Part of our 412 Vision at Beratung Advisors is to have “An Impact so Great Our Community Would Weep if We Closed Our Doors.” This mantra comes from the teachings of Jeff Henderson.
In Jeff Henderson’s book Know What You’re For (part of the Beratung Pentateuch), Chapter 15 Good for Goodness’ Sake, Jeff, who is a pastor, asks:
“If our church closed down, would the community even notice?”
He poses this question in the early days of Gwinnett Church:
“It’s admittedly an odd question in the start-up days, but I wanted it to help guide our thinking. I wanted us to add so much value to the community that if someday we decided to close the church, the community would protest and try to keep us open. I would want the mayor, school principals, teachers, business owners, and parents to call and say, ‘You can’t close! Our community needs this church to stay open.’ The problem with many churches, non-profits, and businesses is that if they closed down tomorrow, the community around them wouldn’t know it. The organization’s purpose never flowed beyond the walls of the organization.”1
This powerful question inspired us to ask ourselves: If Beratung closed its doors, would our community even notice?
We want to be able to answer that question with a resounding yes—not just from our clients and team, but from the broader 412 community. Our goal is for our impact to be felt far beyond our walls.
We’ve seen what this kind of impact looks like. A local wealth management firm in Pittsburgh once gave so much back to the community that when it was sold to a national firm and its resources were reallocated, the community felt the loss deeply. People who were neither clients nor employees mourned the change because of the void it left behind. They weren’t just for their clients or team; they were for the community.
The Impact
We want to be known not just as a company that’s for our team, our clients, and our profession—but also as a company that’s FOR YINZ. As Jeff Henderson says,
“You can’t just talk about being FOR people; you have to show it.”2
How do we plan to implement this? We believe it starts with living out our core values and pursuing our vision. One of our core values is Contagious Generosity—and it’s about more than just giving money. It means being generous with our time, talent, and possessions, and inspiring others to do the same.
Here’s how we plan to create an impact so great our community would weep if we closed our doors:
Volunteer Hours
We encourage our team to give their time to the community. This includes organizing events that expose our team to new volunteer opportunities and offering flexibility to support causes they care about.
Resources and Support
We offer paid time off for volunteer work and support nonprofit events. Need to print materials for a community event? Use our printers. We want our resources to help make a difference.
Sharing Our Space
We open our Education Center to nonprofits and organizations at no cost and allow trained groups to use Beratung Studios free of charge.
Contagious Generosity
We lead by example and encourage our team to give to causes they believe in by matching donations and fostering a spirit of generosity throughout the organization. When one person leads with generosity, it inspires others to do the same—making it contagious and multiplying our impact.
Creating Jobs
We strive to create great-paying jobs with competitive benefits that empower our team and boost the local economy.
Building a Culture That Supports Both Work and Personal Life
While there’s no such thing as perfect work-life balance, we aim to create a healthy environment where our team can thrive. We offer flexibility, maternity and paternity leave, and a culture that encourages people to be great spouses, parents, and community members. It’s not just about giving people time off—it’s about helping them truly disconnect and enjoy that time.
Building Leaders in the 412
The TeachPassion summit is building leaders in the 412 and we work with out team to equip them as leaders in the community.
Mentoring and Developing the Next Generation
An intern program that exposes students to the financial planning profession and equips them with real-world tools and hands-on experience to prepare them for their future.
Strengthening the Community Through Financial Planning
Making financial planning more accessible through subscription based financial planning and discounts for our clients children.
Great financial plans create financial freedom. They strengthen marriages, reduce stress, and lower the risk of suicide. Our mission is to empower our community with financial literacy so people can live more fulfilled lives and make informed decisions.
Praying Over Our Community
Every Tuesday, we gather to pray for our community and the people we serve. It’s a powerful reminder that our work is part of something much bigger.
The Why
Why do we want to have an impact so great that our community would weep if we closed our doors?
Because it’s in our DNA. It’s who we are. Striving for this kind of impact excites us, fulfills us, and gives us a unified sense of purpose.
And as Jeff Henderson points out, it’s also good for business:
“When people who aren’t your customers speak positively about your organization to people who are your customers, it increases loyalty on the part of your customers.” 3
Jeff challenges every organization to ask two questions:
- What do you want to be known for?
- What are you currently known for? 5
Our vision is to be known as a company that is FOR
Our Clients
Our Team
Our Community
Our Profession
A company that is FOR
Yinz!
Citations:
- Jeff Henderson, Know What You’re For: A Growth Strategy for Work, an Even Better Strategy for Life. Zondervan, 2019, p. 171
- Ibid., p. 172
- Ibid., p. 174
- Ibid., p. 175
- Ibid., p. 189
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