100 Days of Gratitude, Day 10: The Cheerleaders

I'm grateful for all of the people who enthusiastically encourage others to do good work, congratulate them on their successes and help keep up morale when someone needs a "boost."

You can probably rattle off a quick list of the cheerleaders in your life. They are family, friends and collegues who were thrilled for you when you applied for a new job or went back to school or volunteered at your first nonprofit.

They may be that person at work that checks in on you when you're working on a project and with a few kind words and a smile, rekindles your energy when you were thinking of "taking a break" or worse, giving up.

Cheerleaders validate your strengths, wisdom and capabilitites especially in the times you struggle with frustrations and self-doubt.

Like you, I have a long list of Cheerleaders who are consistently "there" for me but I had to pick someone to be the first person I called. It was easy because Mary Black started a "cheer" for me as I was writing this blog. Mary is often the first person to cheer Alice Ferris and I on as we're working on a project, the first to applaud our performance at presentations and the first to celebrate and share our successes. I'm taking Mary out for cocktails and I'll bring along a bottle of Grey Goose for her as a "thank you" for all the support she provides us and others. 

Real cheerleaders like Mary aren't just Polyannas, that flatter you with meaningless platitudes and sweet cheerul cliches. Real cheerleaders pay attention. They understand what you are trying to accomplish, why it's important to you and the obstacles you're faced with. 

And if you fail or things don't go the way you hoped, your Cheerleaders will still be there for you. They will be the first ones that offer a hand to help you up if you stumble. They dust you off, give you a hug and then nudge you back the direction you were headed. They never doubt you for failing, they celebrate you for trying and encourage you to try again.

Sometimes these cheerleaders are people we've inspired, and often they become our inspiration. They make it easier to keep believing in ourselves. We find ourselves thinking of our cheerleaders as we take action. We see their face and anticipate their reaction as we make choices. They are constant reminders that we are not "in this" alone. Someone is invested in our success. And we won't let them down. We can't let them down.

Here's to our Cheerleaders! "GO TEAM!"

There are countless ways for you to be a Cheerleader. Here are 3 suggestions of how you can be someone's Cheerleader today.

1. Recognize someone publicly for work that they've done.
2. Encourage someone's progress on a project or goal they are working toward.
3. Praise someone for their kindness, generosity, tenacity or wisdom.

See, that was easy.

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Connect with GoalBusters     

Jim Anderson      GoalBustersJim

Alice Ferris      alice.ferris

100 Days of Gratitude, Day 9: Little Touches Mean a Lot

When you're on the road as often as we are, with a modest budget, you kind of get used to basic lodging. We don't generally stay at "bad" places (although there was that one trip in February...) but we certainly don't go luxury. We work with nonprofit organizations, after all!

That's why this place, Le Pavillon in New Orleans, was such a pleasant surprise. I got a killer deal on this hotel on Expedia, and thanks to my  Expedia Elite membership, we received quite the welcome!

First of all, Le Pavillon is an elegant, old-school New Orleans hotel. Then, the little touches really made me feel important. A friendly greeting, prompt check in, complimentary water, a little fruit basket, cookies, a personalized note from one of the management team with a drink coupon, fluffy robe, and extra peanut butter and jelly sandwiches since we arrived very late.

For very little additional cost, the staff at Le Pavillon made this guest feel really important.

Is your organization able to do this? Of course. Here's a few simple tips:

Le Pavillon's PB&J Buffet

• A little food goes a long way. Yes, people have all sorts of food issues nowadays, but don't let that scare you away from providing a few treats here and there. I'm always amazed how far a pizza party or ice cream social will go with volunteers and donors!
• Making something personalized will always be welcomed. I'm guessing that the management team member who wrote my note has that saved in a file; I'm not presuming that she wrote it especially for me. But it was addressed to me, and it thanked me for picking this property. That was nice.
• Training is critical, and should be offered to everyone, regardless of how much interaction you think they will have with the public. I can't tell you the number of times I have arrived late to a hotel after a long day of travel. And, I'm often dealing with the person stuck with the overnight shift who doesn't like people. How many times have things gone sour with a donor because of a single unexpected interaction with someone who's "not supposed to talk to donors"?

These little touches didn't cost much, but they seemed to be offered with genuine caring and hospitality. Think about ways that you can provide extra little things for people in your life and they'll feel special too. Thanks, Le Pavillon, for reminding me of that.

100 Days of Gratitude, Day 8: Investing in Our Profession

Past and present AFP Vice Chairs of Membership (l to r):
Alice Ferris, Joyce Mitchell-Antoine, Joseph Goepfrich,
Susan Earl Hosbach, Ann Hale, and Vice President Lori Gusdorf.
Not pictured:
Bill Hallett, Phil Schumacher, Jay Frey

People who know me know that I have invested a lot of time volunteering for the Association of Fundraising Professionals. In spite of the challenges of the time, travel and financial contributions, it is still one of my most fulfilling volunteer jobs.

But how did this come to be?

Like a lot of things in life, when I started this adventure, I wasn't expecting much. I was serving my first year (of eventually four years) as president of the small but mighty AFP Northern Arizona Chapter. I got some letter (yes, letter) inviting me to serve on an international committee, and I blindly signed up. It was the Chapter Support Subcommittee, chaired by Susan Earl Hosbach, CFRE.

I had no idea what I was getting into, but before long, I volunteered to do something. I don't even remember what it was, but Susan immediately identified me as a "good volunteer." And someone with leadership potential, apparently, because when she moved up in the volunteer structure, so did I.

Phil Schumacher, CFRE, ACFRE, got into the mix as well, encouraging me in other volunteer and leadership areas in the membership division of AFP. Others in the division leadership also supported my involvement, including Roderick Reinhart, CFRE, Jay Frey, CFRE, Ann Hale, CFRE, Joyce Mitchell-Antoine, CFRE and Vice President of Member and Chapter Services, Lori Gusdorf, CAE. (Not a complete list, for sure!) Eventually, I served as Vice Chair of Membership in 2009-2010, which was one of my most challenging and most rewarding volunteer commitments to date.

So what did all these people do to encourage my volunteer service?

1. Provided genuine appreciation for my work. I never felt like someone was just giving me lip service. They provided timely, personal and specific thanks for my efforts.
2. Followed through on promises. If they said they were going to do something, they did it. Or, if it became unrealistic to follow through, they provided logical reasons why and alternate solutions.
3. Challenged me to stretch. I naturally gravitate, as most people do, toward things I'm good at. They often recognized before I did where I would excel.
4. Brought me into the bigger vision. I never felt like I was only privy to a small part of the picture. These leaders led and shared the big picture and made sure that budding leaders knew the direction we were headed.
5. Encouraged me to develop leadership that would come after me. Leadership in the membership division is not just about your current term, it's about who will serve next. It's easier to think big picture when you know there will be skilled leadership after you.

I am still involved in AFP, now not only in the membership division, but also in external relations, professional advancement and in resource development through the Canadian Foundation. I'm in the process of writing to many people who have invested their volunteer time in advancing philanthropy through our professional association, most of whom have also become my good friends in the process. In the meantime, thank you for your work and for influencing my philanthropic life.