I was reminded today of a yearly event that the Rockford Aces used to participate in. The local Education Foundation (nonprofit) would conduct an annual phone-a-thon fundraiser, with calls going out for six nights over two weeks. Volunteer supporters would be given a script, a stack of contact cards, and a phone.
I loved this event for several reasons, and have missed it since it was canceled, because of the impact it had on the community and on my students.
- It taught us that rejection is a regular part of any journey to success. (The number of people who hang up on you…to say nothing of the ones who yell!)
- It taught us that we can only succeed together. That stack of contact cards literally couldn’t be called by one person, or even a small group. It took all of us.
- It taught us to be willing to step outside comfort zones for organizations we value. Personally, I found my heart rate would rise 20-30bpm every time I made a call. But remembering the mission, and seeing my friends and students doing the same hard job, inspired me to put myself on the line.
- It taught us the value of their support. We have been the recipients of multiple grants from this organization; getting involved in raising the money they use for grants gave valuable perspective on their gifts.
- It taught us about word-of-mouth awareness. Many people we spoke to had never heard of the foundation, which has been around for over a quarter-century. Understanding how long it takes to raise awareness, and helping to be the one to raise it, is a great lesson.
There was more – we loved getting to sing for our fellow volunteers, and the teenagers in the group greatly appreciated fresh fruit and cheese trays!
I haven’t found a way to teach all these valuable lifeskills in another venue, so I hold out hope that someday another phone-a-thon will magically appear for us to volunteer at. In the meantime, I’ll keep reminiscing (which thankfully comes without the pounding heart…)