Your life is going to be changed, now, forever. The world is scarier than ever, even if you don’t live in the US.
And as a nonprofit leader, and as a fundraiser, you have the power to change things now more than ever before in history.
One in ten people in the US works at a nonprofit. The US voted for change. They voted for revolution.
If you know anything about revolution, you know that as systems break down, they leave lots of sharp bits. These sharp bits will hit vulnerable people.
That’s where you come in.
If you fundraise for the environment, we need your voice, now more than ever. If you fundraise for domestic and sexual violence, we need your expertise now. If you fundraise for social justice, basic rights for people of color and LGBTQ people, we need you even more. If you fundraise for the poor, the refugees, the marginalized, the old, the mentally ill, the disabled, we need you now. If you fundraise for healthcare, we desperately need you. If you fundraise for children, we need you. If you fundraise for a better world, we need you.
If you are good at writing, you are now a journalist for your cause. It’s your job now to tell more stories, speak with more donors, and compel more people to give.
If you’re good at throwing parties, we need you to speak, to help people have fun and come together and agree to help the community succeed.
If you’re good at building relationships, we need you to get even better-to learn how to ask-to overcome your fear of asking.
If you’re good at tech, we need you to get even better at mobilizing people with multiple channels to take action and DO SOMETHING about their pain, despair and sadness.
If you don’t have a job right now, think about how you want to use your strengths and make the biggest impact on the cause you care about. I have a feeling you’ll get a job very soon, because of how much we need you now.
If you’re good at partnerships, perhaps most importantly, NOW is the time to reach out to businesses, to other nonprofits, to government and ask, how can we do more, together?
There is hope, and that hope is YOU.
Fundraising is hard, but today, and for the next four years, you are the voice-for those who cannot speak for themselves.
You are the bridge, between the world we have and the world we want to see.
You are how programs go on and expand. You have it in your power to show that we can be stronger than fear, hate and suffering.
You can help us communicate.
You can speak to our shared values.
You know that we can do more together than we ever could have imagined alone.
You are my hero, and we need you.
Mazarine
P.S. Here’s what we need to do, according to JK Rowling.
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