Donors Are Doers, Too
I had a conversation this week that reminded me again how important it is to recognize and honor the unique role each individual plays in our efforts to save more animals.
I had gone to visit Bebe Ober, a woman who started out as a union organizer but, faced with the prospect of raising twin daughters on her own, went into real estate and dominated the profession in this area for over 40 years. When anyone around these parts mentions Bebe’s name, the sentence is almost sure to contain the words “one tough cookie,” and we all stand up a little straighter.
Bebe is now in her mid-eighties and lives in a local Alzheimer’s facility. At times she drifts, but when she talks about the animals, she’s as sharp as ever. That’s because, throughout her long and successful career selling houses, a significant percentage of the money Bebe earned – and she earned a lot – went to the local humane society. I can honestly say the remarkable progress we’ve made in caring for the area’s animals would not have come about without Bebe’s consistent and generous financial support.
Nonetheless, for as long as I’ve known her, Bebe has bemoaned the fact that she didn’t have time to “get involved” – and the other day, she told me her one regret is that she didn’t go full-time into animal welfare. That brought me up short.
Now of course, we’ll never know what Bebe would have accomplished if she’d switched careers, but I’m willing to bet that her influence would not have been as profound had she become a worker in the field. Not only did she make amazing things possible through her substantial gifts, she also watched out for all of the animals in the Chagrin Valley as she went about her work. Many are the tales of her lecturing potential sellers and buyers about the care of their pets, and her calls to the humane society or dog warden whenever she observed an animal in distress were legendary.
Bebe did go full-time into animal welfare just as much as any of us with titles and salaries. Those of us doing the hands-on work know we couldn’t do it without the Bebes of the world. Somehow, we have to make our donors feel responsible for any successes we achieve – because they are.
Photo courtesy of Amy Sancetta
Tags: donor recognition, donors, Fundraising
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Susan Ruderman (Animal Rescue League of Boston) Says:
What a magnificent photo–and a great story, too!
But let’s take advantage of those times when the success is easy to depict.
We are fortunate in animal welfare fundraising to have many opportunities to show donors the effect of their gifts. One stewardship technique I have been able to use with good success is a photo of a rehabilitated animal and a handwritten message scrawled across the front: “You made this possible.” Of course, when donor funds are needed for infrastructure rather than direct animal care–as they often are–the stewardship piece becomes a little more challenging. Somehow, a picture of a new plumbing system and the message “You made this possible” just doesn’t work the same way.