Work Those Basics, Baby

This is why, and rightfully so, development folks of all levels flock to educational forums — whether it’s a four-day conference or a half-day workshop — where you’ll find salty old pros scribbling notes just as furiously as a fresh young thing with a year and a half under her belt. She probably learned the basics in six months in ‘03, he in ‘63. But they’re both looking for the “key,” the secret of success that will help them maneuver the basics.

But the secret is — are you ready for this? — there is no secret. Other than communing with your peers and finding out what’s worked for them. Gleaning gold from their successes — and their failures. Sharing information and then biting the bullet and doing. Testing. Retesting. Kicking yourself. Throwing a few things. Basically, just soldiering on.

Does this mean that Paul and I are out of a job? I hope not. Probably not. Because FundRaising Success doesn’t claim to have the answers. But we do strive to be a distribution center, of sorts, where professionals can “meet” one another and share ideas without having to wait for the next conference.

As such, we welcome your feedback and suggestions. If my perception of there not being anything (really) new under the fundraising sun is wrong, by all means, let me know. Or just drop us a line and tell us if there’s something you’d like to see addressed in these pages. We’ll do all we can to do just that.

And speaking of gold
As promised, you can find your very own copy of the entry forms for FundRaising Success’ 2005 Gold Awards for Direct Mail Excellence on Pages 48 and 49 of this issue. You also can find them online at www.fundraisingsuccessmag.com. Entries have to be in our offices by June 1, so don’t waste any time in your selection process. It’ll be here before you know it!