Words from the wise

In preparation for the onslaught of company at my house this week, I’ve cleaned off my dining room table.  It serves as a catch-all for the mail and other junk we bring in.  In the stack of mail is a newsletter from my horse vet.  He’s about 80-something years old and still makes farm calls.

In his newsletter he writes “Someone told me that if you get a job you ike, you don’t work a day in your life.”  He goes on to say he wouldn’t swap jobs with anyone and wants to keep practicing until he’s 100.  (Works for me – he’s a great vet!).

Can you talk about your job with that level of enthusiasm?  I know I can!  I love the work I do, because it changes peoples’ lives.  Sometimes directly and sometimes not.  But when I can show someone how to do a better job of fundraising, they can do more to fulfill their organization’s mission and change their part of the world.

Passion is a key element of successful fundraising.  If yours has faded, it might be time to find a way to fan your flames a bit.  I suggest you start by just acknowledging all the things you’re grateful for (it’s the season after all!).

So let’s hear it – what are you grateful for?