Manifesto 3.0: Being True to Your Values

There is an oft quoted story about the child and the starfish. You probably know the one. The abridged version goes like this:

A man came across a child walking on the beach, upon which thousands of starfish had washed. The child was picking up the starfish that were still living, and throwing them back in the water, because if they stayed on the beach, the starfish would surely die. The man observed this for some time, and eventually approached.

"What are you doing?"

"I am saving the starfish," he replied.

“Little boy, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he looked up at the man and replied, “Well, it mattered to that one."

What I have only recently learned is that this story is adapted from a longer story called "The Star Thrower," by Loren Eiseley. In the longer essay, there is an important resolution:

On a point of land, I found the star thrower...I spoke once, briefly. "I understand," I said. "Call me another thrower." Only then I allowed myself to think, he is not alone any longer. After us, there will be others....For a moment, we cast on an infinite beach together."

So why is this story important to us?

Jim and I frequently reflect on those rare people in our lives who are truly, deeply genuine. These are people who, regardless of what is happening to them, or to people they care about, or to situations around them, are true to their values, loyal to people who are important to them, and honest in what they say. These are not people who waver: they are our rocks, our foundation. Our star throwers.

The star throwers of our lives tend to be underappreciated. They may be quieter than others, more introspective or introverted, yet they are always there, ready with a helping hand, a kind gesture, or an insightful observation.

But it is one thing to tell people that you admire their traits. It's quite another thing to emulate them.

Over the last several months, Jim and I have felt a need to express the values of GoalBusters more overtly. While we've never been shrinking violets about this (see the GoalBusters Manifesto), we also know that we need to clearly define where we stand.

When we participated in the Women's March on Washington, we knew we were taking a step.

Even though we work with many different organizations, with people of many perspectives, political beliefs and spiritual callings, they all have one thing in common--they are part of communities who struggle to have a voice. Whether it's a small public radio station covering border issues far from major cities, or a health care institution trying to provide comprehensive service in a rural community, or an education organization providing advancement opportunity to those who haven't had it before, these are charities that are, in many respects, trying to do the impossible.

So, I dedicate the GoalBusters Manifesto 3.0 to our friends who are trying to do the impossible. To our Star Throwers.

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The Manifesto 3.0
updated March 7, 2017 (aka the tenth anniversary of Liberation Day)

At GoalBusters, philanthropy, and fundraising, is not about money. Yes, money is involved, and we help our clients raise money and do more with the resources they have. But fundamentally, the obligation of the charitable sector is to make the world a better place, and to lift up the people and beings living in it.

Fundraising is not about "shoveling coal into a machine." Your purpose has to matter to the communities you serve. You have to care about more than yourself. It comes down to the root of the word philanthropy: it means love of humankind.

Therefore, we work with causes that we personally believe in. When we work with a client, we throw our hearts and souls into the organization. Ultimately, we can't fake that. Causes that we personally support include public and community media, education, healthcare for the underserved, diverse communities, arts and cultural programs, progressive causes, social justice, social services, and our professional associations.

We also work with teams that are passionate--about the cause, about learning, about improving, about making the world a better place--because if you're not committed to your cause, why should anyone else be?

Finally, we work with people who are committed to the highest standards of ethics and professional practice. And don't just give that lip service—actually live it.

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Call me another thrower.

This post is dedicated to Vernon Kahe.

Thanks also to our team, Annagreta Jacobson, Elta Foster, J.C. Patrick, Justin Anderson, Matthew Ferris and Dennis Gilliam for supporting and uplifting us every day, and to Bill and Matthew Ferris for allowing me to throw my whole self into GoalBusters. And of course, thanks to Jim Anderson for, well, everything. On March 7, 2007 (aka Liberation Day), Jim and I took a leap of faith that GoalBusters (founded as Ferris Consulting in March 2001) could be a real full-time gig, and now, ten years later, it is much more than that--it is our life's work. We have the privilege of meeting incredible fundraising professionals around the world and the honor of serving organizations that live the Manifesto.

When Things Don't Go As Planned

Twenty years ago this week, I arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona to start my new job as Director of Development for Lowell Observatory. I was 26 years old, in my first senior management level position, and I had no clue how I was going to accomplish what the institution expected of me.

Nothing has gone as planned since then.

I thought that the job at Lowell would get me enough experience to move back to Wisconsin, so that I could move up the ranks at Wisconsin Public Television. I was supposed to be in Arizona for four years, then move “home.” Instead, I quit my job at Lowell Observatory after four years to have my son, Matthew, reluctantly turned down a job offer at Wisconsin Public Television, and dedicated myself to being a stay at home mom. Which lasted three months.

Since then, my journey has been a series of twists and turns, none of which I was expecting. I founded my consulting firm when Matthew was three months old. I vowed I wouldn't specialize in public media, yet my second client was a public radio station and now the majority of our clients are in public media. I said I wouldn't go back to work full time, yet when Matthew was two, I was working full-time at the local hospital, running the foundation. I thought I'd go back to public media as a staff person for the rest of my career, but I barely made it two years due to conflicts with my boss. I thought I'd have more children, but after a miscarriage or two, that wasn't in the cards.

I didn't think that my consulting practice would amount to much, especially since one of my professors in my MBA program said I didn't have the mindset of an entrepreneur, yet here I am with a modestly successful 15 year old company.

I steadily moved up in volunteer leadership roles with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International, holding positions in all divisions of service, yet after three failed attempts to serve as chair of the organization, I was making no progress.

