# Inspiration, by any means necessary…

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/03/05/inspiration-any-means-necessary/
- Published: 2009-03-05T14:30:39+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

I am off to Borneo to build some capacity. Not any old capacity you understand, 
but some of the seriously sustainable stuff. And I’m a tad scared. Not just because
I get intimidated by jargon, but because I’m doing something I have too often merely
exhorted others to do – getting outside my comfort zone. It’s easy to stand at the
front of a Master Class in the cosy environs of a conference centre, and attempt
to inspire people to be creative. It’s quite another to quit a secure job with a
well-regarded consultancy in the middle of economic Armageddon. From ‘THINK’ to ‘
do’, or from ‘THINK’ to ‘deep do-do’? Time will tell…

 

So I’m scared, but verrily throbbing with an excitement that has grown with each
new vaccination. I love raising money. I take delight in producing inspiring drtv
ads, banner ads, and even the odd and much maligned direct mail pack (remember those?).
But there’s nowt like getting to the sharp end to re-charge my creative batteries.
So I leapt at the chance when I heard that Borneo Orangutan Survival needed a volunteer
to work at their project in Samboja. The work I’ll be doing there won’t be fundraising
or campaigning or marketing. I’ll be rolling up my sleeves to help improve the lives
of orangutans and sun bears. With orangutans heading for extinction in less than
a decade, there’s an urgency to the work that cannot be over-estimated. I’ve already
wept just looking at photos of our close cousins beaten and mutilated as rogue loggers
destroy their ancient rainforest home. As a small contribution to staving off extinction
I’ll be helping the dedicated people there to put in place the systems and processes
to help these wonderful animals survive and thrive.

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I know that whatever I encounter will make me a better fundraiser, a better campaigner,
a better communicator. I believe fervently that every fundraiser needs time away
from their desk. Time to get close to their cause. To live, breathe and feel precisely
why what we do is such a privilege. For just as donors aren’t inspired by dull communications,
so fundraisers can’t be inspired by dull jobs. Time at the sharp end is vital. It’s
moving. It can be traumatic. But it’s surely life-enhancing. Above all, for anyone
involved in fundraising, it’s where you find the best stories, images footage.

 

So if you work for an agency, beg and badger your clients to let you get close to
what they do. And if you are a fundraiser or manage fundraisers, insist that you
all get the chance to re-inspire yourselves by getting out there. You’ll get great
stories, inspired people, and you’ll retain your best staff longer. We are all used
to scrutinizing ROI figures, but how about trying to improve your Return On Inspiration?

 

I’d love to hear just what inspires you. What are the places, people, causes, donors
who put a spring in your step? Let me know, and, technology permitting, I’ll be 
posting from Borneo on the stuff at the sharp end that stimulates me.

 

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## Comments

### By: TIMA

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/03/05/inspiration-any-means-necessary/#comment-3560
- Published: 2009-03-17T21:16:59+00:00

Peter Muffett was kind enough to show me your blog on the Borneo efforts that you
are involved in.
 You and Peter truly inspire me to do more in raising awareness
here in the U.S – not to mention giving and getting out there more, to help the 
plight of these poor defenseless animals. Keep doing what you’re doing, you are 
definitely an inspiration.

### By: derekhumphries

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/03/05/inspiration-any-means-necessary/#comment-3561
- Published: 2009-04-15T08:33:21+01:00

Thank you so much for the feedback. And apologies for being so slow to acknowledge
you. I think that inspiring ourselves is a prerequisite of being a good fundraiser.
The flip side is that it can sometimes feel like a slightly selfish thing to do:
just dipping in and out of a bleak situation, trying to give soemthing, but probably
taking more than one gives. A bit of a moral conundrum, but one that puts a spring
in my step.
 Thanks again for your feedback, I really appreciated it. All the best
Derek