The Rundown - Happy New Year Edition - January 6, 2023
Damar Hamlin becomes a household name and the people respond with their dollars.
When Football and Philanthropy Collide
For those that enjoy the National Football League, this past Monday night’s game was highly anticipated. Both the visiting Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals have had amazing seasons and headed to the playoffs. This particular Monday night was a national television showcase featuring two hot teams, two rising start quarterbacks and would go along way in determining the post-season’s home field advantage in the American Football Conference.
Everything was great, until it wasn’t.
Halfway through the first quarter, Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin made a routine tackle on the Bengals’ Tee Higgins, got up from the play and suddenly collapsed on the field. He had suffered a cardiac arrest near md-field. The stunned crowd and commentators couldn’t do anything except watch in horror as medical teams worked to revive Hamlin and an ambulance came on the field to whisk the play away to a nearby trauma hospital.
The story was the talk of the town. While football observers are no strangers to difficult and even gruesome injuries (I remember a Monday night game where Lawrence Taylor broke Joe Theismann’s leg), something like this was new. An internal injury where a player literally died right in front of an audience of millions.
Thankfully, Damar Hamlin is making a recovery. Yesterday it was reported that while it was touch and go for those first few hours, he is awake at times and aware of his surroundings. While he is still in intensive care, doctors seem pleased with his progress.
But the story takes a happy turn for a cause close to Damar Hamlin’s heart. A couple of years ago, Damar started a foundation, the Chasing M’s Foundation and made a modest request on GoFundMe for $2,500 for a Christmas Toy Drive. As of right now, nearly $8 million has been raised. You can look at the GoFundMe page here. Donations have poured in from other athletes, celebrities and people just like you and me.
To have this happen isn’t completely surprising. When people see a tragedy, they respond. And thankfully they respond in caring and meaningful ways. In the days after a natural disaster, millions of folks are willing to give to groups on the ground ready to help rebuild devastated communities and help put lives back together.
And even on a smaller scale, think about how many memorial contributions you have made in the honor of a loved one or a dear friend to a cause that was near and dear to someone.
When the chips are down, people give. And in all honesty, giving money is the most efficient and effective way to give and it’s the item people want to give most. It’s that last part you may not believe, but I can tell you it’s true. If I ask people for $20 for my nonprofit or thirty minutes of their time to do work, I would get more money than time.
I am grateful for generosity and while it sometimes takes tragic circumstances for it to generosity to hit a large scale, it’s still there. It’s a reminder that we are guided by a spirit of care, love and generosity, even in those times when things seem terribly dark.
The Weekly Notebook
A quick rundown of what I am seeing and hearing in the nonprofit world….
Now Hiring!
I have a nonprofit in Sidney, Ohio that has reached out to me looking for a new Executive Director. I can tell you that this a very strong organization that needs leadership that has strong entrepreneurial and staff management skills. If you have any interest, please drop me a line at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and let’s talk!
Registrations now open for Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership!
Registrations are now open for continuing education offered by Edison State Community College in Piqua for the Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership! I have been a proud alumni of both programs and have even been asked to help present sessions and teach classes. It’s an amazing program and I would encourage you to be a part of it if you are in the area! You can register here.
There are only two spots open for the 1.0 Academy and one spot open for the 2.0 Academy!
The Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership 1.0 is a series of workshops designed to develop more effective directors, leaders, board members, staff and volunteers of nonprofit organizations. Course topics include the fundamental practices of board recruitment, planning, staffing, budgeting, evaluation, board meetings and community awareness. The classes are designed to help individuals make a difference on their boards and in their community.
The Paul G. Duke Academy for Community Leadership 2.0 has been created and designed specifically for experienced executive directors of nonprofit organizations and alumni of the Academy for Community Leadership 1.0. This challenging and intensive Academy is coordinated by the Academy development team and participants. Advanced participants will conduct original research and exchange results via reports and discussion. Participants will help to further develop the foundational agenda for each of the four monthly sessions that will explore nonprofit organizations—based upon their backgrounds, experiences, pressing issues and needs—through self-analysis, organizational analysis, guest speakers, best practices, resource review and in-depth discussions. At its conclusion, Academy 2.0 participants will be immersed in the annual Mosaic of Community Leadership Conference, both as participants and presenters. Academy 2.0 is the latest collaboration between the Paul G. Duke Foundation and the Edison State Community College Center for Leadership Development.
What Can We Work on Together?
Did you know that Pinnacle Strategies works individually with nonprofit and public sector leaders to help them solve problems, achieve goals and gain confidence in their roles?
Why?
Because, this work is hard and it’s often a lonely road. Our nonprofit and public sector leaders need people that they can talk to to get solid advice and encouragement to do the work that is in front of them. If you feel that this can be of value to you, or a member of your team, please reach out to pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and let’s talk.
We are so close to 500!
Over the last few weeks, the subscription base to the newsletter has just grown and grown and grown. It has finally arrived at a point where we are SO CLOSE to 500 SUBSCRIBERS!
Originally, I had hoped to have 500 by the end of the first year, but it looks more and more likely like it’s going to 15 months to hit that 500 figure, which is still pretty impressive. You can help this newsletter get to that 500 figure by sharing this publication with your friends and colleagues!
Personally, I feel very excited about the future of this newsletter and if you have any ideas or comments, please feel free to share them with me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com
I know many of you have shared this with your friends and colleagues and I am very grateful. Thank you! If you haven’t shared it yet…..well, here is your chance….remember we are trying to get to 500….right?
Ready to Learn Something New?
One of the prettiest cities in the Midwest is Indianapolis and travelling there can open a perfect opportunity to sharpen your skills and meet new professionals in the field. I would encourage you to look at some of the offerings of The Fund Raising School at the Lilly School of Philanthropy at Indiana University’s campus in Indianapolis. The professional development school has great programming both on-line and in-person both in Indianapolis and at other sites across the country. Take a look at their course offerings here!
Online Learning Options from Texas A&M Announced
If travelling for professional development isn’t in the cards (or the budget), the Center for Nonprofits at Texas A&M University has some great offerings! I recently enrolled in one of their certificate programs and really enjoyed the online format and the online discussions that were developed. It was time and money well spent and I would highly recommend this program, especially for early or mid-career professionals. The next session begins in early February and you can learn more here!
Other Ways to Connect
Our coaching practice has openings and it has been a blast working with nonprofit leaders all across the country! If you are interested in working with me to get your nonprofit organization on a track to achieve the big missions you have, please reach out to me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com.
Here are some other ways you can keep in contact with Pinnacle Strategies!
Check us out on our LinkedIn Page
Check us out on the Celebrating Leadership Facebook Page.
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