Envelopes

So here's the lesson for today- never assume you know what's inside an envelope. Yes, it is a very simple thought, but a good one to keep in mind. The funny thing is that for the 4 years that I've been fundraising, I've always prepared myself for the worst when I open an envelope that I know has fundraising news in it. It is actually a mini process that I go through- there's always that feeling of anticipation when I go to open the mailbox, I flip through everything quickly- if it is something big that I've been waiting for, such as grants, I'll open the envelope right then. However, I always feel the envelope first to see if there might be a check in it or gift card. Whether it feels flat or not, I always prepare myself for the worst news- partly because of all the rejection that occurs, but also because if it is good news, it makes me feel that much happier. Anyways, so today an envelope came from a very upscale Boston restaurant and even though it felt strangely thin, for some reason I assumed it was good news. I was assuming it so much that I drove the very short drive back to the office and kept thinking about how happy I was that we received this gift certificate- that it would be an awesome item for our date auction, etc. Bad thought! I got in my driveway and sometimes I'll sit in my car- usually at the post office and open the interesting mail quickly- so I parked the car and it suddenly occurred to me that I should have opened the envelope before I started rejoicing that I got this gift cert. So I opened it and no gift certificate! Instead, a polite letter of rejection. Yes, I was a little shocked, but in a strange sort of way it was also a little amusing- because it was a reminder that one should never assume anything.

So what else did I do today besides go to the post office? The day really flew by and I didn't get half the things done that I wanted to. This morning I was at TJX corporate HQ (a very impressive place) for a photo with their Foundation Manager- they gave us a $5,000 grant last month and I wanted the photo so we can put a press release into the local paper and also use the photo on our website and newsletter. It went very well. It is always great to meet people in person, particularly people who have been so supportive of our work. I was working on all the usual stuff this afternoon. Tomorrow, I need to get back to work on finding sponsors for our events- it is going really slowly. And of course, back to work on my auction item quest. I didn't get to call any today, so that's six for tomorrow, so I can stay on track.

Anyways, happy St. Patrick's day to all my Irish friends! Until next time...