isabelpratt trustees

Development is a word that scares even the most seasoned Trustee. Nobody ever wants to serve on the committee. The building committee seems way more fun. They get to talk to the builders and the architects and take things out for bid. The vendors all court them with baseball tickets, lunch and golf. That gang gets to look at blueprints and plan communities. It’s like a giant Legos party over on that committee.

Nowadays folks try to hide the fundraising behind fancy new words like advancement. Everybody wants to hire an advancement officer who will write pretty press releases and keep all that moneyraising in the back office. There is something unseemly about asking people for money -- especially people you know, friends and relatives even. They want you to ask your whole Rolodex, for goodness’ sake. It seems awfully messy.

People join Boards because they have had some luck and they want to share. They want to give back. They don’t mind writing checks here and there. They want to work with other smart people and improve their communities. Usually there is some passion like education or culture, politics or health and wellness. These common interests unite Boards and create a clubby atmosphere with passionate committees.

The Nominating Committee is always a good one. There you get to take out new interesting people and, over good food, get to know one another. It’s like dating; only you start with some common passion. This is a popular committee.

The Finance Committee is a hard working group. The smart accountants always gravitate there. They seem pretty happy looking at balance sheets and making new spreadsheets designed to make the numbers friendlier. And sometimes they share the work of the investment committee where the money gets counted and watched. This is important work and sometimes even gets a little exciting -- hopefully just not too exciting.

Strategic Planning just may be the best committee of all. These people get to think up the big ideas, which others will implement. They can spend months, years even, working on the vision thing and finding just the right words that will inspire a generation. These people have big ideas and vivid imaginations.

It is the Development Committee though that makes all the rest possible. There would be no vision without the money and none to count either if somebody didn’t raise it. There would be no fancy building or pretty garden if these people did not hear their calling. The development committee is where the action is. It is where the talkers live. These people will say anything. They beg you to join them. They are constantly recruiting. And you cannot figure them out. How do they do it? Maybe they are just social butterflies. But, no; you know a few of them. They cannot possibly enjoy this work. Why then or how do they manage to do it?

They have learned the secret. Anybody can. Development is the most honorable Board work there is. This is where it all starts or ends. We honor people when we ask them for money. We honor them just by asking. You wouldn’t ask a mean or stingy person to help with your favorite charity, would you? Of course not. Likewise you wouldn’t ask a miserly, dumb, selfish, crabby, intolerant, thoughtless person. Never.

We ask people whom we believe to be generous and kind, thoughtful and wise. The people we ask to help us support the community are people just like us. They are public spirited and smart. They are open-hearted and believe in the value of good works. These are the kind of people who try to figure out the right path and then they aim to take it.

True, well-considered development honors people with its belief in their inherent good natures. At isabelpratt we will teach you to honor everyone you know. We will teach you how you can meet a whole bunch of new, interesting, generous people so that you can honor them too . isabelpratt gets it. And now you will too. It isn’t just a secret club. There are no decoder rings or hidden passwords. This work will make you proud. And then, after a year or so, you can go over and play some golf with those fellows on the building committee. Cause believe us, they are gonna love you!