The best part of having smart, articulate friends is that you can share a tiny seed of an observation and they will grow it into lush, blooming, fully-fleshed out ideas and concepts right before your eyes. For example, this excellent piece by my friend and colleague, Janet Levine, on the audacity required to be a good fundraiser.

Too Busy To Fundraise

Winston Churchill
The first quality that is needed is audacity. —Winston Churchill.

My friend and fellow consultant Viva Kransinski  sent me this video  of filmmaker John Waters talking about the audacity of Cy Twombly.  There is, Viva wrote, an audacity to being a consultant.  She is right.  But there is also audacity in in being a fundraiser.

Other words for audacity include boldness, daring, courage, fearlessness and courageousness.  And it takes all that and more to approach prospects and get them to Star jumpshare with you their hopes, dreams, values and then to match those to the work your nonprofit does.  If you are simply asking for support but not finding out about your prospects, you may be arrogant, thinking that what you want and need is reason enough for them to support you, but you don’t have audacity.

Audacity means you stand out, get things done. Audacious people—and audacious organizations—are not…

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