New Year’s Resolutions

Chapter Leadership Brief 1.15.2022

By Craig Shelley, CFRE, AFP-NYC President-elect
Managing Director, Orr Group

This is the year I finally give up and won’t make a resolution to lose weight.  Who am I kidding?  I like cookies.  I like beer.  I don’t feel like buying smaller pants anyway.

That said, I will fall into the trap and try to commit to some more realistic resolutions.  I figured I’d share them here and maybe the extra, public accountability will help?

As a leader in this chapter, my resolution is to ensure we continue to forge a more diverse and inclusive New York City fundraising community.  We can do more for the world if we expand beyond the narrow band of talent we’ve traditionally pulled from.  Additionally, as we either come out of or evolve to a permanent state of pandemic, I’m committed to working with my fellow board members to reestablish our value proposition for members and the sector.  You all need a place to commiserate, learn and genuinely feel like there’s a group out here advocating for you.

As a fundraiser, I’m committed to engaging donors more.  They deserve the opportunity to be more than passive passengers on the journeys of the nonprofits they support.  I want to be intentional about creating opportunities for genuine donor engagement, not just “stewardship.”

As an adviser, partner, and consultant to the sector’s most ambitious leaders, I want to resolve to always push and challenge assumptions.   I want to ask the hard questions about what prevents us from doing more and then help to remove those obstacles.

As a father and husband, I am committed to being more patient.  Just because my family members are perfect in my eyes doesn’t mean I can hold them to a standard of unrealistic perfection in all they do.  They need more chill out of me.

And what the heck, I might as well lose 5-10lbs.  Maybe this is the year?