[nabs-l] Appreciating our roots

[Joe Orozco]

David,

Very true, capital campaigns are different from program development.  Yet,
there is also a certain level of funding capital you deteriorate when you
exhaust funding sources for something as massive as a building project.  In
terms others can understand, the window of opportunity is not without
boundaries, and the money you could have otherwise requested for program
design will have been spent by the massive funds that went to finance this
multimillion-dollar expansion.  Surely you are not suggesting that the line
of donors that put up the expansion is completely independent of the program
donors.  It is not unreasonable to suggest that the same funding sources
can't be tapped after the capital project is complete, but funders also want
to see the results of the programs that were supposedly going to be
incubated in the expansion.  As you will know, the focus of a capital
campaign is not the building itself, but rather, the benefits the extra
capacity will render to the community it serves.  As a previous fundraiser
yourself, can you honestly tell me the expansion has evolved into a good
return on investment?

So, what are the results?  We could go program by program, and even with
evidence on both sides I doubt we would ever convince each other of the
other's points.  A capital campaign should have left the organization in a
much better position to fundraise, economy notwithstanding, because although
funds for new programs have experienced a dip since the recession began,
loyal funding for existing programs has not fallen off the rails.  The ideal
nonprofit does rely on at least 85% of its funding to be generated from
individuals, but this is no typical operation.  The 85% the NFB is relying
on also happens to represent a sector of the population that is largely
unemployed.

In response to your previous post, I agree the Affiliate Action department
is an excellent resource with excellent staff, but four individuals are not
going to reverse the persistent trend of declining membership numbers, not
as long as the department continues to operate in a vacuum, and as much as I
love the people that run Affiliate Action, how is it that the NFB managed to
get so big so fast in times where there were no streaming feeds,
list-serves, no teleconference lines or TOPS curriculums?

At this rate, you may be wondering why I bother sticking around.  Hahaha, I
sometimes wonder too, but I've got one more NFB card to play before I call
it good and fully turn to my own future nonprofit venture.  I've never shied
away from hard work.  It's just that I finally figured out I did not have to
serve on a board to make a difference.  This is something our history speaks
of, but maybe I needed to grow up a little before I could fully appreciate
it.

Best,

Joe

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves,
some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all."--Sam Ewing
 

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