DO Call it a Comeback
Chapter Leadership Brief 7.16.2021
By Michele Hall-Duncan, AFP-NYC Secretary
CEO and President of enCourage Kids Foundation
As I write this leadership brief, we are in the throes of putting the final touches on our 18th annual golf tournament. If you’d asked me three months ago, my team, my board and even the golf committee themselves were managing expectations. No one knew what to expect between the moving target of vaccinations, venue limitations, and most importantly personal comfort level. I am so excited to share that we are nearly sold out and may even match our 2019 revenue. You know what I call that? A comeback! Was it tough? For sure. Exercising those old fundraising muscles, after months of being reactive instead of proactive required a shift, and for some, that shift was difficult.
As we head into the remaining weeks of summer, be sure to embrace the new ways that we will work while keeping tried and true methods. We’ll probably never return to “normal” which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. That is why I am very excited for the upcoming professional development event, Planning for a Comeback: Creating strategies and flexible development plans post COVID. This event is a great opportunity to hear just how non-profit leaders are making the shift between online and personal events, modifying budgets and development plans, as well as embracing new adaptations in culture and workforce.
We have all been through quite a challenging time over this past 16 months and our resilience has been on full display. I can’t wait until we are back in person, to share our challenges, our triumphs and our collective ideas on the future of philanthropy. There’s so much to share and so much to look forward to.
Until then, “see” you all on the 21st.