“…Books which it would have been impossible for me to obtain elsewhere were, by his wise generosity, placed within my reach; and to him I owe a taste for literature which I would not exchange for all the millions that were ever amassed by man. This is but a slight tribute and gives only a faint idea of the depth of gratitude which I feel for what he did for me and my companions…”

This week, I’m quoting a story from the Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. Published in 1920.

Reflection questions:

• If you are in the strategic and facility planning phase, ask — whose future are we designing this building or renovation for?

• Like Andrew Carnegie, are you sharing personal stories of your constituents to show the vision for the future?

Reflection on quote:

The strategic planning phase of the capital campaign is in my opinion often one of neglected phases.  I’ve observed two opposite approaches to strategic planning prior to the capital campaign.  Either, it is focused on the new facility details for projected growth without articulating the impact to clients as a part of the vision.  Or, the strategic planning happens after the capital campaign is completed. This week, we are starting a series on being patient in the planning phase in order to have a more effective capital campaign.

As Andrew Carnegie shared his vision to fund the building of libraries around the United States and the world, he began with his own story to show the impact his libraries would have on future generations on children like himself. When we are in the strategic and facility planning phrase, we are not designing buildings because we have to move locations or we have ran out of room for our administrative and program spaces or we have a waiting list.  Instead, we are designing buildings to meet our mission for specific constituents.  Each constituent with a specific story for their future.  So, therefore, it is important to envision what the future will be for your constituents in that new building and renovations.  And, luckily, on our small towns, we can often ask our constituents to be a part of the strategic planning process to directly from them. The takeaway for your capital campaign in being patient in planning: donors don't give to buildings, they give to futures.    

What do you think? Send me a text.

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop