Before the world shutdown, was your gala or golf tournament starting to wane? Are you ready to resume that event that, even before the pandemic, was perhaps yielding disappointing outcomes? Kevin wants event planners to consider abandoning what in some cases has evolved into an exhausting and uninspiring event generating nothing more than than a lot of small talk, and instead focus on genuine conversations among those at the table. Kevin wants us to take a chance on an unscripted engagement with fewer people around the table and, rather than being in control of everything, allow serendipity to do its part.
As evidenced in today’s podcast conversation, Kevin has given as much thought to what these events should look like as what they shouldn’t. He believes it’s important that a convening event not be an attempt to solve every problem that surfaces around the table, that the host organization not assume responsibility for taking action on what emerges, and that the focus remain on the attendees rather than organization itself. As I shared with Kevin, I suspect that while this is an essential role that perhaps every nonprofit should see themselves as playing in their community, some will find this concept far more natural than others.
As always, we are grateful to our friends at CueBack for sponsoring The Fundraising Talent Podcast.
What if fundraisers took a chance on convening genuine conversations?