Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Nothing to Something

It is easy to forget that Project Smile was once nothing.  Seven years ago next month I started working on it full time.  I opened our bank account with a $50 personal check that summer and never looked back.  I get so caught up with the future and working towards our goal that I forget where we came from.  My thoughts usually focus on what we're not doing, what needs to get done, how to do things better, etc.  I do enjoy our accomplishments and the work makes me happy, but it is only rare times when I think about how far things have come.  The truth is that it doesn't really matter how far you've come.  What matters is where you are in this moment and where you are going.  However, there are things that happen that do make you think about how far we've come. 

I was at an event tonight in Boston talking to some friends.  One person was trying to get a friend of mine to sign up for our date auction.  A girl came over to talk to the person who was trying to get my friend signed up.  The guy who was trying to sign up my friend turned to the girl who had just come over and told her how he was trying to get my friend signed up for the charity date auction.  Immediately, the girl said, "oh, the one at Gypsy Bar?"  She had been to the event a couple of times and enjoyed it.  It is so awesome to see that type of recognition for our event.  He said date auction and she immediately knew what it was- perfect!  I walked back to my car quite happy and thinking about how far we've come.  It was only 4 years ago that we started our first date auction and every year it keeps getting better. 

So what else is happening?  I've reached out to a very large event planning company to help work on a road race that we want to do next year- it is a road race with a unique spin.  I think it will be a terrific event for us.  I've been wanting to do it for a couple of years now.  I would love to work with this company, but it depends on their fees.  I spoke with one of the planners today and we are going to speak again next week.  I will keep you posted. 

I spent a lot of today working on a grant.  I'm actually sending it to the woman who used to help review my grants.  I haven't sent anything for her to review for a couple of years, but I just want to get her feedback on it.  We received a $5,000 grant from this foundation a couple of years ago.  We need to get the funding again, so I want this to be perfect.  They ask you to apply for the same program that they originally funded which is good.  Some foundations don't like to do funding for the same program. 

Well, I think that's it for tonight.  I went to bed a lot earlier last night and it helped me this morning.  I want to eat, but I'm trying to not eat late at night unless it is fruit.  I don't think we have any fruit in the kitchen except for bananas and unripe peaches- I might have a banana- even though there is also delicious cheese sitting in the fridge too just waiting to be enjoyed!!  Until next tomorrow friends...

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Inside Running a Non profit

Have you ever wondered what it is like to run a non profit or any other business? ( The similarities between non profits and other for-profit businesses are quite great) My blog is about the daily activities of managing a small, but rapidly growing non profit, an organization which I started and this year will be celebrating its 14th Anniversary.  Share the highs, the lows, frustrations, anxieties, challenges and the immense rewards.