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Convergence: Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Real ID, CRISPR and the Book of Revelation

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Recently, a question was posed to me about the advancement of technology in the housing finance industry. The question was based upon a few paragraphs from a recent news blast by the National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA).

(And before I get much further, let me acknowledge this post won’t be a typical post for the Levaire blog. Stay with me. I’ll bring it home; promise.)

The NCSHA paragraphs in question:

One major driver of disruption across these areas, which Mehlman forecasts will continue its astonishing acceleration, is technology. 

What does it mean for housing? Craig Phillips, counselor to U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, alluded to one important domain in his remarks at that same NCSHA board meeting: the rapid growth of nonbank financial (“fintech”) firms. Phillips cited Treasury’s report released last summer, Nonbank Financials, Fintech, and Innovation,” which includes more than 80 recommendations to Congress and bank regulators.

The Treasury report notes that while the housing finance industry “has been slow to adopt innovations common in other consumer credit markets…the application of financial technology in the mortgage market is accelerating, challenging existing norms as the industry transitions toward automated, digital practices and processes that appeal to customer demands in today’s digital age.”

The question was, “Really? Been slow to be technologically savvy with mortgages?” It was a question of disbelief, as the evidence of mortgage calculators, online applications and automated eligibility tools seems ubiquitous in this market.

My response was complete agreement, however. For this industry and others, I believe the adoption of technology has been slow, but I think the question can only be answered by looking at where technology is going globally; not by looking at a single industry.

Just as we can’t see how large a forest is by standing in the middle of it, we won’t be able to glean an accurate perspective of an industry’s technological pace by only looking at the industry itself.

What Might the Future Hold?

I think the bleeding edge here looks like artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced vetting and blockchain contractual/financial transactions, which are still in their infancy. Give it a couple years. As the lines between individual privacy, identification (for the US, this means Real ID by 2020, but we’re certainly trailing in the lemming line behind countries like Estonia and Sweden), banking, credit, EMR, retail and Lord-only-knows-what-else continues to blur, I think we’ll see a quickening.

Initially, I think this movement will be pitched under language that looks like the 10th recommendation in Treasury’s document, per Appendix B, page 198: “standardization of data elements as part of improving consumers’ access to their data.”

Translation: We’re doing this for our beloved customers.

Oh, and AI? That’s on page 200:

2018 treasury recommendations to congress regarding AI
Caption reads: “Regulators should not impose unnecessary burdens or obstacles to the use of AI and machine learning and should provide greater regulatory clarity that would enable further testing and responsible deployment of these technologies by regulated financial services companies as the technologies develop.”

Translation: We want an open door.

In respect to housing, I think we’ll eventually see mortgage transactions opened and closed within moments; not weeks or months.

Once all your financial, medical and otherwise personal history is “blockchained” to your bodily person, an AI-driven decision based on your social credit score should be pretty easy (but social credit scores are only in China, right?)

Though this NCSHA article points to slow movement by the financial industry, I’m sure Citi and Chase are planning 20-30 years ahead or more, which easily puts them 10-15 years ahead of most state and local governments.

On that note, back around 2005, I was sitting down to lunch with a government sales rep from Intel when he told me Intel had their eyes on wifi-speed cellular towers. Fast-forward to today, this technology is currently being rolled out under the ‘5G’ moniker and is a key component in the encroaching Internet of Things (IoT).

Bringing It Home

As blockchain and AI improves and infiltrates with the help of quantum computing (Dan 12:4), I think innovation will be led by private-sector (yes, even the financial industry,) fueled by a mix of global competition on the world stage, targeted government contracts and a race toward the gold of data-mining and consolidation.

Then we simply add a dash of cashless society (Rev 13:17), a teaspoon of deep-state bio-metric surveillance (Rev 13:16) and sprinkle a some CRISPR-ish gene-editing (Rev 9:6) to taste.

Sounds like some loose-nut conspiracy theory, right? If these events weren’t unfolding before our very eyes, I mean.

We are in a time of convergence. Eyes and ears open, folks.

matt signature

 

I See You Looking

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As you look, I see you searching for that one thing that can fulfill you.

You look at clothes and try to find the perfect item.

You find it; it looks great. You buy it.

Two months from now, it’s just another shirt or pair of shoes in your closet.

I see you looking, climbing that corporate ladder because when you reach vice president you think you will fulfill your dream.

After 10 years of hard work and sacrifice you finally made it.

Then one year later, you feel unfulfilled and want to be president of your own company.

I see you looking, thinking that winning the lottery will fulfill you.

