Preparation HHD

Trompa Knot - The French Horn
Preparing for the Blast of the Shofar

We are less than 48 hours from the first blast of the shofar, announcing the start of the month of Elul, the month preceding the High Holy Days.  The sound of the shofar calls on us to prepare ourselves for the seriousness of the High Holy Days.   Yes, in Judaism there is a whole month of preparation, a whole month of repairing ourselves before we stand before G-d on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur asking for forgiveness for our transgressions.  Having 29 days of preparation and being reminded each day by the blast of the shofar that we must prepare ourselves seems at first a little over the top.  Why can't it just be one week or the 10 days from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur?  There is a lot of prep time.

Then I think about preparing for an ask (solicitation), a serious ask where we are asking the prospect to make perhaps the largest gift they have ever made.  Preparation for a solicitation like that could take years before it formally happens.   Taking the time to invest in a prospect, learning more about them, their passions, their interests and the importance of your community to them is a critical and does not happen overnight or in a week.  In addition, finding points of connection between you and the prospect is important in building trust and developing their belief in you, knowing that you will handle and treat their generosity with care and with respect. 

Approximately one week before Rosh Hashanah, there is a service called Selichot, it is a night where we begin the final preparations before we stand before G-d.  We have been preparing ourselves, but now it is time to take the focus to the next level.  As an ask approaches, we begin the final preparations, making sure we have the proper documents to share in place, making sure we have the best people to make the ask and the right people will be in the room for the ask.  We must be prepared, organized and ready to be judged.

After Selichot, Rosh Hashanah is observed, we present ourselves to G-d and enter into the 10 days of Repentance.  We make sure to present ourselves correctly, evaluating if there are loose ends that we still need to address and prepare ourselves for final judgment on Yom Kippur.  As the solicitation process continues we meet with the prospect make the ask and then after the meeting there is still follow-up.  Expressing gratitude, securing "Letters of Commitment" and confirming how the gift will be given, via check, stock, credit card or another method.  Once the ask happens, the process is not over.

As we move past the High Holy Days, it is important to do check-ins with ourselves, making sure we are still dedicated to the promises we made during our preparation and repentance.  We continue to enhance ourselves as people. Just as we continue to work on ourselves, the relationship with the donor does not end with a gift. The stewardship must continue.  The donor must know that they are appreciated and the relationship was never just about securing the donation.  A gift is only part of building the relationship, just as the High Holy Days are only a part of our relationship with G-d and us.

So over the next month, not only spend time reflecting on the mistakes you made over the past year and how you can be a better person moving forward, evaluate how you can enhance relationships and develop more meaningful connections with others.