We’ve faced our share of adversity these last 10 months – some have faced more challenges than others. But usually, when adversity surfaces, a silver lining does as well. What’s the silver lining in our work this year? I submit annual gift support. For those continuing to invite annual support regularly and unapologetically, the response … Continue reading Addressing Your First World Problem
Category: Planning
Meaningful Involvement
Yesterday we celebrated the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. through the observance of a national holiday – the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. You may have observed this holiday by participating in some form of service that was meaningful to you and/or to the … Continue reading Meaningful Involvement
Read the Thin Ones
January is the month of new beginnings and new resolutions. As you implement your New Year’s resolutions, let me pass on some quirky advice I received years ago. Before I discovered this awesome field of Advancement, I worked at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. I was a member of their Management Development Program, … Continue reading Read the Thin Ones
Imagine
Imagine dreams being fulfilled based on potential, not pocketbooks. Imagine the hungry being fed, the homeless given shelter, and the downtrodden offered hope because of generosity. Imagine teachers fulfilling their professional potential because they have the right resources. Imagine new facilities being built to advance educational instruction, care for the sick, and help the destitute … Continue reading Imagine
Are You Ready?
The great hope for a return to the “old normal” arrived this month in the form of the first COVID-19 vaccines. Frontline medical workers, assisted-living residents, and individuals age 75+ appear to be the first recipients. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the now well-known infectious disease expert, has predicted that enough doses of vaccine will be available … Continue reading Are You Ready?
Found Time
We’ve learned that Advancement work during a pandemic is different. It requires increasingly empathic approaches and more targeted messaging. It calls for greater creativity. And it certainly requires persistence. Something else that’s different about Advancement work right now: found time. That is, there is more of it. Certain constituents aren’t interested in meeting with you … Continue reading Found Time
The Way of the Horse?
Given time and retrospection, this quote has been rendered ludicrous and laughable. But when uttered more than 100 years ago, it represented a sentiment of the times. Which got me to wondering: What is our horse-is-here-to-stay reality? How about in-person meetings? We know that when done well, our work is relational, not transactional. And forming … Continue reading The Way of the Horse?
Press On!
Members of my college fraternity have a tradition when writing to fellow members. At the end of the correspondence, "Pergé" is inserted. It's meaning? Press On! This encouragement feels relevant for the times we're living in, where it's easy to succumb to inaction in hope that clarity will arrive tomorrow. Questions swirl for which we … Continue reading Press On!
Groundhog Day
Congratulations! If you work at an educational institution or an organization that follows the same timeline, today is the culmination of all your annual giving efforts for the year...the last day of the fiscal year. Time to celebrate! This has been a year like no other, and a little time off before getting back to … Continue reading Groundhog Day
Luxury or Necessity?
In the last eight weeks, 36.5 million Americans have lost their jobs. April's unemployment rate registered 14.7 percent. Job loss was roughly double what was experienced during any similar time period in the Great Recession. For those still employed, anxiety abounds as leaders at impacted institutions ponder making difficult decisions on ways to "cut back" … Continue reading Luxury or Necessity?
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