Why I am the Way I am...

Yes, I too wish I could explain here all of the intricacies of "the Hutch". But, unfortunately, I can only scratch the surface.

Still, there are a few things you should know.

To start off, I get really, really really frustrated with my job sometimes. We have a new intern in the office today who is exploring the world of nonprofit. Well, as fun as it is, we have to do cold calling for the next couple of weeks. I hate cold calling. I'm pretty sure she hates cold calling. it is not a fun job.

But this is why it's not fun, and why I get frustrated with my job.

I go to work and I see this:

This is Leah. Leah is one of the kids in our summer camp. She is just about the most adorable child I have ever seen (other than my nephew, of course). And what you don't see in this picture are the 6 other children at the table, all of which held up their arms to hug me right before I took this picture.

But, see, I walk into this room and see all of these children and I want to cry they are so adorable. They are singing camp songs and dancing around. Showing pride for their "animal" (the kids are separated into teams and each team has an animal name). And then I walk back to my office for cold calling, where I hear this:

-Our money is already allocated

-Sorry, we only have a select few charities we help

-Fill out X, Y, and Z form, and maybe, possibly, we will consider helping you

-What can you do for us?

And, of course...

-No

Now, don't get me wrong, I love elements of my job. I love the relationship building. I love the feeling of accepting a check from someone who truly, really wants their excess money to go to help.

But that rejection, when you have to look at the child's face is really really tough. Knowing that there are charities out there with million dollar marketing budgets when we can't even get $10,000 for a bus to take our kids on field trips is tough, particularly when those charities are the ones "selected" by these companies as the only ones they'll help.

And here's the kicker. We are in the second largest financial city in the US, next to New York. We are the ONLY market in the US to see an increase in our real estate market. and yet we are ranked 27th out of 30 metro markets for charitable giving. We have less nonprofits than other cities, and yet our nonprofits (at least those that I have relationships with) are all reporting the same type of rejection.

So, I ask, beg, and plead with you... The next time you're quick to say "no" to a nonprofit, take a second to think about whether or not you can really help.