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"Using Your Personal Passion in Business and Philanthropy"

September 16, 2009 - Program Summary

On September 16th, WID kicked-off its 2009-2010 program season at a luncheon featuring an inspiring keynote address delivered by Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck, CEO, Governor, and Co-Owner of the Boston Celtics, at The Boston Marriott Copley Place.

Wyc Grousbeck; Terri Hootstein; Steve Grossman

As he took the stage, Mr. Grousbeck looked around the room and remarked on how familiar the scene looked. I've been to a million events at hotel rooms that looked just like this one, he said, with the same food, the same auctions, the same good causes, and I've given token checks to these good causes, and then I've gone home to my beautiful home and family and enjoyed my perfect life until the next event in honor of another good cause. We had an idyllic existence in California; life was so good it was almost a dream.

And then something happened that woke him up.

When his son, Campbell, was born, he and his wife, Corinne, noticed that he was unlike other babies. Eventually they discovered that he was blind. They eventually found help for Campbell – and a passion for giving – at The Perkins School for the Blind. It was ironic, Mr. Grousbeck said, that it took Campbell's blindness to help him and his wife see that they even had a passion for giving.

Mr. Grousbeck challenged the audience to think about how to change donors' habits of giving only in moderation, to think about how to kindle passion, energy and enthusiasm in donors. How can we get donors more focused, more passionate about their giving? How can we – whether as donors or fundraising professionals – make ourselves magnets to draw others to our causes? Because in the end, to give only in moderation as a means to enjoy social interaction is a good thing; but to find one's passion and give to one's fullest is life-changing and fulfilling. This is the experience we, as fundraising professionals, should be creating for our donors.

Jeri Thys; Arlene Holtzman; Barrie Tysko; Phyllis Lasky; Wyc Grousbeck; Terri Hootstein; Meryl Strowbridge; Barbara Shenker; Sue DeMarco; Kristen Barbarics; Brianna Nadelberg

From a long history of following sports and, now, owning a sports franchise, Mr. Grousbeck has learned that everyone follows; but some are born to lead. We are leaders. We need to understand, on a deep level, where our organizations are going, to identify the Kevin Garnetts, the Ray Allens, the Paul Pierces of our organizations, and be proactive about working with them to lead our donors to new heights. We may or may not succeed in our mission to ignite passion in some of our donors, but we should go forth with the attitude that "we'll die trying." We have a choice: to live life in a dream, or to wake up the passion, energy and enthusiasm inside of us all and live life to the fullest by giving to others.