An amazing example of authentic communication from Lars Leafblad
Throughout the year I use this space to share my thoughts on staying connected to your donors; telling your story powerfully so your community gives more; keeping your board engaged; and so on.
I love it when I come across an example of the kind of authentic, meaningful communication that I teach and blog about, especially when it’s from within my own community.
For those readers who don’t live in Minnesota or the surrounding states and don’t know who Lars Leafblad is, here’s some context:
Currently the Leadership & Engagement Director at the Bush Foundation, Lars was selected by Twin Cities Business magazine as one of the “200 Minnesotans You Should Know” in Dec 2011; one of “100 People to Help You Thrive in 2013” in Nov 2012 and he was selected as a “40 Under 40” by Mpls-St. Paul Business Journal in 2007.
He is the founder of BePollen.com (now OTA-Pollen.org), a community composed of nearly 7,000 civic-minded connectors who share ideas, career and civic engagement opportunities and peer-to-peer recognition to create positive impact and personal and professional growth for its members.
So, as someone I admire and strive to be more like… I was a bit surprised to open my email on Thursday, January 2, to find an email from Lars with the subject line: A tiny note(s) of gratitude to begin 2014 – thanks for reading me.
As I read it, my first thought was how honored I was to be included in his list and how much time it must have taken him to draft the email that personally thanked 130+ people, in alphabetical order!
And then, with my fundraising coaching hat on, I pondered what it would feel like to receive a similar email from the CEO of some of the charities I supported last year.
What if your organization took the time to ferret out who made a difference to your organization with their time, advice, in-kind and/or financial support and your CEO sent a group message to them? That message would allow each person to feel special by being included, and the ripples from that drop of gratitude would also allow the readers to see what kinds of other support made a difference to your organization.
I love learning and finding new ways to help organizations do the work of keeping supporters engaged. I’m quite touched and inspired when I get to experience, first-hand, a moment that takes my breath away with its authenticity and warmth.
Thank you, Lars, for setting the bar HIGH with your personal brand of authentic warmth already this year!
