Discover how to MAXIMIZE THE GOOD you do in your community, whether as an individual or as part of a charity, church, or any other organization. This podcast will help you turn COMPASSION into ACTION, doing GREATER GOOD for those in need in our world. You owe it to yourself to make the greatest impact possible with your limited time and resources. Blake and his guests will share their decades of experience in the non-profit sector to help you do exactly that.
Blake left the field of automotive engineering to serve as a Teaching Pastor of a local multisite church for seventeen years, where he discovered first hand the opportunities and challenges of serving those in crisis and need. This led to the founding of OnRamp, a non-profit that has donated reliable vehicles to hundreds of hard-working families in need to help them on the road to self-sufficiency. Through OnRamp, Blake has partnered with and consulted for many non-profit and faith-based ministries serving a wide range of needs. He's coached organizations in strategic planning, client care, program development and measurement, board leadership, staffing, fundraising, marketing, church relations, and community partnerships. His guests come from a wide range of non-profits, ministries, churches, businesses, and universities.
So many of us live in fear of being forgotten. But what if that were actually the goal of life? What if being remembered and celebrated by all was actually a mark of failure rather than success? In this episode, I'll share this upside-down realization and the biblical, personal, and marketplace evidence that proves it. Their is virtue and FREEDOM that comes from knowing that a good life is a life that will be forgotten!
1 Sept 2026
Who Deserves Your Dollars?
My 7 Rules of Giving
Feeling overwhelmed by how many organizations ask you for money? There are SO many good causes out there - your kid's team, your church, a food bank, a neighbor fighting cancer, a missionary going overseas, a crisis pregnancy center - how can you possibly decide where to give your hard-earned wealth?
In this episode, I'll share my SEVEN RULES for choosing where and how to give in a way that makes the greatest possible impact. You can't meet every need; but you can grow as a donor to meet more needs more effectively than ever before!
Don't give up
Don't go shotgun style
Set a stretch budget
Start close to home
Follow your passion
Ask HARD questions
Build a relationship and followup
18 Aug 2026
When "This is my calling" Turns Toxic
I hate the word "called" as it's used in Christian culture. Man, it messed me up. Here's why the word has become toxic for many of us, as well as the far better word I now use to describe how I move through life. Oh, and also, NO I DID NOT HAVE AN AFFAIR. Let me explain...
5 May 2026
Advice for Churches on How Best to Help the Poor
When someone can't pay rent, buy groceries, or afford a medical bill, they often turn to a local church for assistance. Yet many church leaders - pastors, elders, deacons, staff, volunteers - have never been trained in how best to help a person or family struggling with material poverty. That lack of knowledge can be devastating; you can actually do more harm than good in these crucial moments. So in this episode, Blake shares his six rules for how churches can have the greatest impact and cause the least harm when serving those in financial need. This is essential information for everyone in church leadership, whether on staff or a volunteer.
Rule 1: Educate yourself
Rule 2: Begin with strengths, not deficiencies
Rule 3: Keep your eyes on the 3 types of poverty intervention: relief, rehabilitation, development
Rule 4: Practice the 80/20 rule
Rule 5: Always include required action steps
Rule 6: Follow assistance with relationships
13 Apr 2026
Top 10 Things to Know Before Starting a Non-Profit
Here are my Top 10 truths to know before starting a non-profit or choosing to work at a non-profit. These are things that I either wish I would have known before starting OnRamp or was grateful that I already knew. Some of these are good news; some are bad; but all are critical to know before investing your life in non-profit work. Most apply to working at a church as well.
Outline:
It's easier than you think... administratively
People WILL judge how you spend your money
It's very lonely work
Those you serve will inspire you
Those you serve will disappoint you
Burnout is real
Nothing matters more than choosing the right board
The negatives of work still apply
Payroll is scary!
You will almost certainly not regret it
24 Mar 2026
How to Fundraise without Losing your Soul
In this episode we talk about something most people hate as much as having teeth pulled - fundraising! How do you get over that terror and effectively, confidently raise money for your charity, church, ministry, mission, or project? How do you raise money without exploiting those you hope to serve? How can you turn donors into true, long-term partners? Find out as I share my top 5 lessons learned while raising fund for OnRamp these last ten years.
Outline:
How to fundraise effectively without losing your soul
You’ve got to be passionate about the mission
You are pitching an investment, not panhandling
We are not beggars looking for handouts - we are visionaries showing people how they can make the greatest possible impact with their lives
Your clients’ dignity infinitely outweighs any donation
Your clients should be the owners of their stories and the heroes of their stories
Be careful about exaggeration - bending the truth will cost your organization in the long run
Your donors are people, not prospects
DO NOT view them as bank accounts, see them as unique individuals whose lives matter as much as your clients’ lives
Care about their journey and their growth
Stories outperform events
10 Mar 2026
Doing Good While Depressed
For anyone battling depression, anxiety, loss, or loneliness, there is hope! Your suffering CAN get better and it CAN bring about surprising good in your life and in your community. In this episode, Blake shares his own story of trying to do good while battling clinical depression these last twelve years. As much as he hates depression, OnRamp wouldn't exist without it! Discover the good that can come in and through your pain.