I never thought I'd be a cat person. (#random)

At every turn, however, something good has eventually resulted from it. Because of these unplanned turns of events, I have worked with several public media organizations with people who are genuinely passionate about the role noncommercial media plays in lifelong learning and civic dialogue. I've traveled the world presenting at conferences, AFP meetings, and nonprofits who are energized by my workshops and talks. I've met dozens upon dozens of earnest and enthusiastic AFP volunteers who remind me that it's not about what titles we have, but about the volunteer impact.

And today, thanks to Jim Anderson, I was honored as the AFP Northern Arizona Outstanding Fundraising Professional for a surprise third time, with an amazing tribute video that Jim crafted. It featured testimonials from some very special people: Ken Verdoia, my Downton Abbey (among other programs) pledge partner and consummate broadcasting professional; LuAnn Leonard, Executive Director of the Hopi Education Endowment Fund, who has been an inspiration to me and whose organization has been a benchmark for other charities we serve; Scott Fortnum, MA, CFRE, ACFRE, a stalwart AFP colleague and valued peer volunteer; Dave Riek, General Manager at KAWC and a public media colleague since I moved to Flagstaff, who has been with GoalBusters every step of the way; Rick Swanson, another colleague and friend who was instrumental in launching GoalBusters full-time and cooks up a mean lobster feast; Bob Marty, television producer extraordinaire, who raised my profile exponentially in the PBS system with the honor of working on the Downton Abbey pledge events; and my parents, Jim and Annie Lin, who have supported my efforts without exception my entire life. Of course, Jim Anderson's in-person commentary made me cry, saying that I change the lives of everyone I touch, including him, even though, 11 years ago, he declared that he was unchangeable.

And now we face another unexpected turn in the United States. I am devastated by the results of the presidential election. For the first 6 hours after the results became clear, I could not stop crying.

But I have to believe that something good will come of this. I must believe this; it's the only way I will get through the days, weeks, months, and four years coming up. Maybe it will be improved civic engagement. Maybe it will be activation of communities who don't accept a cult of fear. Maybe it will be new collaborations and partnerships that never seemed possible before. I don't know, and it's too early, too raw, to tell.

What I do know is that the nonprofit community will continue to improve people's lives, no matter what. Funding sources may not be the same, and the players come and go, but, as in the hundreds of years before now, the American philanthropic sector will survive the winds of change. Regardless of your political persuasion, we will need time to heal, to forgive, and importantly, to listen, but we must be committed to continuing and expanding our work.

In the days leading up to the election, I posted a quote from Jane Goodall: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

I want to make the world a better place. I don't know how to do that right now, but it will come to light. So how do you want to impact the world?

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This blog first appeared on the GoalBusters Blog and reflects the personal opinions, experience, and far too public emotional processing of Alice Ferris.

For-profit and nonprofit businesses: are we all the same?

Are nonprofit organizations any different from for-profit businesses?

For years, many professionals have encouraged us to think about nonprofit organizations just like you would a "regular" business.

I agree...to a point.

The easiest delineation between the two business types is that for-profit businesses distribute profits to shareholders, while nonprofit businesses reinvest profits in the mission of the organization. Nonprofit organizations definitely need to understand their "product," follow sound financial and operational practices, and all companies, regardless of classification, need to generate a profit to preserve long-term sustainability and the success of its purpose.

But when the bottom falls out, I expect something different from nonprofit organizations.

Recently, a nonprofit organization that I have been deeply involved with as a volunteer for almost 20 years, made business decisions that I have a hard time understanding. Ten people, several of whom I count as friends, who provided exemplary service and supreme dedication, were let go with less than a day's notice. They received calls in the morning and by the end of the day, they were unemployed.

I'm sure there are facts I don't know. And I'm told that this is the way it is done. This is “normal business practice” nowadays.

I've seen this happen at more than one nonprofit organization, and it makes me angry.

The line between nonprofit and for-profit companies is more blurry every day. With companies like TOMS, Warby Parker, and many others, it's becoming harder to tell which is a for-profit and which is a nonprofit. For many consumers, it doesn't really matter. I get that.

For better or worse, the nonprofit sector has traditionally claimed the high ground of being morally superior to our for-profit brethren. Not only does the mission come first, but we also care for our team. We're more humane. We're collaborative. We're “family.”

Business practices that treat employees as disposable leave us with little to differentiate ourselves from the traditional for-profit sector. So we might as well go to “the other side” and make more money. Or better yet, work for a hybrid corporation like TOMS.

I could be making more money. I probably should be making more money. But instead of becoming an accountant, or something else, I chose fundraising. I chose to work with small nonprofits. I chose to pour my heart, soul, time and money into the philanthropic sector. And increasingly, I am disappointed in business practices of organizations that purport to be the leaders in the sector.

Alexis de Tocqueville's Democracy in America is often quoted in reference to philanthropy. Tocqueville writes this on associations in the US:

"In the United States, as soon as several inhabitants have taken an opinion or an idea they wish to promote in society, they seek each other out and unite together....From that moment, they are no longer isolated but have become a power seen from afar whose activities serve as an example and whose words are heeded."

When we come together, when we have shared values as a group, we have the power to change society. We have the power to treat people with dignity. We serve as an example to others of how to work with respect for one another. Things that the charitable sector has historically had at its core.

In an effort to make the nonprofit sector "more like a business," I hope that we have not forgotten that the word “philanthropy” means “love of your fellow man.”

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This blog first appeared on the GoalBusters Blog and reflects the personal opinions of Alice Ferris. But Jim Anderson probably agrees, since we both wrote the GoalBusters manifesto that outlines our values.