The delightful and very bright John Lepp of Idea Design wrote an excellent blog post about the worship of Fundraising Guru's. I started to respond and realized I was writing a blog. Thus was born a new blog, inspired by John - my morning Guru.
Who are the Fundraising Guru's?
I named my cat Guru.
He inspires me every day. Nothing phases him and he can swat a fly 6 feet in the air from a standstill. He reminds me daily of how incredible life is. He inspires me daily to be more caring and empathetic. He fills my life with daily lessons of patience, excellence and reminds me of how wonderful it is to "just be" what you are. He's my Guru.
People are great and I think every one of us has "guru moments". I've learned great lessons from a homeless man on the street and a man dying from ALS, amongst many others. We put too many people on pedestals and hang on their every word. I see brilliance and excellence in people without a smidgen of fundraising experience. I've learned to be a better fundraiser from all kinds of people, both with and without fundraising experience.
Look Out - Contrarian Ahead!
How much learning, brilliance and inspiration are we missing because we simply assign brilliance to everything a particular person does? Or worse, we put a criteria on where to look for brilliance? Is it really brilliant? Does THAT really make them a Guru? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
Sometimes, I think it's just a circle jerk of people looking to suck up to the perceived Guru's. There I said it. And no doubt, I've just pissed a lot of people off. Not the first time. Won't be the last.
There are a lot of fundraisers, consultants and other very experienced not-for-profit types who bring a wealth of experience and guidance to the fundraising world. I'm enormously grateful for their willingness to share. However, they aren't always brilliant and insightful. Sometimes, their perspective isn't brilliant at all. It's just a perspective. Sometimes I think they're right. Sometimes I think they're wrong. And sometimes I think they've missed the point entirely.
They are people. They have opinions. Their opinions ought to be considered - AND - they ought to be tossed out when they simply don't apply to your experience and/or your own unique ideas and perspectives.
The best Guru Brilliance comes when you don't expect it
I'm not going to set a criteria on who is and isn't brilliant. I'm not going to name anyone, except my cat "Guru". I'm simply going to remain open to brilliance and excellence everywhere and from everyone. And when I find someone or something who gifts me with a "Guru Moment", I'm going to value it and learn from it.
Be open to ideas everywhere. But mostly - be willing to think critically regardless of what the experts say. Sometimes the best Guru - is you.
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