Fundraising

Fundraising: What’s your reason?        

I’m rowing in hopes of raising some money for our lake.

Years ago, during an animated discussion about how to most effectively encourage people to give their hard-earned money to our school, a seasoned fundraiser calmly said, “Folks ultimately give for their reasons, not for ours. Just describe how you will use what their generosity delivers; don’t try to convince them to be generous. If they see a match, they will be.”

I’ve never forgotten the wisdom of that statement. Sure, our lakes have needs and face dire challenges, but at the end of the day, the needs have to connect to our “reasons” for wanting to support the agencies doing the heavy lifting of science, advocacy, preservation, and protection.

As I row 400 miles to Keuka Lake, I hope that this blog will incite you to want to contribute to the work of the Lake George Association or, if you’re reading at the other end, to the Keuka Lake Association, or to others that I’ll meet along the way. My wise colleague from years ago would say that you love the lake for your own reasons. Maybe as a refuge, as a place for tranquility and solitude. Maybe for the friendly bustle and variety of its towns and villages. Maybe for the swimming, hiking, camping, fishing, or skiing. Maybe for the arts, the music, or to witness sites of historical consequence. Maybe to recharge in front of a breathtaking sunrise or a magnificently mellow sunset while working on a spreadsheet, a design, or a novel.

If you’re at all like me, you’ve checked more than a few of these boxes…and you probably have more to add.

Lake George has been my extended family’s watering hole for almost a hundred years. My mom and dad met as kids here in the 30’s. My own kids learned to swim here, and my granddaughters marvel at the descendants of the bass and sunfish that dwell in the same crib out front. Thirty years ago my dad passed away on our Cleverdale porch, peacefully if far too soon, right where he wanted to be.     

But it seems to me that almost everyone I ask about why they love the lake comes back to its extraordinary and unique beauty: the mountains, the clear water, the islands and amenities of nature that await us when we step outside, the very atmosphere of the place. Whether these natural gifts are the backdrop to why one loves the lake or are the precise reason why one loves the lake, they are central to the love. If the water wasn’t swimmable or drinkable, if the native species were gone, if weeds or blooms made boating or swimming impossible, if the mountains were denuded or, alternatively, densely packed....well, Lake George would be just one of those countless places that might look beautiful if you squinted, but it wouldn’t be a destination, an extraordinary wonder, with eyes wide open.

And that’s the work ahead: to pay this hard-won present treasure forward to the future. That’s the work of The Lake George Association and others….and that’s why I hope -for your reasons, not for mine- that you’ll consider writing a check today, or at some point through this journey, or even at the end of the year, as you look back and also forward.

Let the LGA know why you gave, and they’ll put your generosity to work in the best possible way.

Thanks for being in the boat with me.

     

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