The Mystery of Fundraising

Fundraising is like magic to me.  But I don't mean magic like in Harry Potter.  Definitely not.  I mean magic like the wonderful slight of hand my father does when he performs as a magician.  I've been watching him perform magic all my life and it is still fascinating.  Knowing the amount of skill and time investment he has in order to make what appears to be a trick go off successfully and effortlessly is a fairly good comparison I think to the magic of fundraising.

You have a cause and you need to raise money.  If you know what you're doing, have a compelling case and know how to ask potential donors in just the right way, you will get that money and you'll be able to build the black bear conservatory you know we desperately need.   But, if you fumble through it or ask the wrong way at the wrong time or to the wrong people, you'll not only get no money, you'll have angry, insulted people who don't want to have anything to do with your cause.

And that, is pure magic.  I've seen it in action.  I've been approached and a compelling case presented in the proper way has caused me to want to join the cause personally.  But I don't know how to work that magic myself.

And yet I find myself involved in a capital campaign with our children's school.  I will be responsible for asking people, convincing people, to participate in our cause.  It's rather like a fear of rattle snakes or of heights and yet I accepted the position. 

There is something to be said for going out of your comfort zone to learn new things.  This feels like more of a leap off a cliff right now though...

The Big Boy Update:  Fire ants!  He's having a rough day.  His skin is still a mess, he still itches and then he threw up his lunch because he said, "my tummy is full."  So I don't know what's going on right now.  He was feeling better though and then, to add one more insult to his dermis, he found some fire ants.  Grandpa saved him and got them off quickly though.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  "I want the water."  She'll be eighteen-months-old later this week and she's doing very well verbally.  She says many small sentences, some two and three words.  She even manages four word sentences sometimes, such as when she wanted the water in the car the other day but couldn't reach the bottle.

Someone Once Said: Society adapts to facts, or doesn’t survive.