But the $10,000 you just spent left you wanting more.

I see you looking thinking that a great steak or Chicago-style pizza, or backyard barbecue will satisfy, but hours after you’re full, you’re hungry again.

It’s like the Rolling Stones said: I can’t get no satisfaction.

I see you looking as you walk by our stand. In your head, you are saying I don’t need that. It’s just like I once thought, “That’s for the weak, the stupid, the gullible, because there is no God.”

I see you looking!

Now you are here looking to drink, eat, chill or find that perfect somebody.

Can’t you see these things don’t satisfy forever?

God put eternity in your heart. The hole you’re trying to fill cannot be filled with things or people. You have been on the treadmill of life chasing a carrot just out of reach, thinking—if you got it—you would be satisfied.

It’s a lie.

It is what you are rejecting is the only thing that can fulfill your soul. Nothing is eternal but God. Only He can fill us. It is God who must become a part of your life.

I hope you see now or you will keep searching and, when you die, you will be without Him.

You are like a son or daughter who was adopted at birth and felt things were not right. Then the knowledge comes that you were adopted and your birth parents were out there, so now you are searching.

But God didn’t abandon you.

He made you and loves you and desires that you come home to Him. It was our sin that separated us from God. You were born into it and by choice of your sin you were kept from our loving Father God. So the Father sent His son, Jesus, to bring us back together. He sent Him to take away the barrier between us and Him; our sin.

Since we all have lied, that makes us a liar.

Since we have stolen, regardless of size, that makes us a thief.

Since we have had sex or looked with lust outside of marriage, we are adulterers of heart and body.

Even if we have done just one thing wrong that separates you from God.

Jesus came to live a perfect life; a life without sin. Then Jesus died for all the sins that we committed. He was placed on a cross to be crucified and after three days He rose from the grave.

So for you and I to be complete, we must believe He died for us. Be willing to turn from sin. Believe that He rose from the grave. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. You will be forgiven. You will receive eternal life and be restored into an eternal relationship with GOD, your Father.

It all starts with a prayer like this from your heart:

“Jesus, I am a sinner. I cannot save myself. I turn from my sin and believe that you died for me on the cross to take away my sins. I believe that, after three days, you rose from the dead. I believe you are my Savior and my Lord. I now follow you and give you the rest of my days. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

If you have prayed that from your heart and have confessed Jesus as your Lord, your sins are forgiven and you have been adopted into the family of God. You are complete in Christ and have been made a new person.

You are now a son or daughter of God.

Now to understand what God has done for you and the relationship He has with you, please read your Bible and pray to Him. Go to a Bible-believing church to fellowship with other believers. Go out and tell others about Him, as we have you.

Your looking is over. You have found eternal life in Jesus.

S.B.

When Does Life Begin?

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I have had persons who argue for liberal rights give me this answer as to when life begins, but is this true? A direct quote:

“As for when life begins, it begins when the child is viable outside the womb without having to subsist on the female body for support. There are many tenets of Christianity that bothers the heck out of me. It’s ok to force a woman to bear a child, but those same individuals who would regulate my body and medical decisions have no responsibility to care for it afterwards.  Its ok, to force a woman to bear another person (which incidentally is slavery and violates our 14th amendment rights) but it’s not ok for her to say that’s NOT ok for her body, or to realize it’s too much for her psyche after it has begun, which does happen. Even animals recognize when they are sick and will terminate pregnancies early for their health.  I believe strongly in individual rights and those of self-care of the woman, as less men care for me than they would themselves, so I have my duty to do so for me.  I owe no-one else a thing in this life, much less accountability about my physical person.  Now, that is not to say I would ever make this personal choice as I love others and I love children, but I also choose not to dominate others with my religious beliefs as certain Christians deem proper thru law.. My love is appropriate to me and not my will on others.  I also do not believe in using them as a means of birth control.  Self-defense is self-defense even if you don’t agree with how the person protects themselves (for example, not bearing the body of another and risking your your life or mental state) because it affects someone elses religious sensibilites.. it may not be their religion, it may just be something less than human until its born.”

“Thats what I meant by comparing killing a person in self-defense, to having an abortion.”

Let me ask you an honest question; I hope it will help you grasp what you said.

When did your life begin?

Mine began in my mother’s womb.

Mine began when the sperm and the egg joined together.

If my parents did not have sex I would not be a person. My parents chose to have sex and were never forced to have sex. The only way I would not be born after the egg and the sperm joined together would be if something went wrong or someone or something interrupted the growth cycle of my early development.

