Blog

Oftentimes our blogs lift up the power of volunteers, and make no mistake, the not-for-profit sector could not achieve our missions without them. But as we approach the holidays and pause to reflect and give thanks for the numerous things in our personal and professional lives, I feel compelled to acknowledge the people who work in this sector.

Like most professionals in today’s work environment, I have looked for a variety of mentors to help me grow and develop as a professional, as a woman in the workplace, and as a wife and mother. 

Many thanks for the good wishes. My situation has deteriorated dramatically, and I’m currently in home hospice. For now all is stable. But the long-term prospects are clear and not good. And long-term for me is actually very short-term.

One of the more interesting trends we’ve noticed in capital campaigns is a shift in leadership structure. Instead of individual chairs, we’re commonly seeing co-chairs, tri-chairs, honorary chairs and more. While this may seem like a suspect idea at first – if everyone is in charge, no one is in charge – it turns out to work really well in this critical volunteer capacity.

I picked this book off the shelf only because the title resonated with me. The first few chapters are pure agony. It’s the fictional account of a staff meeting, which hits too close to home as the conversation drifts: “Where are we going to have the company picnic this year? At Lions Park again? Should we serve hamburgers or subs?” While company culture is important, I’m sure you’ve attended meetings that many people in the room – including you – had no interest in.

One of our core beliefs is that you’re only as strong as the team you surround yourself with. That’s true for the Donor By Design team, and we see it over and over again in the staff and volunteer teams we work with.

I was watching The Voice not long ago, and Lionel Richie was coaching one of the contestants. He said, “If you’re coachable, you’re going a long way.”

‘Thank you for getting us to the starting line and for the confidence that we are going to have a successful campaign.”

A volunteer was reflecting on the long, complex and (at times) frustrating process his organization had undertaken to determine how best to respond to community issues and opportunities.

“Boy, just 24 months after I hire them, they take off!”

“My board members don’t know each other.”