A Clear Intention
Before the holidays Alison Kear, the director of development of Covenant House in Anchorage Alaska, e-mailed me to ask if I might recommend a multi-day capital campaign course. She’s an experienced DD but hasn’t done a campaign before and her organization is setting out to raise $20 million way up there in the land of moose and wolves and long winters. I responded with some suggestions of workshops I know of, but that didn’t satisfy her. “No”, she e-mailed back, “I had in mind to study with you. I’ve read your book Capital Campaigns: Strategies that Work, and I think it’s the best!”
I must confess that I was surprised and flattered. When I write a book, even one I’m very proud of, once it’s out the door I tend to forget that people actually read the darn thing. So that someone would track me down from Alaska as a result of my book was a lovely surprise. But having dedicated most of my time this year to Asking Matters, I hadn’t given any thought to conducting a capital campaign workshop though I’ve done many in the past. I responded accordingly and thought that would be the end of it.
A Bit of Courage
But Alison had a clear intention and the courage to continue in her quest to take a capital campaign workshop with me. “I’ve been thinking”, she wrote, “that I’d be happy to come to New York just to sit with you one-on-one, perhaps a couple of hours a day for a week.” I had images of a young woman sitting at the knee of a pipe-smoking grandmother. Was that really me? Somehow that image wasn’t right (though I am a grandmother), but the right picture did come to mind.
I could imagine five or six people sitting around my ample dining table for four mornings in February, each wanting to learn more about capital campaigns. Together, we would learn from one another. I’d structure the sessions, make sure they didn’t go off track, facilitate the discussion and…yes, make the coffee and provide plenty of goodies. I charge enough to make it worth my while but not so much as to be unaffordable to the kinds of small organizations I’m fond of.
I e-mailed Alison describing what I had in mind, and with her response I could almost see her big grin. Not only would she come, but her Executive Director would join her. We picked some dates, I sent out four e-mails to people I thought might be interested and within two days I had a full compliment signed up.
A Ding in the Universe (Thx Steve Jobs)
What’s the learning in this story? Clear intention and a bit of courage really can make ding in the universe. Our discussion sessions are set for next month. We’ll explore ideas, make new friendships and set in motion a series of perhaps far-reaching events that will sow the seeds of change far and wide. And it all feels in some way effortless–or at least natural.
In fact, the process of organizing these sessions exemplifies an important lesson of capital campaigns for which clear intention and a bit of courage are the key ingredients for success.
Thank you Alison Kear.