On February 7th, 2008, I got the Word of the Day. It was extempore, and decided that it was a sign. “Do Something,” it said. “Now.”

So I did something. I started a blog. Mostly about my musical pursuits, family, friends, my dogs, stuff. It’s getting a little stale now (there are reasons we’re getting to), but you can still read the old Frebassist blog here.

But extempore keeps coming up. Have you ever done something without premeditation or preparation? You know, spur of the moment? It’s scary, it’s thrilling, it’s a little dangerous, but it can also be extremely fulfilling. Prompted by my son Douglas, I started working with nonprofits in the late 90’s, and I knew immediately that I’d found my calling. So I found ways to continue my involvement with nonprofits on a part-time basis until late 2008, when I finally jumped in full time.

The economy at the end of 2008 (writing for posterity, here!) was pretty rough. A stock market crash that, while not as devastating as the wall street crash of 1929, still cost a lot of people their jobs, and many more their retirement savings. Then trouble with national and international financial institutions… I got a fortune cookie yesterday that said “Focus on your long-term goal. Good things will soon happen.” Good advice in these times. Focusing on the short-term pain can be a recipe for despair.

The needs of nonprofits have always been present. But like Douglas Adams’ SEP field from the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, we often think of them as “Somebody Else’s Problem”. And thank goodness for all of those Somebody Elses, like the Salvation Army, United Way of Metropolitan Nashville, and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, not to mention all of the thousands of donors to those organizations. But now, more than ever in the past 75 years, citizens are coming to rely on each other. Foundation endowments were affected by the stock dives. Other donors have tightened their own purse strings.

At the same time, corporations NEED nonprofits more than ever, and as communities band together, large organizations want to demonstrate their support and involvement. “We’re one of you,” they are shouting.

It’s time to let them come to the table. Approach your Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s store managers about donating to your charitable organization. And if you currently have some savvy volunteers, think seriously about investing some effort into revisiting your fundraising strategy. You may have had success with bake sales, and thought about corporate donors, but it may be time to go big.

Be free,

Jeff