We must also ask when is a growing fetus not a human child? The answer is never. We are always in stages of development. Children live outside of the womb who are three or four months old.

Someone may say, “Well, fetuses are dependent upon someone.” Yes, children are dependent upon someone to live, just like all new-born children and every one-year old, two-year old, four-year old and up.

So to use logic that says a baby still in utero is not a child until they’re born because they’re dependent cannot be right.  A young human life is always dependent upon a grown up, so is not wise to use this type of logic.

A two-year old needs his mom too.

Using this logic, should we be able to kill the two-year old child since he still needs his mom? For us to choose to terminate a child before it is born does not change that it was a developing child any more than it does to kill a two-year old under the same pretense.

Abortion as self-defense?

Now, let’s look at the last part of this logic: that people are forced to take care of a child that they did not want merits self-defense. That this child was forced into me so I need to kill and remove it.

First, let’s be honest. A person almost always has the choice to have sex or not with another person.

Most people beyond a 4th grade education know sexual union can produce a life as it’s the God-given process most people were brought into the world (aside from some newer, modern science techniques.)

Yes, a person choosing to engage in sexual union outside a marriage commitment may decide afterwards they don’t want to be with this person so they terminate the life inside them. That’s not self-defense. Who forced you to have sex?

You had a chance to “defend yourself” by saying no, right?

If you use this logic, the real problem becomes that unwritten law that says that we can have sex when we want and with whom we want. Especially throughout the West, peddled largely through Hollywood and social media, we are told we have an unhindered right to sex.

But the GOD who created us calls this fornication.

It is sex outside of marriage where we first disobey God. Marriage with a person who is committed to us for life is beautiful.

Bad math

The first variable in this equation is that we have done wrong by having sex as we chose—outside of marriage. Plus, now we want to kill the child because of our willful “mistake”! This math doesn’t work.

Two wrongs will never make a right.

S.B.

Prayers for the Unbelieving and Lost

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These prayer points were originally offered by a woman dealing with her unbelieving spouse, however you can obviously pray God’s Word over any loved one, friend, coworker, etc., struggling with (against) their Kingdom identity. We are all called to intercede on behalf of others. Pray these Scriptures in love over the unbelievers in your life. Remember, these prayers are not techniques for manipulating God into correcting the struggling or lost, but an outpouring of faith in His goodness and promises of deliverance and freedom through Christ.

P.S. – You’ll be pleased to know the woman with the unbelieving husband saw her husband eventually turn to Jesus. God is faithful to respond to His Word. Hallelujah!

 

  1. “Lord, may Your wise and knowing Spirit rest on ________. Be his/her counselor, Father. May ________ delight in You and obey Your commands. Convict ________ of sin, the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and of the coming judgment.”

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord;

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: (Isaiah 11:2-3)

  1. “God, You will fulfill the purpose in each of our lives. Your love endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands. Do not abandon ________. Draw him/her to You.”

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me: thy mercy, O Lord, endures forever: forsake not the works of thine own hands. (Psalm 138:8)

  1. “Bring ________ to the end of himself/herself and into a living, vital, intimate, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Open his/her eyes that he/she may see wonderful things in Your law.”

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. (Psalm 119:18)

  1. “Your hands made ________ and formed him/her; give ________ understanding that he/she may learn Your commandments and will.”

Your hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn your commandments. (Psalm 119:73)

  1. “Bless ________. Your Word says that Your kindness leads to repentance. Don’t allow ________ to continue to store up wrath for himself/herself.”

Or despises thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

But after your hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds: (Romans 2:4-6)

  1. “________’s heart is in Your hand; You direct it like a watercourse where You please. I can trust You.”

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turns it wherever he will. (Proverbs 21:1)

  1. “Give ________ singleness of heart and action so that he/she will always fear You for his/her own good and the good of our children.”

And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: (Jeremiah 32:39)

  1. “Instruct ________ and teach him/her in the way he/she should go. Counsel ________ and watch over him/her. Your unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in You.”

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go: I will guide you with my eye. […] Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusts in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. (Psalm 32:8, 10)

  1. “Help ________ to humble himself/herself under Your mighty hand, that You may lift him/her up in due time.”

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: (1 Peter 5:6)

  1. “I pray a hedge of thorns around ________, that those with wrong influence will lose interest and leave him/her alone. I pray this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the power of His blood.”

Therefore, behold, I will hedge up thy way with thorns, and make a wall, that she shall not find her paths. (Hosea 2:6)

 

Are we missing some Scriptures you’ve used to pray over those struggling with their spiritual identity? Let us know and we’ll add them to this list!


