Farewell to "Flagstaff's Good Samaritan"

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On Saturday, April 18, Dr. John H. Caskey III, a mentor and inspiration, passed away at his home in Flagstaff, Arizona.
He was 80.

The obituary published in the Arizona Daily Sun talks about many of the wonderful ways that he contributed to the well being of people in Flagstaff. They mention his role in founding the emergency physicians practice, his leadership of the High Country Hounds, and his creation of the Flagstaff Free Clinic, which is now North Country Healthcare.

But as is the case with all obituaries, there are a lot of stories that go along with those facts. When Dr. Caskey was recognized as the AFP Northern Arizona Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year in 2007, his nominator, Rick Swanson, North Country's Development Director, spoke about Dr. Caskey being the heart of the campaign. That was definitely the case.

John Caskey was one of our "rock star" volunteers on our North Country capital campaign. There were many things that John did that both affirmed fundraising best practice and demonstrated how practices can be modified to fit a rural community. Here are some things, among many, that we learned from Dr. Caskey:

Volunteers with strong networks are critical.
Everyone knew John, or knew someone who knew him. In many cases, Dr. Caskey would be calling on a prospective donor that he delivered as a baby! One of the issues at the beginning of the campaign was that North Country did not have an established fundraising program, so we didn't have a donor base to draw from for the initial asks. John took care of that.

Don't beat around the bush. Once John told me why he believed physicians weren't more charitable. After delivering his theory, he ended with a pause and added, "Well, I think that's a load of bull." Dr. Caskey would tell it like it was, not pausing to be politically correct. It demonstrated powerful belief and commitment to the cause.

Remember it's not about you: it's about making the community a better place. As we were in the final stages of the campaign, Dr. Caskey suffered a stroke. We were immediately concerned about being able to recognize his vision and efforts before he passed away. We approached Dr. Caskey and his family about naming the Learning Center in his honor. He wasn't interested. His main objection? "Seems like you could sell that naming right and get more money for the clinic." As a result, we established the John H. Caskey Endowment instead, to fund uncovered medical expenses for uninsured and underinsured patients. With John's support and his contacts, the endowment campaign has raised over $100,000 to date.

Passion for the cause combined with confidence makes you hard to resist. Rick would often joke that Dr. Caskey was a "chick magnet." We found him to be a "donor magnet," too! He exuded a level of command that made you want to listen to his stories and consequently, do the right thing for the health of the community. He talked about his inspiration for the Free Clinic--a young mother who's child didn't have a pediatrician. He spoke about asking doctors to donate their time to provide clinic hours once a week. He talked about the inadequacies of the current facilities to continue to serve those who needed care. And then he said he needed you. How could you say no to that?

We were very privileged to get to know Dr. Caskey over the last few years, and were honored to put together video and audio clips for the tribute dinner to launch the campaign in April 2008. He is someone we aspire to be like, and we will continue to think on a daily basis, "What would Dr. Caskey do in this situation?"

John Caskey was a great leader and friend. He made healthcare in Northern Arizona better for all of us. John, we'll miss you.

Links:
Caskey Tribute Dinner Video
John H. Caskey III obituary
North Country John H. Caskey III Endowment

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace

Staying True to Your Guiding Principles

Jimism #171 - "There is a difference between serving your community and protecting your commodity."

Most nonprofits are truly committed to serving their communities. They understand that the reason they exist is because there are real people with legitimate needs for their services and outreach. These organizations fully invest their funds and resources to meet those needs. When faced with difficult times, these philanthropies dig deep and make sacrifices all the while striving to maintain the quality services and the quantity of those served.

Sadly however, some nonprofit organizations forget their mission. They forget that they exist to serve. But let’s face it, organizations don’t make decisions, people do. And it can be devastating when a decision maker or influential board member begins to hamper an organization’s effectiveness in pursuit of their own agenda.

Why?
What might cause someone to pursue paths that seem contrary to their philanthropy’s mission?

Fear
Are they merely frightened? Do they begin to “hunker down” and impose a scarcity mentality that can be debilitating to their team, their volunteers and their constituents? If so, is their fear based on what’s good for the organization or on self-preservation?

Agenda
Is this a pattern of behavior? Are their actions temporary due to conditions or do they seem motivated by a pursuit of personal power or empire building? Is there a preoccupation with protecting individual legacy?

Identity Crisis
When these motivators are in action, decision makers begin to function more and more like a “profit before principles” business manager. They lose organizational vision. They become margin driven.

Appearances
Reality can be less important than the perception that is created by the right chart or graph. They’ll cut expenses to create an illusion of growth. They’ll restrict spending and diminish services strangling the organization and squashing the motivation of their team and volunteers.

If you’re a “business,” there’s nothing wrong with making a profit. But if profit is not your mission, if hefty balance statements are not a part of your vision, why should they guide your decisions?

Getting it Right
I started out by talking about what effective philanthropic organizations do right. They stay true to their mission of service. They remain guided by their organizational vision. They are dedicated to service before self. They are fortunate to have leaders that refuse to be only managers.

When times are tough, these individuals and organizations will be at their best.

---You can ride this wave too.

INNOVATE
Embrace change as a tangible resource that can redefine how you get your work done. Boycott the phrase… “That’s the way we’ve always done it.”

CREATE
Nurture partnerships that can create greater efficiencies than either partner can deliver alone. Tear down the fences. It is a pointless park that no one gets to play in.

EXPLORE
Discover new value patterns. What can you do differently? What can you “refine” and do better? What should be repeated and what should be rejected?

We’re all facing difficult times.

So when you have to make a tough decision in your next meeting, pose this question…

“Are we serving our community or merely trying to protect our commodity?” Jimism #171

View more Jimisms at the GoalBusters Website.

Connect with GoalBusters: LinkedIn - Alice Ferris / LinkedIn - Jim Anderson / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Myspace