierce Counties.
Our board of directors was fairly strong before, but as a foundation, they are becoming indestructible. This training is giving us tools and strategies to ensure that LO flourishes for as long as God needs. Up until now, leaving a lasting legacy was a vague assumption. From now on, it has become a clear vision for our future…and knowing you are together with us in this endeavor, greatly inspires and encourages us.
Grateful for you,
Jan McDonald, CEO
