High Impact Philanthropy: Steve Stewart Of Impact Nations On How To Leave A Lasting Legacy With A Successful & Effective Nonprofit Organization
An Interview with Karen Mangia
Everything is built on relationships. Vision will bring people together, but only relationships will keep them together. Invest time in people with overseas partners, and be intentional about connecting regularly on the phone. Be sure that the calls are not always about “business.”
For someone who wants to set aside money to establish a Philanthropic Foundation or Fund, what does it take to make sure your resources are being impactful and truly effective? In this interview series, called “How To Create Philanthropy That Leaves a Lasting Legacy” we are visiting with founders and leaders of Philanthropic Foundations, Charitable Organizations, and Non-Profit Organizations, to talk about the steps they took to create sustainable success.
As a part of this series, I had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Stewart.
Steve Stewart is the founder and president of Impact Nations and is a leader driven by a deep faith and an unwavering commitment to high-impact philanthropy. Steve has written four books:
The Beatitudes for a Time of Crisis, When Everything Changes, The First Church Restored, The Journey: 35 Stories of Kingdom Encounters.
In 2003, a transformative encounter during a trip to Korea redirected Steve’s life. He founded Impact Nations, dedicated to rescuing lives globally — spiritually, supernaturally, economically, medically, and educationally. Impact Nations has since significantly impacted people and communities in Africa, Asia, Central America, and South America by planting churches, providing medical care, distributing food, offering clean water solutions, and establishing farms, businesses, schools, and clinics in underserved communities.
Today, Steve offers his experiences and insights to churches and conferences and leads Impact Weekends, providing hands-on opportunities for healing ministry and community outreach. His legacy of high-impact philanthropy inspires those seeking to create lasting, meaningful change worldwide. Steve’s experience establishing Impact Nations makes him a great choice to share insights on high-impact philanthropy and five things you need to create a successful and effective Nonprofit That Leaves A Lasting Legacy.
Thank you for making time to visit with us about a ‘top of mind’ topic. Our readers would like to get to know you a bit better. Can you please tell us about one or two life experiences that most shaped who you are today?
While in the middle of being a career pastor and church planter, I had a surprising change of direction in 2003. While flying back from doing conferences in Korea, I suddenly felt I was being asked, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?”
My answer came quickly: If I can do anything, then for the rest of my life (I was 50), I want to rescue lives spiritually, educationally, medically, and economically. I didn’t know how it would happen, but within weeks, I was contacted by people I didn’t know, inviting me to come and help in their countries. Within five years, it was more than full-time.
I also worked and was a community member in a very controlling environment. I saw how that created fear of making mistakes or being out of step with what was expected. When I left this (after ten years), I was determined not to be a controlling leader but to celebrate others and encourage (rather than criticize) them to fulfill their dreams. This has been my leadership model for 35 years, both as a pastor and as the founder of Impact Nations.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? We would love to hear a few stories or examples.
A. Risk-taker– I teach leaders, especially overseas, to embrace risk. It is the key to going forward. I also tell them that any organization that truly celebrates risk-taking must also have a high tolerance for mistakes. If we’re not making mistakes, we’re not really taking risks and thereby growing into our truest potential. Some examples include:
-I started two Christian schools from scratch
-I left secure work situations to launch out
-I moved my family 3,000 miles to start a church
– we went from 12 people to over 600, with four other churches planted in surrounding cities
-in the midst of this, almost nine years later, I felt called to move 3,000 miles to start again
B. Possibility thinker
-I think this is contagious. I just returned from Malawi, where I helped leaders to identify what they would most like to see accomplished in the immediate short term and beyond. We empowered them strategically and financially to make their dreams happen, and some new small but effective projects were launched from this trip.
-This has been the pattern with Impact from the beginning. We come alongside our partners and help them see the possibilities rather than what they see as insurmountable obstacles.
C. Proactive
-in the late 80’s, I read “Seven Habits.” All of them are built on being proactive. I believe this is one of the most important characteristics of a successful leader. It is infectious and has been a major factor in watching things grow. I am convinced by looking at Nature that all healthy things grow.
What’s the most interesting discovery you’ve made since you started leading your organization?
I have learned that people will not wholeheartedly follow and do what you say; they will do what they see you doing. Leading the way vs pointing the way. An organization (whether church or Impact Nations) is built upon an ethos of “Let’s go on this adventure together.”
To move this beyond theory to practice (which is everything in an organization), I have had to “go” in many ways. As a pastor, I wanted us to be a people who did not exist for ourselves or stay inside the walls. Rather than saying that, I chose to go out into the community myself week after week. The result was a church that went out in many creative ways that I never thought of. Our first church is still engaged in this seven days a week, 34 years later.
Can you please tell our readers more about how you or your organization intends to make a significant social impact?
We will continue to reach more poor and marginalized communities with a message and a practical “putting into practice” of transformation. From the beginning, this is what Impact Nations has done, and we will continue doing it on a bigger and growing scale.
