It is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to Stephen Clardy, our development coordinator for the past two and a half years. After faithfully working bi-vocationally as a minister at his church and co-laborer at CSNTM, he received an opportunity to serve in ministry full-time. Our team is thrilled that he now has the opportunity to direct his full-time efforts to ministry, his long-term goal.
In his time at CSNTM, Stephen raised the bar of excellence in our partnership with supporters. Great donor relations depend upon doing a hundred small things well and doing them consistently. And the most important task of any fundraising effort is ensuring donors feel gratified by their decision to make a gift. Stephen did that faithfully and well. He also connected with our benefactors using the art and science of social media and online communication. He made the unnoticeably complex work of regular communication look simple!
CSNTM will also miss the connection he made with people in person. When random visitors came for a quick tour, Stephen quickly greeted them and shared about the unique and exciting work of the Center. He had a wonderful ability to reduce the heady, complex mission of CSNTM to terms that educate and inspired non-scholars.
With Stephen’s transition, CSNTM says farewell to a good friend. Our team has come to appreciate his gentle nature, especially when he has difficult feedback to share. His character stands out as he lives the life of a steadfast, firm, kind, welcoming, and reassuring man. He encourages, challenges, and initiates joyful comradery. Stephen often gathered the team around lunch with a good story that ended in roaring laughter. We wish Stephen all the best as he transitions into his new role, knowing that he will most certainly leave an impact there as he has at CSNTM.