References

10 Ideas: Prayers for an Unbelieving Spouse. FamilyLife. Retrieved from https://www.familylife.com/articles/topics/marriage/marriage-challenges/spiritually-mismatched/10-ideas-prayers-for-an-unbelieving-spouse

 

9 Ways to Raise Money for Your Nonprofit

Are you a nonprofit that needs to hire that next staff person? (Growth.) Need to raise awareness for your cause? (Promotion.) Or do you simply need to keep the lights on? (Sustainability.)

So–besides collecting member dues (if your structure allows it; we use Qgiv for secure, recurring giving like this)–here are nine more ways for your nonprofit to profit:

  1. Hold a fundraising event (or two.) Add them to your annual calendar so you can plan and promote them well in advance every year. (See almost 100 fundraising event ideas here…)
  2. Send a fundraising letter to your list of donors. This may be asking for a one-time gift (is it ever only just “one” time though) or a request to commit to a gift that renews monthly or annually (if they’re not already set up for this.) More, expand this to a fundraising email sent to your whole mailing list.
  3. Apply for grants. You know who the players are. If necessary, hire a grant-writer to navigate this process, but make sure your hat is thrown into the ring. Someone is going to get that money; may as well be you. Put in the work to develop a strong grant application and submit in advance of the due date.
  4. Get added to the United Way. While the organization may keep over 20% of the donations to cover operational and promotional efforts, you’re tapping into a broader audience. Research the local United Way offerings to ensure this aligns with your core values before signing on the dotted line.
  5. Launch a board giving campaign. Often, board members are selected not only for vision-casting and decision-making, but also for their ability to fund the effort. If board members don’t have pockets deep enough to lend to your cause, they may be able to leverage other resources (staff hours, volunteer base, contact lists, etc.) toward advancing your mutual mission.
  6. Recruit volunteers to raise money on your behalf. This may look like a telethon or crowdfunding campaign, but make sure your volunteers are equipped with your story, a solid understanding of your cause, and a solid script complete with answers to frequently asked questions (phone script, email script, social media script, etc.) Some telethons lean on leveraging their volunteers’ contact lists, bringing in way warmer leads than simply making cold calls to local businesses. Smart.
  7. Ask a donor to run a hosted event. Here you’re able to come alongside one of your larger donors or partners to tap into their audience, on their turf. This is especially helpful if you have a new or under-established brand in contrast to your donor. One example of this might be a client-appreciation party/fundraiser thrown by your donor to their clientele where the proceeds go to your cause.
  8. Seek out a major donor to fund a project. Instead of the more nebulous and airy “support our great cause” approach, have an actual project the donor can apply funds to. Be sure to round back with the donor and share the success of the event so they can see what kind of impact their dollars made.
  9. Seek out in-kind donations to meet your needs, instead of asking for money. Maybe a donor doesn’t have a lot of cash but they are able to print and mail your next event save-the-date postcards at low or no cost to you. Need office supplies? Need items to donate to your clients? Ask your community to fulfill these non-cash needs.

There you have it. Nine ways to raise money for your growing nonprofit. (Actually there were ten ideas–did you see how I slipped that whole membership dues tip in there at the beginning? Tricky!)

Did I miss a fundraising idea in this list? Feel free to suggest one in the comments below!

matt signature


References

Garecht, J. 17 Ways to Raise $25,000 for Your Organization. The Fundraising Authority. Retrieved from http://www.thefundraisingauthority.com/fundraising-ideas/17-ways-to-raise-25000/ .

Conference Sponsorship Package Examples

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Unfortunately, a common weakness in many events is the underwriting. Seeking sponsorships for events is often placed upon the shoulders of some over-worked staffer (or executive director) who already has a full-time job. As such, seeking event sponsorships often gets placed on the back-burner.

Want a successful event? Treat it seriously. Ensure your event manager seeks funding to help offset the costs. If you expect the whole event to be covered by registrations, you’re leaving money on the table.

Aggressively seeking sponsorships and exhibitors will go a long way toward making your event profitable. Just be sure your sponsors and exhibitors know exactly what they’re getting and deliver exactly that—at a minimum!

Use the conference sponsorship template below for ideas to help you design sponsorship packages for your next event.

