A day late and a little off-topic.
My family is in the middle of a significant medical journey with one of our kids.
We left one place in late November when the diagnosis came and have yet to arrive in another.
While nothing life-threatening, we’re between normals in a strange seaon of waiting.
We’re figuring it out, but we still have a ways to go.
Life feels very liminal, and the road ahead looks like more doctor visits. More specialists. Possibly more MRI’s. Major surgery this summer is likely.
Why am I sharing this here?
Two reasons.
First … community.
But also this …
Yesterday, my wife reminded me that it was time to do our giving for the month.
We ended up giving to a cause we’ve supported for years, but I found myself thinking about who we could also give to that could help other kids and families having to unexpectedly navigate the headspinning labrynth of pediatric medical care like we are in this season.
I didn’t find any new causes I wanted to give to yesterday, but I suspect that will change at some point.
And while the impact of this season on my family’s generosity journey isn’t all that important compared to the many other ways it’s affecting our life, it will eventually change our giving priorities in ways I can’t fully grasp right now.
As my family walks this road together, I’m reminded that the causes you and I raise money for are not just important to the people we serve.
Often they are just as important, if not even more so, in an intensely personal way to the people who give.
In those cases, the act of giving is not merely a gesture of charity or altruism; it’s a deeply personal expression of empathy and connection.
As fundraisers, never forget this connection between giver and cause.
Never forget that behind every donation lies a story of personal significance and shared purpose.
Remember that when you’re saying thank you.
Remember that as you work to learn more about someone’s connection to your cause and the difference they want to make.
Remember that when you’re inviting someone to give.
It really is that simple.
-Michael