Leadership in Practice: Facing Payroll with Empty Pockets It was the mid-1980s, and our nonprofit was in trouble.Payroll was due in just a few days, and the math was simple: we didn’t have enough. For a young leader, it felt like a nightmare scenario. Staff were looking to me for answers. I was looking at the books and seeing red. And the enemy was whispering, “This is the end. You’re not cut out for this.” But here’s what we did: 1. We gathered the team for prayer.Not a panicked scramble. Not a strategy session with flip charts. Just honest, humble prayer. We named the need, reminded ourselves of God’s promises, and asked Him to make a way. 2. I picked up the phone and called three donors personally. No mass mailings. No polished campaign. Just a leader, voice-to-voice, sharing the urgency and the vision. I told them plainly: “We have payroll coming, and we need help.” 3. We trusted Philippians 4:19 over panic. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” That wasn’t a platitude. In that moment, it was oxygen. By Friday, something remarkable happened. Not only was payroll covered, but one of those donors stepped up as a monthly supporter. What felt like a cliff turned into a foundation. Looking back, here’s what that moment taught me about leading through financial crises: ✅ Pray first, act second. Strategy without surrender is just noise. ✅ Personal beats impersonal. People respond to relationship, not to form letters. ✅ Faith steadies leadership. Panic spreads, but faith calms and carries. That week shaped how I’ve faced every financial shortfall since.The pressure may look different today — bigger budgets, bigger staff — but the principles remain the same. Reflection for You:When you’ve faced a financial shortfall in your work, what carried you through — panic, or prayer? Drop your experience below. Someone else in this community may need your story today.

Welcome, New Founding Member! 👊 This isn’t just another group. It’s a movement. Here, you’re not just joining a community — you’re stepping into a commission to serve others! WHO WE ARE We are Servant Leader Founders. We don’t chase power — we multiply it. We don’t build egos — we build people. We don’t just talk service — we embody it. WHAT WE STAND FOR ✨ Service Over Status — Titles fade, service lasts. ✨ Purpose Over Performance — Burnout ends here. ✨ Empowerment Over Ego — We lift others, not ourselves. ✨ Community Over Competition — We rise together. WHAT WE REJECT ❌ Ego-driven leadership ❌ Hustle that burns out leaders and teams ❌ Isolation and passive participation OUR PLEDGE “I commit to living by the Servant Code: Sustain myself first. Empower others. Release ego. Value the Loop. Align with purpose. Nurture community. Teach & Trust. I am not here to manage. I am here to serve. I am not here for titles. I am here to leave a legacy.” OUR RALLY CRY A Servant Leader Founder is a new breed of leader. While others hoard power, we serve. While others burn out, we sustain. While others climb over people, we lift them up. Together, we rise. Together, we serve. Together, we are unstoppable. Welcome to the movement. Welcome home, Servant Leader Founder. Go to Start Here in the Classroom after watching the video and be sure to introduce yourself in the General community thread. Welcome to the place where your never alone and just a comment away from a compassionate word of encouragement! Also download the attached Manifesto for everyday encouragement!