The recent passing of Leonard Nimoy has reminded us how cool a character Mr. Spock was. And -- who would have guessed -- Mr. Spock has a lot to teach us fundraisers. Here are four of those lessons:
- Be logical. Don't let your emotions cloud your ability to see the truth. How you feel about your fundraising tells you almost nothing about it. Know what's going on with your head -- use your heart to connect with donors, not with yourself.
- But be emotional too. Surprisingly often, something weird happens to Mr. Spock that causes him to become emotional. Those are the best episodes because that's when Spock reaches his full potential. Smart, logical, and connected to the heart. That's how we should be -- not just every few episodes, but all the time.
- Keep your eye on the data. He spent much of us time on the bridge peering into a viewfinder. I don't think they ever told us what he was seeing in there, but if it wasn't 3D pictures of Sites of Interest on the Planet Vulcan, I bet it was data -- information about what was going on around them. Successful fundraisers are similarly obsessed with the data. It's our only sure path to success.
- The most useful superpower is "mind meld." How many times did Spock get the Enterprise out of a jam by seeing into the mind of an alien or comatose fellow crewmember. The more insight you can get into the minds of your donors, the more funds you'll raise. If you have some way to put your hand on a donor's face and directly hear their thoughts -- go for it!
We'll miss you, Mr. Spock!
