Upcoming GENROZT presentations

Thanks to Peter Gamber, a neighbor of Gladys Holm aka Teddy Bear Lady (cf. my chapter 9), I am guest speaker at the Evanston Kiwanis Club's lunch on Tuesday, October 22.

Thanks to Police Chief Frank Kaminski, I'll bring my GENROZT message to the Park Ridge Kiwanians on November 12.

And, thanks to the singular Becky Moore, to members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Springfield, IL on January 15, 2014.

GENROZT at AFP Conference

Using a tuning fork as a memory aid, I told last week's Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) conference about the three words needed to refocus philanthropy (and they aren't 'annual, capital and planned [gifts]').

They are:  Generosity ... which resonates with Gratitude ... the core of which is GENROZT (the memory of a gracious act that creates a joyful ache in each of us). Which is the philosophy of my book.

The 300 luncheon attendees were welcoming (hey, no rolls tossed my way), and my warm thanks go to those who brought me there (Grant and Morgan), and those who later stopped to affirm my focus... folks like Lynnea and Don, Joanne and Paul, Soudary and Shawn.

Crazy final idea I proposed:  let's change the organization's name from AFP to AG3P (Association of Gratitude & Generosity Growing Professionals)!

GENROZT at AFP Conference Oct. 8, 2013

I'm honored to be the luncheon speaker at this year's Association of Fundraising Professionals Midwest Conference on Philanthropy. It's Tuesday, October 8 in Rosemont, IL.

The Food Channel's 'Chopped' is keenest on chefs who transform, not merely blend, the ingredients they're given. That's the challenge I've been given too. And do it in the time it takes to make a decent egg salad sandwich.

GENROZT Now!

generosity-GENROZT e-book available!

With thanks to my wingman, Web Guru Dave, generosity-GENROZT is now available as an e-book at Amazon.com ...$2.99 ... give it five stars and spread the words with my thanks!

generosity-GENROZT and The Newberry!

Almost 90 days since first publishing, word arrived from David Spadafora, the Librarian of The Newberry Library here in Chicago (where you can handle - with white gloves mind you - 400 year old books). It's being processed into their fabulous collection!

Seven-year old Liam remarked that "it'll be a long time before anyone has to read your book wearing gloves, Dad". Yup.

Sisyphus be damned.

I wrote this 15 years ago. It's as true today as then. And needed even more.


There seems to be ever more job churn underway in development work. I believe that lack of recognition, not lack of salary, is a key cause.

At leadership seminars I've led, the most hands always raise to this question: How many of you have returned to your office with a significant gift to hear 'Fine, now you're only $2,433,000 short of your goal'!

Sisyphus comes to mind.

My recommendation: light one candle.

Schedule a regular monthly session with your Chairman/President/CEO for one purpose only. Bring one (1) sheet of paper and one (1) birthday candle. The paper describes the WHAT, HOW and WHY of your department's favorite victory that month (and it's not always dollars!)

For as long as the candle burns (my 2.5" x .25" test candle went for 18 minutes) you get to reflect and appreciate, together. Sisyphus be damned, celebrate!

Then book next month's visit and buy another candle.

Renewal: Generosity v. Cha-ching

The lead article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy a few weeks back caught my eye. Big time. (“Half of Fundraisers in the Top Job Would Like to Quit”, January 17, 2013)   I cut out the bar graphs on page 19:

  

•  53% of CEOs say the relationship with their chief fundraiser is strong; only 41% of the fundraisers think the relationship with their CEO is strong

• only 41% of CEOs say their organization practices good donor stewardship compared to 32% - one-third - of chief fundraisers

• one-third of CEOs – 34% - say their charity’s employees understand fundraising, but only 18% of chief fundraisers agree

With gaps in perception like these, it’s no wonder half of all top fundraisers are “plan[ning] to leave their jobs within two years” and “40% are thinking of leaving fundraising entirely”.  Doing and saying the same old, same old won’t avert this tsunami of cynicism.

It’s time for renewal. I’ll say it: the core of philanthropy is generosity not fundraising. More attention is needed to the why, less to the how.

All of us must seek out and listen to the memories of gracious acts that bring joyful aches – the aches that generate and sustain generosity ... cut the volume on the weekly fears of nonprofit CFOs who regard donations as line items.

That’s why I wrote generosities-GENROZT , my book exploring ten mostly-unsung people and their acts reflecting 21 different generosities, only one of them money. I welcomed co-authors including 29 elementary school children who reflect on generous people with good hearts in their young lives.

I know that each rekindled GENROZT memory inspires and renews.   

The challenge is this: profound memories are activated only when a trusting heart encounters a discerning listener. Texting and tweeting don’t get there.

The new social media are ears.

Radical.

Forget that 'makers and takers' baloney

I was finishing up the 30 months of researching, writing and producing my book generosity-GENROZT as the recent Presidential election ended. Maybe you were as ticked off as I was by that 'makers vs. takers' baloney bandied about in the campaign's final months.

The way I see it, WE ARE ALL RECIPIENTS (emphasis ADDED).  Each one of us has a powerful, often-untold story of GENROZT ... the memory of a profoundly gracious act done to us, or for us, that creates a joyful ache every time it is remembered.

What's really needed, now, is every one of us rekindling that memory, writing it out, then mailing our memory in gratitude to The One. So, I'm asking.

The Donald has a wonderful tale to tell. And probably he won't even mention money! I'll mail him my book this week and hope that the chapter on Miss Oseola McCarty, or the one on Gordie Howe, or maybe the one on Mary Jane DeShon and Izzy Idonije, inspires him to share his story of gratitude, the one that creates that ache every time he remembers it.

Stay tuned, fellow recipients ...