Smart, smart people

Every once in a while someone says or does something and we just have to say, “WOW!”

Here are three examples we encountered just this week:

We chatted with early childhood educators at the JAM Center in Garret, Indiana and they said, “Most people are surprised by this, but children of this age need real life work to do!  They need to wash things, sweep the floor and do simple jobs like slicing eggs.”  Think of all of money that’s spent on toys…and the early childhood experts believe it’s really work that kids need. (And we agree!)

We heard a presentation by Bryan Nugen, an attorney who’s based in Auburn, Indiana and Miami, Florida.  He explained, “Here’s a big difference that I’ve noticed.   When people come to do estate planning in Miami, they know exactly what charity they want to support.  When people come to do estate planning in Indiana…they don’t have a charity or cause in mind.”  Wow–what an opportunity for organizations to learn from a pro!  Donors need to be educated and inspired… and when they are, that’s when charitable contributions happen!

We just received a grant report from The Center for Whitley County Youth.  A quick and unofficial count reveals that this small, grassroots nonprofit organization has nearly 340 donors.  That’s 340 diverse sources of revenue!  Wow!  When people hear about great, impactful charitable work–they’re not afraid to get out their checkbooks!

Smart people!  Great ideas to think about!