0:05 Introduction: Welcome and topic
0:22 Why this topic matters for mental health
0:48 Personal backstory and aim: doing good while depressed
1:17 A life before depression and turning point
2:16 Onset details: lead blanket metaphor and mornings
3:15 Depression remains; faith context: God can still do good
3:41 The central claim: depression can have a meaningful impact
4:08 Three key lessons overview
5:02 Lesson 1: Depression can get better (rest, exercise, sleep, diet)
5:29 Self-care basics and why they matter
6:18 Leading yourself: self-care as a foundation for helping others
7:36 Lesson 2: Counseling and therapy as essential
8:00 Medication: Lexapro and the view of psych meds
9:24 Lesson 2 continued: Depression can bring good; redemption idea
9:49 Redemption: redeeming good from suffering
10:10 Humility transformation: depression broke arrogance
11:25 OnRamp origin: how depression led to helping others
12:09 Marlo story: meeting a client and perspective shift
12:33 OnRamp’s broader impact
13:02 Starfish story introduction
13:56 Starfish story continuation
14:21 The moral: one starfish matters; doing good one at a time
14:51 The need is vast; impact for the family we helped
15:12 OnRamp scale and the "one" mindset
15:35 The one-starfish principle in practice
16:04 Final takeaway: helping one person is enough
16:41 Closing: looking forward to next episode
24 Feb 2026
Diversity Empowers Great Leadership
Diversity in leadership leads organizations to better decisions now and in the future. It's a simple truth that has somehow become controversial in our current day and age. Don't let that controversy distract you from building the best leadership team possible for your charity, business, church, or organization. In this episode, I'll reveal why diversity of gender, race, socio-economic level, and education will strengthen your organization, and I'll walk you through practical steps for building that diversity without compromising quality. I'll even give advice for complementarian churches to effectively get more women at the table to improve the care they provide their congregations. Note that this episode includes ten minutes of Q&A from close friends who listened to an early draft of this topic. Enjoy!
13 Feb 2026
Hot Take: College and the AI Job Armageddon
In this bonus Hot Take, Blake shares advice he received from the president of Tuskegee University about the single most important thing college students can do to build the resilience, adaptability, and soft skills that will be essential to surviving the chaos and change that AI is bringing to the workforce.
10 Feb 2026
Blake Talks Good with Chris Field
Blake Talks Good with guest Chris Field, the founder of Mercy Project, an anti-human-trafficking organization that's rescued hundreds of kids from slavery in Africa, lecturer at Texas A&M, consultant to many non-profits, including OnRamp, recent addition to our College Station School Board, and author of multiple books on how to do good better, including "A Billion Hours of Good: Changing the World 14 Minutes at a Time." Chris brings inspiration and practical, proven advice on how to make a measurable, long-term impact for good in your world.
27 Jan 2026
The Law of Unintended Consequences
What is the law of unintended consequences and how does it impact our community and our world at large? As people who desire to do good in the world, we are called to lessen the impact of the destructive side of this natural law. And the timing could not be more apropos as we brace for the impending onslaught of Artificial Intelligence. For all the good it may bring, there are countless unintended consequences that will greatly harm so many people in our world, and it's time we open our eyes and prepare.
12 Jan 2026
How Much Should You Give
So exactly how much should you be giving to charity or church? I've been asked that question so many times over the years that I'd like to take this episode to give you my best answer. Here's a framework that will help you practice transformative philanthropy throughout and even beyond your lifetime.
30 Dec 2025
Choosing Leaders
Who should you choose for your charity, ministry, or church's board? What makes for a great leader on a board of directors? Alternatively, how can you become a person others would want on a board? In this episode, I'll walk you through the four essential qualities of an ideal leader for your business, charity, or ministry. Get this right and you'll save yourself years of heartache and struggle.
16 Dec 2025
Don't Play God
When we try to help others in need, we can so easily and unintentionally fall into the trap of playing God. This is true even for those who don't believe in God! And when we play God, it hurts both our souls and the souls of those we are trying to help. In this episode, I'll give you principles and practical advice to help you recognize and avoid this all-too-common disease.
5 Dec 2025
Hot Take: Apology to TD Jakes
A short, unscheduled episode that perfectly illustrates my point in Tuesday's full podcast on my Worst Sermon Ever. Not that he's likely to ever see this pod, but I sure owe TD Jakes an apology...
2 Dec 2025
My Worst Sermon Ever
Want to know the sermon I most regret preaching? Here it is. The reason for my regret relates directly to the mission of this podcast. I made one of the most common mistakes you'll find in evangelical Christianity, but am so grateful for the friend who opened my eyes and set me straight. This is a problem that afflicts us all, not just Christians. It's one of the primary reasons our entire society so often fails to do the good we are capable of. May this episode help you avoid this awful mistake!
20 Nov 2025
Are your good deeds doing any good?
On this episode, I want to answer one of the most important questions I get from individuals, non-profits, and churches who are trying to help people in need: How do you measure success? You're doing good deeds - that's wonderful - but how do you know if you are actually DOING any good in the world? So many people never ask; they simply pat themselves on the back for doing a good deed and go on their way. But that can actually lead to such harm that it would have been better if you'd done nothing at all! So how can you know if your good works are actually making a positive impact?
18 Nov 2025
The WHAT and WHY behind this podcast
In this introductory episode, Blake shares WHAT this podcast is about and WHY it's worth your time to listen. If you have questions you'd like Blake to answer in future episodes about how to do good more effectively in your individual life or in leadership in a church, charity, or any other organization, please send them to us at blakej@onramptx.org
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
8 ratings
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