If I am only for myself...

 “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” ~ Hillel

As a Development Professional you must strongly believe in the organization you raise funds for, otherwise, you probably should find another job.  Even so, it is ok to have a few other causes that you are more passionate about as long as the cause you work for is a top five of your philanthropic choices, preferably not less than a top three choice.  

I care deeply about Jewish Community and Jewish Continuity, especially at Temple Beth Am and Pressman Academy.  My wife and I met at "Purim in the Chood" at TBA and every morning my daughter sprints (as much as a 2 1/2 yr. old can sprint) to her classroom at Pressman Academy. But I will be honest, TBA/Pressman is one of my family's top three philanthropic choices but it is not my family's top choice, and that is ok. (This statement does not include costs associated with tuition and camp - which are not considered philanthropic choices.)

#WageHope Knot for
Pancreatic Cancer
Awareness

My wife lost her mother to Ovarian Cancer over nine years ago and her family set up a fund in her name at a non-profit.  We are honored to donate in her mother's memory every year and at their walk each year, "Team Linda" is the top Tribute Fund Team for the Lynne Cohen Foundation.  My wife also works for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, so we choose to give some of our philanthropic dollars to support their mission as well.

In meeting with prospects and donors and learning more about their interests, I need to keep this in mind as well.   There are numerous wonderful nonprofit agencies that donors can choose to support and I cannot force them to make TBA/Pressman their top priority, I can make sure it is on their list of priorities and then as they become more connected it becomes a higher priority.  I am also open to sharing my knowledge of the nonprofit sector with donors as well.  If someone is very passionate about providing healthcare for those that can't afford or have nowhere to turn, I feel very comfortable educating them about some places they may be able to direct their donations, or if they are passionate about the arts, there are numerous places they can make donations. 

At first thought, one would think, I might be promoting my competition and would get a reduced donation from a prospect, however I have found it quite the opposite.  The donor knew they wanted to give to the arts or another purpose, however I was able to demonstrate to them that I care about how they allocate their philanthropic dollars, and it is not just about my bottom line.   Donors have actually shared that this approach has increased their belief and trust that we will handle their funds appropriately.  Not only did they support the other nonprofit, but gave a gift to TBA/Pressman at a higher level than they otherwise would have.

In graduate school, the term that was applied to this was co-opetition.  Credit goes to Liz Shear for this creative name.   There are times that one needs to protect their own interests and there are times that there is benefit in looking out for others.   These are the words that Hillel shared nearly two-thousand years ago,  “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?”  We need to look out for ourselves but we also need to be there for others.  Not in the future, not in the past, but at all times.