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Hail the memory of Theodor Geisel, who raised whimsy to a high art. Or a low art. From him we can learn the pleasure of tongue-twisters, the beauty of garish colors, and the importance of doing the right thing without taking ourselves too seriously. The lines from his last book, Oh, the Places You'll Go, capture his spirit.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.
I ran into a colleague on the train a few weeks ago, and we talked about the sense of responsibility that a fundraiser faces. She was on the way to a momentous meeting with a major donor, and she knew that the result of that meeting would have big consequences for the future of the organization. She is a seasoned pro, and she wasn't nervous, but she was very conscious that she needed brains in her head and feet in her shoes.
Few people outside the development profession understand the weight that a fundraiser carries on his or her shoulders. A fundraiser needs to ask the right open-ended questions.
To recall the donor's past acts of generosity - all of them, not just the money. To figure out when to suggest a bequest, a multi-year pledge, or a gift dramatically larger than last year's. These are a fundraiser's responsibilities, and it can be daunting to recognize how important it is to do it right.
Take a moment, on this, the 106th birthday of Dr. Suess, to commit yourself to maintaining your appreciation of whimsy while you work to save the world.
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