I had the pleasure of talking with an energetic young man named Jeff Hnilicka a week or so ago. He is the Executive Director of Kulture Klub Collaborative a partner organization housed in the lower level of YouthLink in Minneapolis.
Jeff attended one of my December workshops and over a month later was still “lit up” about how much he’d learned and how he was already putting the tools to use.
He made my day with his enthusiasm but what I really want to share with you is the cool program he created and is implementing. He’s a tiny staff of one but has the enthusiasm and passion of ten. Kudo’s to Jeff for taking the ball and running with it!
Here’s Jeff’s fun donor recognition and engagement program:
My experience at the Art of Asking had a BIG impact on my organization. I was hesitant in attending the training because of my nervousness around individual solicitation and limited capacity as the Director of a small organization ($225K annual budget). However, I walked away energized and active – with a list of clear to-do’s that I am still putting into action.
One of the easiest and most fun is my Friday Ask and Acknowledge. My goal is to send out ten Asks or Acknowledgements every week. This is usually a quick summary of my favorite activity of the week, a quote from a youth or artist, or an alert about an upcoming program.
I love combining the Asks with the Acknowledgements because it doesn’t make me feel like every Friday I have to hound ten people for cash. Instead, it’s a kind note to a partner organization, a phone call with an old friend, or taking time to make a thoughtful journal entry so I can email it around. Although I just began this initiative, we’ve already seen results. The community knows what we’re up to, and we’ve even gotten some checks (that I didn’t directly ask for!).
Thanks again for the great training – as you can see, it totally helped!
Best,
Jeff
You are most welcome Jeff and good luck to you!
