There I was walking out of a store only to look up and see the banner in this photo. It’s a visible symbol for those who walk by of the love someone has for a person or place.
These banners, of which there will be many in our small town, symbolize Valentine’s love. Seeing this one leads me to ask, how will you be showing your donors some love this Valentine’s Day?
It’s not too late to pick up some fun Valentines and drop them in the mail. Imagine being a widow, let’s call her Maude, whose husband passed last year. Maybe Maude never had children (FYI at least 20% of Boomers did not have children so there are many Maudes — Claudes too). Can you imagine the look on Maude’s face when she picks up the envelope with some curiosity opens it and finds your card?
Your card could:
- Brings a smile to Maude’s face on an otherwise dreary winter day.
- Let Maude know that you value and are thinking of her at times other than when you want her to make another gift
- Says, to Maude as Fred Rogers did, “You are special.” (Check out my blog post on this topic).
Leo Buscaglia was a college social education teacher who developed a world-renown reputation for his creation of a course calls Love 1A. He developed the course following the suicide of one of his students.
Dr. Buscaglia went on to write the book LOVE and became a beloved public television presenter. I had a chance to meet him in person and can say that, like Fred Rogers, he personified love, though in this case in a more boisterous way than Fred. One of Buscaglia’s famous quotes is:
“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”
You may be thinking suicide, turning lives around, “What does this have to do with donors and showing Maude some love?”. Please remember that Maude is just like you and me, she joys and sorrows and experiences ups and downs.
As Henri Nouwen notes in his book A Spirituality of Fundraising, Maude may feel lonely despite being a person of means. Maude may be searching for meaning as she ages and need a reminder that she still matters. Your card could reassure Maude that her simple act of making a gift has changed or even saved a life.
You can say to Maude you are special.
Will you write to or call her today to say Happy Valentine’s Day?
How will you be showing the Maudes and Claudes who make gifts to your nonprofit some love?
I hope that you will share the ways in which you show donors some love. By doing so you will enrich and show love to fellow travelers who seek to raise funds to make the world a better place.
