Pork Roll and Purpose

Seriously, how much of an impact might our tomato-terrified author had if she had funneled that cash into a nonprofit organization that works to eradicate hunger in developing countries, rather than into some hypno-therapist’s pocket? Or if she spent that time delivering meals to shut-ins in her hometown rather than recounting the great tomato tragedies of her life to a stranger? I’m no psychologist, but I suspect she would feel a whole lot more, well, whole if she could crawl out of herself for a while and devote a little time, talent and treasure to help someone else. Not only would it just make her feel wonderful and more connected, but she might recognize 1) that she has it pretty damn good and 2) “Wow! I can make a difference in this world! How cool is that?!”

Maybe this all sounds harsh. I really don’t begrudge people their issues. God knows, I have my own. But this just irked me. I guess this little rant doesn’t have a whole lot of strategic advice to offer you all. But before I climb off my soapbox (and out of my navel), I’ll try to redeem myself by stressing the importance of letting donors know how awesome it is to look beyond themselves and help others. Former Domain Group honcho Tim Burgess (who now is a Seattle city council member) was the first person to put it that way to me years ago. It changed the way I thought about fundraising, and I never forgot it. If you haven’t already realized it, give it some thought.
Yeah … right? You’re welcome. OK, rant over. Thanks for reading!

Margaret Battistelli
Editor-in-Chief
mbattistelli@napco.com