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Happy Woody Guthrie's Birthday
Reflections on Fund Raising |
July, 2009 |
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Woody Guthrie wrote these words: "The note of hope is the
only note that can help us or save us from falling to the bottom of the heap of
evolution because, largely, all a human being is, is just a hoping machine." And that was decades before we were told that
hope was audacious.
 He composed more than 3,000 songs, and played a guitar that
had the words "This machine kills fascists" painted on the front. Hope doesn't get much more audacious than
that. On the other hand, spending nine
times as much as any other country on military budgets hasn't gotten us very
far in rooting out totalitarianism either.
Woody Guthrie died in October 1967, and a month later, in
November of 1967, his son Arlo recorded Alice's Restaurant, recounting his
experience at the Army induction center in New York. "Sargeant," he said, "you
got a lot a damn gall to ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, ... 'cause you want
to know if I'm moral enough to join the army, burn women, kids, houses and
villages after bein' a litterbug."
Whether you are a philanthropist, a board member, an
executive director, a program staff member, or a fund raiser, you are a hope
machine. Of course, you offer hope to
the people who are helped by your work.
Perhaps even more so, you offer hope to the people whose generosity
makes it happen.
I remember the first time I heard a fund raiser talk about
asking for a gift as a favor to the solicitee.
I was skeptical.
But over the years, I have seen over and over again that people who are
able to realize their philanthropic ambitions are better off.
Letting go of the accumulated lucre does not come naturally
to us - at least not to me. But some
people are fortunate enough to realize that other people need what is in our
checking account, or our stock portfolio, or our estate, more than we and our
immediate family do. That there is
nothing else we can do with the money that would be more fulfilling.
These are hard times - hope is precious. Remember what a gift you are.
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If your organization would benefit from creative thinking about major gifts fund raising, let's talk. I can help you think through how to raise money from individual donors in this tough economic climate, get ready for a capital campaign, strengthen board involvement in fund raising, or overcome collective nuerosis about money. Call my cell phone (301) 758 3410, or send an email to paul@jumpstartgrowth.com |
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