WARNING: If you are offended easy, stop reading
now. As you see, there is a lot of
content below. Stop reading if your
feelings get hurt easy. You’ve been
warned. By the way, if this Blog offends you, I really don't care. Feel free to comment about how nasty I am, or use the word that most people do, that I'm "Abrasive" - I won't be offended.
No lie, literally, I just
received a phone call and could not stop laughing. It totally made my week. This is a TRUE story, but the names are
changed to protect the innocent parties lol.
But here it is.
Last year, I worked with a
charity who had never done a fundraiser before.
Now, knowing me, do you think I walked softly through our meetings and
used a soft tone of voice or was I me?
You remember me don’t you? The retired
State Trooper, former Undercover Narcotics Detective, 6 foot 5 former Marine
and notably the best fundraiser in North America – yes I said it.
So the phone call goes like
this “Hey I just wanted to call you and tell you why my charity isn’t hiring
you this year.” Of course I said “Okay,
why?” The caller, lets call him Steve said
“Well let me tell you about the meeting we just had. The person who is now in charge of doing our
fundraiser actually said and I quote….I don’t want anyone’s feelings to get
hurt so if you don’t mind helping us, we would really appreciate it. We aren’t telling you to sell tickets or
demanding you do but if you don’t mind, would you please help us sell some
tickets. If you have something to say,
because we don’t want your feelings to get hurt, we want you to speak up
because it’s very important that you’re feelings aren’t hurt.”
That is when I fell out of my
chair in total laughter. I dropped my
phone while falling and could hear “Steven” laughing as well. I picked up the phone and he said “And that
is when I walked out of the room.” I was
speechless – are you kidding me?
Now look to the left at my picture, do I look like a guy who cares if I offended your feelings or if I care that the way I talk is abrasive?
Because I am a "Take Charge" kind of guy, I don't mince words and I'm extremely direct, my direct approach is not and how do I say "Loved by all." I have no room or time to hand hold. You hired me to raise a ton of money for your charity, so lets get it done and here is how we are going to do it. I can't just shake off 20 years as a State Trooper to suddenly be someone's babysitter. That's not me...eventhough some people have tried to teach me a "Kinder, Gentler Approach."
Because I am a "Take Charge" kind of guy, I don't mince words and I'm extremely direct, my direct approach is not and how do I say "Loved by all." I have no room or time to hand hold. You hired me to raise a ton of money for your charity, so lets get it done and here is how we are going to do it. I can't just shake off 20 years as a State Trooper to suddenly be someone's babysitter. That's not me...eventhough some people have tried to teach me a "Kinder, Gentler Approach."
But then this is what the
world has came too. Political
correctness, which you already know I am not, has taken hold into every facet
of our world, now to include fundraising.
Now lets take this in direct
contrast of a charity I just met with –which I don’t have to mince words or
change names. I work with A LOT of
police agencies and Law Enforcement foundations. These guys and girls could care less that you
what you say, in fact, if you don’t drop
the “F” bomb every once in awhile, they will think you’re weird.
They are take control kind of
people, do as they are told and follow orders.
Let’s take as an example Chris Heslop or as I call him “Mr. Happy.” Chris is the President of the Police K9
Association and without a doubt, does not mince words. He says whats on his mind and is very course
in the way he says it – I love it!!! Jen
Krauss from the Prince George’s County Police K9 Section – she tells it like it
is and will tell you to go “F” yourself if she doesn’t like what you have to
say. But then these two have hosted
incredibly successful fundraising events.
So as I’m wiping the tears
away from my eyes from laughing so hard, I told “Steven” that I was going to
write this Blog and title it “The Snowflake Approach” and he please do.
When planning a fundraising event
that you want to be successful, the very last thing you want are people on your
committee who need a participation trophy when your event fails. You don’t need people around who get their
feelings hurt if you say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing – you need
people who are go-getters!!! People who
are not afraid to walk up to someone and say “Buy tickets.” Snowflakes are people who will be absolutely worthless
to you and your committee and in the end, your fundraising event. They won’t sell tickets to come, they surely
won’t get donations because they don’t have the “Guts” to walk in and ask for
donations. You need people the exact
opposite.
Now it all makes sense. Now I know why it was like trying to climb
Mount Everest backward carrying a 1,000 lbs. on my back planning their
fundraiser. Remember, in order to be
successful at anything in life, you have to GO AFTER IT!!! In order to host a successful fundraising event,
you can not be afraid to hurt anyone's feelings, you can not be a snowflake. If
you are, you’re in the wrong game.
Do you think anyone who ever
became very rich or successful was a snowflake?
Doubt it. Now that I’m thinking
about it, every single event that we have done that was highly successful, none
of them were ran by snowflake type people.
In order to be successful,
you must have people who are Type A. Who
are not afraid to talk to everyone and anyone.
Non-negative, Positive from beginning to end people who will kill
themselves nearly to ensure that you are successful.
If you would like to learn more
on how to grow a successful charity fundraising committee, contact us at
www.BWUnlimited.com.
