Connection
Earlier this week, I had lunch with a friend and fund development colleague, Catherine, who is doing incredible work at the organization she serves. We were chit-chatting about fundraising in general when she made a wonderful comment. "When people ask me about my job, it's not about fund raising. My job is about building connections, connecting people to community. I love connecting people to what they care about and to each other. It's all about [the donor's] need for connection in our world." This comment came on the heels of another eNews I read recently from Marc Pitman. In his reflection, he stated, "Last week, at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, fundraising legend Jeff Brooks shared a perspective I think will help you in making your 5 – 10 calls this week. First, he showed a picture of a soldier leading an army. Everyone was marching in lockstep. He said that nonprofits tend to think of donors this way: the nonprofit is out in front (like the lead soldier) leading an army of committed donors, willing to sacrifice for the nonprofit’s cause. He then showed a reversed image: a soldier leading the same army in a different direction. He said this is how…