This blog post was inspired by a comment I read on a NY Post article comparing the intelligence of dogs and cats. The commenter noted (quite rightly, I think) that comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges.
Who's The Boss?
It's often said that cats rule the house. I think that's true. When my cat, Guru, wants his nightly treat, he tells me. If I ignore him, he starts knocking things off the coffee table. I'm now making sure I leave nothing on the coffee table. People think I'm a neat freak... but it's just me having a contest of wills with my cat. My other cat, Flurry, knocks stuff off my bedside table in the morning, if I sleep too late. She likes to be fed in the morning, you see.
In spite of the many ways, my cats demonstrate their "ownership of me", I can get them to do just about anything. Not because I tell them to do it and not because it makes them happy to please me. They do it because I know what they like, what they want and what they need. And by understanding their motivations and desires (and fulfilling them), I can usually get them to cooperate with me.
This is what good fundraiser's do isn't it? We engage volunteers. We learn about their desires, their hopes and their motivations for supporting our organizations, and we help them fulfill those things through their charitable volunteering and donations.
And lets not forget that volunteer boards are "the boss" where charities are concerned.
So if you're looking for a great fundraiser... find someone who's great with cats and hire them.
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