Just over 2 months ago HHI was given a fabulous and daunting opportunity – that was to raise $50,000 and if we could do this, it would be matched! For those of you who don’t know, HHI is run primarily by a one-woman-show (that’s me), supported by a ton of volunteers. To raise this amount of money meant that HHI had the chance to not only support our current operations, to expand to a new site in India, but that we could finally have sufficient operating funds without the Board having the monthly conversation of “can we pay Laura her stipend this month?”
Given the challenge to raise more money in 2 months than we had in the last 2 years, I went into strategy mode and immediately came up with a plan for me and so many volunteers to pull off this phenomenal feat – this looked like an Excel sheet with about 45 To Do items! I also made an appointment to meet with a development officier from a very large and successful non-profit to share my plan and glean any insider tips that I could. When I showed this guy (a professional full-time fundraiser) my 45 point plan he looked at me like I was nuts and told me that to do this was “humanly impossible”. I grinned, knowing that I had already accomplished 80% of my list – this guy had no idea how stubborn I can be and he didn’t seem to get that I didn’t view failure as an option! His “wisdom” was that I should focus the majority of my energies leaning on our benefactor to reach out to all his contacts to match his own contribution. I tried to keep a straight face, but I really couldn’t envision thanking our donor for this $50,000 worth of generosity by asking him to now go out and raise another $50,000 from his friends.
After that amusing meeting, I got back to work, I got back to all of you – those of you who get what HHI is doing and the profound difference it is making in our world. SO many people responded, with donations of time, talent and treasure. Checks came pouring in, from $10 to $5,000 and in just two months time something astounding happened – we raised the funds, we got our first pilot contract with the Indian gov’t and in the month of June HHI trained 63 women who are serving the record number of 625 orphaned and vulnerable children!
It just goes to show… “Never believe that a small group of people can’t change the world…indeed, they are the only ones who do.” – Margaret Meade
Thank you all for making goodness grow in our world.
