Fishing and Fundraising

After two recent fishing trips this spring I realized how similar that activity is to my professional activity of fundraising. In both cases I invest in good equipment, depend on past experience, plan and prepare in significant detail, usually approach the tasks with a partner, and have a success ratio somewhere below that of an average major league baseball hitter (using time spent/fish caught or funds raised). Unfortunately, what passes for "excellent" hitting for the Red Sox or Yankees does not put fish on the plate or funds in the Operations Account.

Regardless of the limited success rates for both fishing and fundraising, I start out making plans with renewed enthusiasm and expectations of success. "This brook will provide our limit of trout!" or "This donor will decide to invest in our scholarship program." I suppose the explanation for that anticipation lies not in my naivete, but rather in the occasionally major rewards from each activity. On my den walls I have a 4 lb smallmouth bass and a 14" native brook trout as evidence of that, and in my office files I have letters announcing enduring support from a few very major donors.

It's May. The fishing season has just begun in earnest, and we are just three months from wrapping up our fiscal year. My tackle is ready, and I've got some calls to make!