A Tale of Two Cities

Jay Love — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:28:00 GMT

The special world of the nonprofit sector came to life again last week, in the form a visit to two distinctly different venues. First, I was off to Nashville, TN, and the gathering of all of the Association of Fundraising Professionals chapter presidents at the Opryland Hotel. This group, representing the finest of mid- to larger-size charities from across North America, was drawn together for intense leadership training and of course the ultimate networking to which only fundraising professionals can aspire. We all know they are some of the best in the world at that art.

Holding the meeting at such a superb facility, which just seems to beckon networking, certainly helped. If you ever have a chance to visit the Opryland Hotel, make sure you do. The gardens and waterways are spectacular!

By the way, if you are a country music fan like my eTapestry co-founder Steve Rusche, (who made sure I was in a front row seat at the Grand Ole Opry the last time we had a trade show at Opryland), you will love the proximity of this grand country music tradition.

Based upon the many conversations I had with old friends and new acquaintances, the training was excellent. The new presidents will be duly prepared for their roles. In addition, they will now have numerous peers and mentors to turn to.

During the time in Nashville, AFP also held their Industry Partners Council meeting. A few details are here.

This group, of which I am proud to be a part and chair for the coming year, has become a key advisor to the AFP leadership, regarding the needs and views of all business members. In fact, during its first year of existence we lobbied for and watched the formation of the new business membership classification. This offers numerous benefits which are outlined here. I encourage any business dealing with the nonprofit sector in North America to take a close look. The Council will be spearheading several other new initiatives you will be hearing about in 2009.

From Nashville, it was time to board a Southwest Airlines flight to Oakland for the Craigslist Foundation Boot Camp. (I am still amazed Southwest is now the airline where you now think you are getting the most in the form of free drinks and snacks! For years, everyone made fun of peanuts only meal fare. Times do change...). Check out the slideshow of Boot Camp pictures here.

This fairly large event was held at the San Mateo fairgrounds on a Saturday. It is truly a gathering of the small (in revenue only) nonprofit leaders. I say small in revenue because they more than make up for their current size with their passion, ambitions and heart. You could just sense their excitement and dedication as they came by to explore what technology tools they could afford and use to stoke the fires of their growth. It had the feel of a combination pep rally, huge family reunion, neighborhood garage sale and college orientation week all rolled into one! The outstanding lunch certainly brought to mind a few of the Love family reunions we used to attend in Indiana every August where each family’s specialty in cooking was heartily consumed before the big softball and kickball games.

Anyone who knows me realizes my passion and desire for enabling technology for all sizes of nonprofits. I especially have a big spot in my heart and soul for the start-up and small charity. There is nothing more fun than seeing a small nonprofit discover how quickly the right technology and the Internet can level the playing field in the search for fundraising dollars. Our team at eTapestry has witnessed far too many success stories to remember them all. Suffice it to say, we take great pride in every single one in which we had a part.

I am hopeful -- no I am certain -- many of the wonderful leaders I met in San Mateo will be creating success stories of their own shortly. When you combine such passion for the mission with all-out effort and enthusiasm, along with a little technology magic, the chances of success rise exponentially. My ever-present baseball cap, (the head seems to now need the protection no matter what the weather...), is off in tribute to each and every charity leader I met this last week! Whether they are large or small they will be writing stories that Charles Dickens himself would be proud of . . .

The Jay Love Blog : Boot Camp

A Tale of Two Cities