Blog

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.”

Boredom, downtime, thinking time… Sounds like a luxury, doesn’t it? With a plethora of smart phones, laptops and other technology gadgets, there really is never a moment when you aren’t doing something. Whether on the subway, on a plane or waiting for a doctor appointment, there’s no reason to be bored – unless you really want to be successful, that is.

At Donor By Design, one of our core beliefs is to always to tell the kind truth. We serve our clients best when we’re honest with each other about what’s working and what’s not. The importance of an outside perspective was vividly illustrated for me on a recent drive.

Endowment, stewardship, and relationship development are fundraising tasks all too often placed on the dreaded back burner. We all have one: the place where the really critical tasks go to simmer and eventually dry up and die.

SENIOR CONSULTANT

J. David Schmidt brings a wealth of experience on strategic thinking, large scale innovation and organization leadership development for nonprofit organizations, foundations and more.