Conference Sponsorship Package Examples

Special Event Sponsor $25,000 (qty 1)

  • Sponsor of the highest-profile project in the exhibit hall
  • Opportunity to introduce the project from the conference podium
  • 12 complimentary conference registrations
  • One single exhibit booth (10’ x 10’) in exhibit hall or near special project
  • Full-page back cover, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Full-page, 4-color ad in anniversary banquet and awards ceremony program
  • Logo on conference giveaway
  • Promoted on conference mobile application
  • Company profile, logo, and contact information in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, event wear and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Platinum Sponsor $20,000 (qty 2)

  • Podium recognition at 20th anniversary banquet and awards ceremony
  • 12 complimentary conference registrations
  • One double exhibit booth (10’ x 20’) with prime location in exhibit hall
  • VIP seating at front of conference hall
  • Full-page back cover of 20th anniversary banquet and awards ceremony program
  • Full-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Company/organization branding on all event lanyards
  • Logo gets top billing on conference giveaway
  • Company profile, logo, and contact information in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, event wear and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Media Sponsor $15,000 (qty 1)

  • Recognition as media sponsor for event
  • Branding and sponsorship recognition on all post-event video productions
  • Branding on event backdrop for press conferences and speaker interviews
  • 10 complimentary conference registrations
  • One single exhibit booth (10’ x 10’) in exhibit hall
  • Full-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Full-page, 4-color ad in anniversary banquet and awards ceremony program
  • Logo on conference giveaway
  • Company profile, logo, and contact information in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, event wear and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Gold Sponsor $15,000 (qty 4)

  • Podium recognition at 20th Anniversary banquet and awards ceremony
  • Podium recognition during conference proceedings
  • Podium speaker introduction as sponsor of ONE of the following speakers: Monday opening keynote, Tuesday luncheon keynote, Wednesday luncheon keynote
  • 10 complimentary conference registrations
  • One double exhibit booth (10’ x 20’) in the exhibit hall
  • VIP seating at front of conference hall
  • Full-page, 4-color ad in 20th anniversary banquet and awards ceremony program
  • Full-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Log on conference giveaway
  • Company profile, logo, and contact information in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, event wear and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Silver Sponsor $10,000 (qty 6)

  • Podium recognition as sponsor of ONE of the following event meals: Monday breakfast, Monday luncheon, Tuesday breakfast, Tuesday luncheon, Wednesday breakfast, Wednesday luncheon
  • Six complimentary conference registrations
  • One single exhibit booth (10’ x 10’) in exhibit hall
  • VIP seating near mainstage
  • ¾-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Recognition (with logo) in rotating signage from conference main stage
  • 50-word profile of company/organization in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Hot Spot Sponsor $10,000 (qty 1)

  • Podium recognition as wi-fi hot spot sponsor
  • Conference wi-fi hot spot named after company/organization
  • Six complimentary conference registrations
  • VIP seating near mainstage
  • Recognition (with logo) in rotating signage from conference main stage
  • 50-word profile of company/organization in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Pre-Event Kickoff Dinner Sponsor $7,500 (qty 1)

  • Dinner with keynotes prior to the first day of the event
  • Six complimentary conference registrations
  • One single booth (10’ x 10’) in exhibit hall
  • ½-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Recognition (with logo) in rotating signage from main stage
  • 50-word profile of company/organization in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Bronze Sponsor $5,000 (qty 8-10)

  • Four complimentary conference registrations
  • One single booth (10’ x 10’) in exhibit hall
  • ½-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Recognition (with logo) in rotating signage from main stage
  • 50-word profile of company/organization in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Exhibitor Plus $2,500 (shares exhibit hall capacity with Exhibitor level)

  • Listing as co-sponsor of exhibit hall
  • Two complimentary conference registration passes
  • One single booth (10’ x 10’) in the exhibit hall
  • ¼-page, 4-color ad in conference program
  • Logo on conference signage, event promotions, and event website
  • Organization name, website, and contact info in conference brochure
  • Attendee email list
  • Option to participate in ongoing event-day promotions
  • Organization profile included in pre-event social media promotions

Exhibitor $950 (shares exhibit hall capacity with Exhibitor Plus level)

  • One single booth (10’ x 10’) in the exhibit hall
  • One complimentary registration to conference
  • Logo on conference signage and event website
  • Attendee email list
  • Organization listed in conference program and event website

Patron $500 (unlimited)

  • Logo on conference signage and event website
  • Organization listed in conference program and event website

A note about kick-off dinners, evening awards banquets, off-hour city tours, and other events-within-events: the cost impact and resulting registration fee should be calculated separately. You will want to track the total operating budget for these mini-events and the total number of paying attendees to determine if the function helps or hinders the success of your event.

topic ideas for Christian leadership conference