We are thrilled to announce that our third City Shapers has officially launched! The catalyzing team in Holland, Michigan has begun to meet virtually and start the Assessment phase of their journey. These initial months are all about getting clarity on the current...
Here are our top 10 insights in how to avoid Toxic Charity. We’ve learned these lessons in the 10 years since Toxic Charity first came out! FCS Founder Bob Lupton shined a light on the ways that traditional philanthropic models were failing to have a lasting...
The Lupton Center exists with one goal in mind: equipping others to do holistic, place-based development work. Today, we want to give you an in-depth look at how one Change-Maker radically transformed the nonprofit she was working. Alongside her team, she swapped out...
We are thrilled to announce that we have 2 new City Shapers Cohorts starting this fall! Over the next couple of weeks, we will introduce these cities and the incredible people working to transform them. Today, we’re extending a warm welcome and shout-out to the...
Hey Change-Maker! You’ve come to this page because you love your neighbor and you want to make an impact. We want to affirm that. And we know that you want to avoid causing harm to your neighbors and your neighborhoods. That means avoiding Toxic Charity. If you’ve...
We talk about how innovation undergirds all of our initiatives here at FCS. We stay innovative by doggedly pursuing a mission greater than the needs of our organization: the flourishing of South Atlanta. From experience, we know that by choosing a mission greater than...
“There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” ~ Desmond Tutu When I first ran into this quote, I laughed out loud. I didn’t laugh because the quote is funny, but rather...
“Program is our native tongue,” the missions pastor told me. Her words caused the gears in my brain to realign and click together. After meeting with countless groups who deeply desire to love and serve their neighbors, but struggle in many ways to do so, the metaphor...
Charity is often the result of, well, charitable feelings prompting someone to act on behalf of someone else. It seems obvious: Someone needs something. I have that something. I give them that something, and they now have what they need. Problem solved. What we are...
Have you ever wondered how to recognize a flourishing community? In this journey of being a Change-Maker, sometimes it helps to see an example of what holistic success really looks like. Over the last forty years as a part of FCS, we’ve refined our vision of what it...