Month: September 2008

Have they no ethics? Unfinished draft September 23, 2008 11:21pm

The whole Wall Street thing makes me nauseous.

Garrison Keillor signs off “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

It’s not much to ask.

Doctors say; “First, do no harm.”  Since at least 1860, the phrase has been for physicians a hallowed expression of hope, intention, humility, and recognition that human acts with good intentions may have unwanted consequences. 

That is not what these Wall Street companies have done.

the morning after the NO

In her book, used by nonprofit workers, “The Ask: How to Ask Anyone for Any Amount for any Purpose,” Laura Fredricks presents “The 10 Guiding Principles For Any Ask.”
Using the guiding principles as a “road map” for all your asks, she wrote, will make you “ready, focused, and energized to ask for gifts in your own winning style.

The 10 Guiding Principles For Any Ask:

  • The more personal and sincere you are with the people you are cultivating, the quicker you will be able to make the ask.
  • Every prospect must be treated separately and distinctly.
  • Anyone asking for a gift must first make his or her own gift.
  • Ask for a specific amount for a specific purpose.
  • Consistent givers can and will make larger gifts.
  • Always use we instead of I in any ask because that connotes that the ask is being done with all the strength and backing of the organization.
  • Any organization’s planned giving program must be coordinated with all other fundraising programs.
  • Every campaign prospect must be asked for as specific amount, with guidelines on how to fund the gift and with a proposed time frame.
  • At the initial ask, stay committed to the ask amount.
*Hank Paulson didn’t do these things, no wonder the American people got to their members of Congress and convinced them to say “No”.
*He wasn’t personal and sincere–he was alarmist and threatening.
*He almost commanded Congress and the American people practically out of the blue to give him $700 trillion by the end of the week.
*He never said he was giving up any of his own personal net worth (between $500 and $700 million) towards this purpose but he expected taxpayers who make minimum wage to contribute.
*He didn’t say what exactly he was going to do with the $700 trillion and in fact didn’t want anyone to ask him.  The bill included the following text; “Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.” [RED FLAG RED FLAG RED FLAG!!!!!!]
*Consistent givers can and will make larger gifts, (but at some point they have to look at their own budgets).
*Always use we instead of I in any ask because that connotes that the ask is being done with all the strength and backing of the organization.  So how come everyone heard; “Hank Paulson asks for $700 trillion.”
*Any organization’s planned giving program must be coordinated with all other fundraising programs. (Health, Education, Welfare; Highways and bridges; Farm programs; National Parks…)
*Every campaign prospect must be asked for as specific amount, with guidelines on how to fund the gift and with a proposed time frame. (These guidelines on how to fund the gift were missing.  (“Gimme $700 trillion by Wednesday or else sounds more like a character from The Sopranos”)
 *At the initial ask, stay committed to the ask amount.  (Well he did do that!)
Ask for what you want.
You just might get it.  
What’s the worst that can happen?
They may say no.
You’ll be no worse off than you are now.
Well, Congress did say “No.”
and
We’re all still here.

We did our gig

We did our piece and it was a success because:

We met our objectives…

1. We put something on the stage at the appointed date and time.

2. We found out that Lorraine and I can have fun in rehearsal working together as a puppeteer and a clown.    That’s major!

3. We learned that our concept does have potential as a theatrical evening.  We got laughs!

This was the first step of a long project.  It is our knitting, our sweater that we will pick up to work on whenever we can.

It is something to feel good about.

We’ve done a clown festival, perhaps the next time we mount it will be for a puppet festival.