Operations
Science of Mind Foundation
By Lynn Thomas, Executive Director
Science of Mind Foundation
An Ernest Holmes purist + a 3-year relationship = $2 million bequest
In 2009, Maureen Thurston, Registrar for the Holmes Institute, received a call from a man who was frustrated that he wasn’t hearing “enough Ernest Holmes from the pulpit” in his town. In search of more information, he called Home Office and talked with Maureen about the Holmes Institute. After sending him information, it was just a few weeks later that the Holmes Institute received his first gift. In calling to personally thank him for his gift, Maureen planted the seeds for a special relationship.
Over the next three years, they would talk with one another several times a year. He would call to make sure everyone was OK when he heard about nearby wildfires or to check on her safety when Colorado blizzards made national news. Maureen would call just to check in with him. “He had a gentle presence,” she says with tear-filled eyes. One day he told her, “I’ve got some money to give and I want Holmes to have it. We need more people teaching Holmes. We need more ministers who can go out and make Holmes and Science of Mind available for everyone.”
His devotion to Holmes’ philosophy, his belief in the work of the Holmes Institute, and the high-integrity personal and professional interactions with Maureen resulted in a $2 million gift from this unassuming man.
Usually this article addresses how to create an endowment for your affiliate’s financial longevity. Last month I explained you needed to start with two things: Board approval and a plan. But really, it begins here - with heartfelt and impactful lifelong relationships whereby you demonstrate your organization’s credibility and forge partnerships with your significant supporters.
If this story inspires you to begin your endowment program and create long-lasting relationships with your supporters, the Science of Mind Foundation is here to help. Contact me at 720-279-1623 or lthomas@somfoundation.org.
