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This week, I felt it was pretty trendy to work for a nonprofit. In my mailbox on Friday, I received an email from my BFF, Barack Obama, telling me to use my Monday off to volunteer. At the bottom of his email, he even suggested forming a team for your local Relay For Life as a way to get involved! How cool is that!
My BFF is a pretty cool guy. He has taught me so much throughout his campaigns, both for President and in Illinois. Here are a few things that we as fundraisers and passionate nonprofit workers can remember.
Communicate With Your Supporters - As a supporter of Obama, I cannot tell you how many emails, texts, and calls I received to give and do something. The thing is, I didn't care! Sometimes we worry that we overcommunicate with our volunteers. If people are finding value in your message, you cannot over communicate. The key is creating value in your communication.
Don't underestimate the power of Generation Y - This is not your mama's nonprofit anymore. If an organization is going to thrive in this economy, it must find ways to connect with the younger generation. We cannot continue to ignore social networking and we cannot be proud when our technology department comes to us and says, "We finally got around to creating that MySpace page." We must push change and push our leadership to give it a shot.
Inspire Action - There wasn't an email I received that didn't inspire me to do something, even as simple as forwarding it onto my very Republican father. Every action is just that - action. Action creates reaction and that creates discussion. Having people talk about your cause, or even consider taking action, is one step closer to creating supporters.
Choose Hope - This economy can get any fundraiser down. But as a colleague reminded me last week, the money hasn't gone anywhere, it is just in a different place. We just need to find it. No gift is too small, no idea to dumb, and person unworthy of an ask. If you believe in your cause, people will believe in you.
The main thing I can take away from this campaign is that small gifts, small actions, and big ideas can create big change. That is something I'm proud to be a part of.
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Comments
01.22.09
Obama is a great community leader. The point I think the most here is "Choose Hope."
I read another blog post the other day about how Generation Y doesn't have time to volunteer ... and I think that's untrue, we just don't make enough time to do it.
A big part of this commitment is choosing hope, remembering that our small contributions affect a greater good. Have faith that you can make a difference, and that you can change things by sacrificing a little "me time" to do it.
01.22.09
Don't underestimate the power of Generation Y.
My favorite part about Obama's campaign was how invested he is in the future of Generation Y. He understands the importance of harvesting the minds of Gen Y in order to achieve a better tomorrow.
Because, we are powerful. We understand that we have so much ahead of us and are willing to prove it.
PS -- Whatta cool BFF you have! =)
01.22.09
I love your first point. Because all the communication -- and at times, overcommunication -- played a huge role in what made them successful. The level of transparency Obama has been working to create through his campaign, transition, and now his administration, is really admirable.
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