What makes you feel passionate about this cause more than any other?
We live in a time where the gulf between the rich (and the middle class) and the poor is wider than ever before. Because of social media, we now know more about the situations in which the poor and oppressed live than was previously possible to know. And we can’t “unknow” it. Positively, we live in a time when we can do more and do it faster than we ever imagined to come alongside and rescue lives. This is what continually captures my heart, my mind and my dreams.
Without naming names, could you share a story about an individual who benefitted from your initiatives?
In 2012, I went with a team to a fairly isolated community of over 10,000 people in East Africa. It was both very poor and very beaten down — high levels of domestic violence, alcoholism and frequent killings. The water source was contaminated, causing widespread illness and even death. Yet, in the midst of this, a father and son kept trying to do all that they could for the community. The only school was a series of shacks that collapsed one day in a windstorm. We felt compelled to do all we could to help. Over the next three years, we built a new water system and household filters that immediately turned the community’s health around. We bought land for abandoned women and their children. We purchased farmland where crops and livestock were raised. We built a school for 400 children that included solar-powered lighting. We taught business skills that led to a number of small businesses being established in the community. The father and son now live in and care for a thriving community.
We all want to help and to live a life of purpose. What are three actions anyone could take to help address the root cause of the problem you’re trying to solve?
- Go to the location and personally observe the situation. While there, ask lots of questions of locals, especially asking them what they think the biggest issues are.
- Do not go with solutions. Instead, spend time with your local contact, asking them what they think is needed. This is very important. If you “import” a solution rather than come alongside to help, success is unlikely.
- Start small. Do one small project. Then, use that to assess the potential partner’s capacity, faithfulness, etc. and to teach them skills necessary for larger-scale success. Then, do a slightly larger project. Continue the process.
Based on your experience, what are the “5 Things You Need To Create A Successful & Effective Nonprofit That Leaves A Lasting Legacy?”
- Everything is built on relationships. Vision will bring people together, but only relationships will keep them together. Invest time in people with overseas partners, and be intentional about connecting regularly on the phone. Be sure that the calls are not always about “business.”
- Tell the story. This involves the big picture of what and why you are building the organization and current success stories. Tell the story all the time. I have been doing this for 35 years, planting churches in cities, then with Impact Nations. When people would respond with “I don’t go to church.”, I would reply, “That’s perfect because we’re starting a church for people who don’t go to church.” With Impact Nations, I tell people that dire situations can change and that we can do more and do it faster than we ever imagined. Then, tell a current story of transformation.
- Gather a team with skills that go beyond your own. From the beginning, empower them to function in ways that work best for them. We work very collaboratively. I spend time “dropping in” on various team members. I make sure this is always a positive experience for them. People grow much better with praise than criticism. In this atmosphere, I want them to feel very free to make suggestions and share new ideas without any fear of being shut down. When we gather as a team, we celebrate one another.
- Internally, we value risk-taking. This means a high tolerance for mistakes. Mistakes aren’t to be feared; they indicate that we are trying and learning new things. As the leader, I am comfortable sharing with the team mistakes that I make. This creates an atmosphere of “thinking outside the box” because it is safe to do so. Related to this is the question: “Are we having fun?” It is amazing what can be accomplished when we are truly enjoying what we do.
- All the way through the organization, be intentionally raising up people to do what you do. There are two main reasons for this: 1) So that as the organization grows, there are always people ready, trained and prepared to step into the new opportunities. 2) By delegating to others things that they can do, it frees your time to do what only you can do.
How has the pandemic changed your definition of success?
In many ways, Impact Nations became more successful during the pandemic. While we could not travel to our partners in other countries, the time we had spent on-site with them, training and encouraging them, paid great dividends. They were ready to move ahead in various initiatives without us actually being there. We reached multiple more lives during the pandemic than we ever had before.
How do you get inspired after an inevitable setback?
I make myself think about what we have accomplished. I think of the individual lives that have been changed. This keeps me in a thankful and positive mindset. I remind myself that we really are changing lives and that what we are doing is making a tangible difference in so many lives.
We are very blessed that very prominent leaders read this column. Is there a person in the world who you would like to talk to, to share the idea behind your non-profit? He, she, or they might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to have time with Andre Agassi. I admired him as a tennis great, and I admire how he has used his fame and resources to help others.
You’re doing important work. How can our readers follow your progress online?
https://www.facebook.com/impactnationsministries/
Thank you for a meaningful conversation. We wish you continued success with your mission.
About The Interviewer: Karen Mangia is one of the most sought-after keynote speakers in the world, sharing her thought leadership with over 10,000 organizations during the course of her career. As Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce, she helps individuals and organizations define, design and deliver the future. Discover her proven strategies to access your own success in her fourth book Success from Anywhere and by connecting with her on LinkedIn and Twitter.
High Impact Philanthropy: Steve Stewart Of Impact Nations On How To Leave A Lasting Legacy With A… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.