National Bridge Alliance

About Us

This Bridge team are all kingdom builders who have worked to create grassroot support networks in more than thirty states and increase resources for nonprofits and churches across the nation. The listed leadership individuals are only four leaders of a huge network of Christian leaders who want to Serve the Servants.

Mrs. Donna Long
The National Bridge Alliance is led by Mrs. Donna Long, CEO, from Atlanta, Georgia. She has been the President of Changing Lives Foundation for the last ten years and an active advocate of the faith community and previously served on the Presidential Faith-based Initiative formation team. She and her husband, John, have seven near grown children and attend a Baptist church in Atlanta. Donna is a Mastered Teacher trainer for early childhood education.

Mr. Bob Vickers
Robert J. “Bob” Vickers and his wife Connie live in Warrensburg, MO with a merged family that includes children: Matt, Doug, Allison, and Benjamin and grandchildren, Lexi and Ethan. Bob is a writer, nonprofit executive, philanthropist, and entrepreneur of a variety of ministries. He has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion (youth ministry) and Business from Oklahoma Baptist University, a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Oklahoma, is ABD with a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Missouri, and is pursuing a D.Phil. from Oxford Graduate School. He has been a writer/ghostwriter for 25 years and has been teaching the Grant Writing process in the United States and 63 other countries for 18 years. He has trained more than 25,000 faith-based and community “doers” and has worked with more than 800 “donors.” He teaches everyone the same thing because the Bible doesn’t change. Visit one of his websites to learn more: www.BobVickers.com www.ArtfulAskers.com www.RelationshipUniversity.org or contact him at bob@ArtfulAskers.com.

Dr. Larry Martin
Dr. Larry Martin is the Co-Founder of The Commonwealth Compassion Bridge (Kentucky) and has spent a lifetime building capacity of churches and ministries all over the United States and around the World. He is a consultant to the Kentucky Baptist Convention and has served as the state director of missions for years.

Suzane Parker
Ms. Parker, Director of Media Relations from Atlanta, is a Christian leader with over 30 years of experience as a teacher, consultant and advocate for non profits and community organizations on issues such as teen mentoring, education for at risk youth and entrepreneurship. Ms. Parker has also been a Human Resource executive with several multinational corporations and has also owned several businesses here in the U.S. and abroad. Ms Parker has previously served on several boards of directors including the National Black Chamber of Commerce, the American Council of International Personnel and the Society of Human Resource Management International Institute. She has a degree in education from Western Illinois University and attended the New York Institute of Technology Masters of Business Administration Program.

We are all Netweavers!

“Networking versus “Netweaving”

“Either Way Spending Time Together Allows God to Show Up! When we break bread and fellowship and spend time together and meet each others’ needs, and care for one another: God shows up! It isn’t called networking–networking insinuates that we rub elbows with each other and somehow opportunities coincidentally happen out of thin air.

On the Bridge we call it “netweaving.” Netweaving is word-picture based on the understanding that we have a Master Weaver who is weaving a tapestry for His own pleasure and purpose. He uses plain, tattered, and frayed thread that is not as useable by itself because it is worn, discolored thread. However, to Him who created it, it is a valuable part of a larger tapestry. Each is designed for specific purpose and enhances threads beside it, around it, or contrasts differences. He uses each individual thread to create a new pattern that has never before existed as He netweaves them in a fashion that is pleasing to Him. He sees it clearly and as a finished product–NOT as “only” a thread.

I am but a mere thread. You are a thread. Every single person on this earth is the same on their own: A mere thread–some prettier than others BUT all uniquely valuable and important and needed in The Master Weaver’s plan. Every person is a single thread. BUT as we collaborate and cooperate, He shows up and moves and directs the threads. Anytime we sit together and break bread and fellowship and allow The Master Weaver to position us for greater OR enhanced beauty, something emerges that has never before existed! Anytime I can be used, even if I ain’t so pretty of a thread, count me in and I’ll yield to Him and allow Him to move me to the place He desires in order to fulfill the purpose he has designed for me in this tapestry! The threads must remain useable and teachable and available and obedient to move as directed by The Master Weaver for His purposes.

The Master Weaver sees the tapestry clearly at every stage as He weaves this beautiful work of art BUT we see it dimly. If I, as a thread, try to position myself next to the threads that are like me OR that are pretty OR that are a particular color or particular size I would like to be near OR in a pattern of my own design, I ruin His tapestry because of my selfishness. But when I become other-focused, and allow Him to use me in the way He created me to BE and DO, I give myself over to the netweaving process as a servant who is willing to be moved at His pleasure and to be positioned in the place where He needs me most to enhance the tapestry that He is creating. And The Master Weaver’s GRACE is unbelievable, unearned, uncompromised, unending, and not easily understood. BUT overwhelmingly present none-the-less.

-Originally from Visionary Ira Kraft

User Agreement

All users of the Bridge Alliance services-whether donors, doers or partners, you are bound by these rules and guidelines. The Bridge reserves the right to terminate use of this site by any individual or organization that violates either the letter or the spirit of these rules.

The Bridge Alliance Website is an Internet environment designed to introduce prospective donors and doers to one another. The Bridge Alliance Grant page allows both faith-based and community member organizations to post general information about their organizations, submit proposals for projects, and increase their exposure to potential donors. These donors may browse the Bridge Alliance Website and grant page to find opportunities in a particular geographic region, demographic category and identify areas of interest to potentially fund.

Objective:

Our objective in creating the Bridge Alliance Website is to construct a place that can bring donors and doers together, facilitate information and opportunity-flow between ministries and donors, and create new accountability for all users through the unparalleled convenience of the Internet.

Abusing the Site:

All users of the Bridge Alliance Website agree to immediately report any suspicious, disingenuous or fraudulent activity on this site. Bridge Alliance staff will investigate all such claims. Any user found to have posted false or misleading information will be banned from further use of this site. Bridge Alliance reserves the right to remove any user, organization or proposal it deems as inappropriate, at its sole discretion.

Correspondence from the Bridge:

All users and members of the Bridge Alliance agree to receive periodic e-mail announcements from Bridge Alliance on policy changes, software updates, and/or functionality enhancements. Knowledge of these is sometimes required for proper use of the site links. We respect your privacy in all that we print and do.

This website collects personal information submitted by the site visitor for the sole purpose of follow-up communication or to maintain the integrity and security of donor information within our database. This may include information such as your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and ministry related information. When you submit personal information to this website, you understand and agree that this data may be used for accountability related to your potential funding.

We limit access to non-public personal information to those employees, representatives, and agents who need to know in order to produce compliance reporting, service your account, and provide you with a broad range of services and products. Our employees, representatives, and agents are required to maintain and protect the confidentiality of your personal information and must follow established privacy procedures. We maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect your personal information.

We strive to keep our customer records complete and accurate. We will give you reasonable access to information we have about you. Most of this information is contained in surveys that you submit to obtain our products and services. We encourage you to review this information and notify us if you believe any information should be corrected or updated.

The Bridge Alliance recognizes and appreciates the importance of responsible use of information collected on this website. If you do not want the information you provide to us to be used for any reason other than the stated purpose and you indicate this preference when you provide your personal information to us, the Bridge will honor your preference. We reserve the right to provide aggregate data to third parties for statistical analysis. Such data will not be linked to any particular individuals.

By accessing or using this website , you agree to the Privacy Policy presented here. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not access or use this site The Bridge Alliance reserves the right to change the Privacy Policy from time to time at its sole discretion. Your use of this site will be subject to the most current version at the time of such use.