Speed Dating for Nonprofits

Today a philanthropy organization in Houston hosted an event that positively portrayed 7 nonprofit organizations in a time efficient manner.  The host venue was prominently profiled and the intro speaker highlighted another distinctive institution.  Then 5 distinctive but connected, collaborative nonprofits were each given 20 minute forums to share their story for 8 foundation and corporate funding representatives.  Just like speed dating, as the buzzer sounded, each group of 8 funders rotated to the next nonprofit.

Though every nonprofit would love to host site visits for funders, this was a fabulous introduction for many potential funders who might not have otherwise been exposed to the vision, mission and successes of these organizations.

High Impact Introductions

We rarely know the impact of introductions we make. My daughter, Julia, made two special introductions, one intentional and one by chance, that have tremendous benefits that can be tracked. Julia's fabulous gift of a Kiva gift card introduced me to this remarkable micro-lending site.  My original two loans have grown to a total of seventeen.  I've also made contributions toward Kiva's operations.  And I'm thrilled to report that all of my entrepreneurs have repaid or are repaying as agreed.

The second introduction was to DonorsChoose.org.  Julia and I went to see "Waiting for Superman".  A $15 DonorsChoose gift card that was distributed to all viewers prompted me to investigate.  After using the gift card to benefit a Houston classroom, 28 classrooms in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio became the beneficiaries of Sterling Bank's Thanksgiving Grants.

I've shared information on these projects in the following previous posts:

Funding Classroom Projects
Incredible Fun and Impact for $25
Gifts that Keep on Giving 
Making a Difference in Classrooms 

As these two examples illustrate, it doesn't take a lot of money or a detailed plan to make high impact introductions.  When we act with good intentions and natural curiosity, we can create high impact introductions.  In addition to loans and donations, our introductions can lead to friendships, jobs, contracts, recognition and awards. 

Opening Doors

Opening doors for others is a nice thing to do, whether it's a literal, physical door or an introduction.  When we open a door for someone else, we don't know what positive ripples result.  When we do the right thing without any expectation of reciprocity, we have an immediate "feel good" benefit.   And, because everything's connected, there are sometimes unexpected additional benefits.  Many open doors revolve. An introduction we freely make may set the stage for a future introduction we'd like to have. 

Real People Create Our Opportunities

How many times have you left an event feeling energized and educated?  My guess and hope is many, many times.  And I sincerely hope that most of you who have attended Sterling Bank events have left with news you can use, contacts you will pursue, and a renewed emphasis on productive, self enlightened networking.  How often do you take time to acknowledge the real person who invited you or entertained you? 

When you get an event oriented invitation from Sterling Bank and many other companies, most often, a real person indicated that you might be interested in attending.  Yes, we all get automated invitations to do absolutely everything! But, we all need to acknowledge those who provide appropriate chances to meet, learn and grow.

 I will continue to invite those who might be interested to engage in discussions that I think are productive. And I hope others will continue to include me when they think I can add value or benefit.

Accidental Match-Making

Though it was more than 25 years ago, I vividly remember encouraging two friends to attend an event together.  I was crazy about each of them, wanted to include both of them for the event and independently told them not to worry because it was just one evening.  I set the bar very low, only hoping for a gathering made more fun by being able to include both of them. This was definitely not the typical match-making scenario of selling the stellar traits of two special friends to encourage their interest in one another.  The pressure was off for everyone.  They had a marvelous time together that evening, continued to date and have celebrated 25+ years of marriage. 

Sometimes we try too hard to sell.  When we interject our impressions and interests too early our preconceived notions can preclude a relationship from unfolding.  As was the case with my friends, often all we need to do is make the introduction and let the relationship develop naturally.