The recurring series that occurs every summer when I’m teaching in the marvelously cool masters program in philanthropy and fund development at Saint Mary’s University of MN.
The first week of class is over… I’m reading papers from Cohort 28. The assignment: Interviewing a classmate to learn the the classmate’s philanthropic story.
The stories are so cool…how these colleagues wrote about each other. The feelings. Caring. Admiration. Respect.
Imagine a colleague saying something like the statements below…. Or saying something like this about you…
♦ “Both personally and professionally, this philanthropic powerhouse positively impacts people’s lives.
♦ How do you want to be remembered? “That I never hurt anyone purposely.”
♦ “My passion is to inspire other peoples’ passion.”
♦ A woman of this caliber has a philanthropic journey that is only beginning.
♦ “There is a lot of work to be done in our world. I hope I can – in some small way – chip away at it.”
♦ She joined a sit-in protest at her comfort level. The next thing she knew, she had busted through her comfort level.
♦ A humanitarian to the core, [he] lives every hour of each day in service to his commitment to make the world a better place.
♦ It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.
♦ Asked, “why would you do that?” She responded: “Why would you not?”
♦ She doesn’t just talk the talk.
♦ “I hope I’ll be remembered as a ‘listening ear.’ Being there for people. Being present when needed.”
