80% of success is just what?
SO BIG! I attended my first AFP International Conference as a Chamberlain Scholar from the AFP Madison Chapter. All I remember is SO BIG. This year was no exception – 4000 folks and miles of walking in the massive Boston conference complex. 4000 who invested some big bucks to show up. A special shout out to my Canadian friends there – an even bigger investment for all of you. I want to send out a BIG THANK YOU to Sheree Allison from Canada for my wonderful introduction!
If you’re not growing, you’re dying.
Are you “comfortable”? YOU’RE GOING DOWN!
It’s that, “Yikes, I-am-a-bit-out-of-my-comfort-zone place I want you to live! To embrace as a way of walking through your life and work.
“It’s not convenient right now” is the mindset of one who settles…and that’s NOT you!
We all struggle with our own doubts. For example, it’s an honor to be selected to speak at AFP-ICON – the best of the best are here and I’ll tell ya (and so will my long-time roomy, Gail Perry) I had my moments of doubt about people showing up the last hour. All that stupid mind chatter until I finally said, “Thank you for sharing now be gone.” Then I rocked it.
Along the way, there were these great moments and opportunities to soak in this collective passion for good. Wowza.
It started with again teaching part of the CFRE pre-conference training (also known as “How do I pass the test?” – my answer, “Believe you will pass the test”) and partnering with Tim Logan, June Bradham, Bobbe Healy and Amy Wolfe. These are some really smart folks to teach with and we had a roomful of really smart folks to teach. Some of them hung around for a shot with Tim and me.
But let’s get to the good stuff.
Here were my TOP 10 AFP ICON 2016 Takeaways!
- If you want to get something, offer something. Andrea Kihlstedt (she’s been on my Success Club)
- The more honest I am about what I don’t know, the more credible I am and the more people trust me. Sarah Durham
- Maybe you can’t have it all, all at the same time. Bertina Ceccarel
If they say,’no’ it’s all about them. You are not at the center of the prospect’s universe. Ann Melvin (soon to be on my Success Club)- If they say, “no” use PITA…Is it the Program, Institution, Timing, Amount. Notice amount is LAST. Ann Melvin
- Thank, and ye shall receive.Ann Melvin
- Let us give honor due to the corporations who are trying to help. Kay Sprinkle Grace
- I’d like my board to be hands on and fingers out. Kay Sprinkle Grace
Training and longevity are keys to success. Specifically, for every additional training opportunity, major gifts increased by $37,000! Adrian Sargeant and Amy Eisenstein- Words have power. They can sooth and calm or they can inciteor anger. Anger should not be channeled to create more problems. Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General of the United Nations
We are there to do good in this world..at all levels. A quick story..The hotel AV staffer said an Apple power cord was left in the pre-conference training room. If they put it in lost and found, it would disappear quickly. So I took it, found out who was in the room last and they said, “It’s the hotel’s.” Urg! So the last day of the conference, Stephanie Cory is introducing a speaker I wanted to see. I say, “This cord…need to return it to the hotel.” “WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT?” Yes, it is hers.
When you come from a place of doing good, the Universe connects the dots for you!
