When
I encourage people to create an aspirational vision of what they would want
their organization to look like if they could have it any way they wanted it –
it is often hard to get them to “think big” or “think outside of the box.”
To
help people think big, I sometimes say “Imagine you just received an
unrestricted gift of $100 billion. The
donor said to do anything with it you want.
What would you do with it?”
Wow
– with that kind of money you could do some incredible things. I encourage you to use that question with
your staff or Board one of these days to help them dream big.
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| The new Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore. Groudbreaking is May 2. |
A
few years ago, I was privileged to facilitate strategic planning for Ronald
McDonald House in Baltimore. At first,
the Board was thinking about a strategy for raising money to fix up the current
house. But when I asked them what they
really wanted – if they could have anything – they said “New House!”
Even
though they did not have property for a new house or the money, they dreamed
and dreamed big – HUGE actually. You can
read this earlier blog (“Ritz & Disney at Grandma’s House”) about how they
dreamed.
Next
week, Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore is going to break ground for their new
house! You can read more about it here. They got the property and raised money – not
$5 million, not $10 million or $20 million.
They have raised $27.5 million and are closing in on their goal of $30
million. It is going to be an amazing
place for children and families.
If
I would have told the Board – in our first meeting a few years back – that they
would figure out to a way to raise $30 million for this effort, I think they
may have laughed me out of the room or fired me on the spot.
But
this just goes to show the power of vision, aspiration, and commitment to it
all. Way to go RMH of Baltimore!!! You are making an amazing Mission Impact of the lives
of kids and families.
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