Sometimes even hard-hearted Editors give in. And wipe a tear or two.

Let’s end the week with Lisa Sargent’s plea that we all get along. While we harbor lots of doubts about consultants and the get-to-it-alone low energy of most nonprofits we hear your plea, Lisa.

R0ger, spirited and disagreeable as ever will weigh in on Monday with his promise of why all this really matters.

Roger and Tom

Here’s Lisa’s plea:

This week I fired back a comment to Roger’s Who Gets Fired? – and set off a firestorm.

I didn’t mean to.

I only meant to say that, because nonprofits hire me to help them pick up the pieces of those one-and-done acquisition packs that they – in good faith – put out a lot of payola to get produced, I myself don’t do ACQ-only anymore. It’s just a thing that evolved.

I’m not a consultant. I’m a copywriter.

That said, I know wonderful consultants, well worth the money they charge… who show up and stick around and answer calls at 8am on Sundays. Sometimes from me.

But my dream was always for my words to work for good.

In fact on my bulletin board there is an ancient, fading rose with a handwritten card still clipped to it, that reads “Believe.”

It’s from my Mom, who died of metastatic breast cancer at age 83.

To confess, I don’t pray much. But Mom did.

And if I could, I would call her, and ask her to pray for all of us.

To pray that we focus on the right things… consultants, bloggers, Agitators, copywriters, designers, agencies. To pray that we keep our sense of humor and our fighting spirit and our outrage.

To pray that we remember why we do this work in the first place – to leave the world brighter than we found it. To feed hungry children. To help men and women break the chains of addiction. To stand up for justice. To end animal abuse. To educate. To serve.

To pray that we work hard every single day to get better at our special contribution to this craft we call fundraising and retention. Yes, a craft. And us? We must be artisans.

It’s what donors hope for too. And since we know a lot of them are also people of faith, I think they’d bow their heads with Mom.

I think they’d pray that we start asking the right questions…

Like, How did this get broken in the first place? Why are our donors leaving? Or, Who’s doing it right, and how can we model our donor care program after theirs? Or, Are donors worth investing in – and if so, why aren’t we doing that? Or, If we hire this consultant, will they tell us specifically what steps we need to take to maintain our momentum, today, and six or twelve months from today? Or, Do we even need a consultant or a writer at all for that matter? Does someone on our staff have time to learn what it will take? And, Are we willing to do what it takes, over the long haul?

Will we argue? God, I hope so.

Every family should. I put own my two feet in the fray this past week.

Will we make mistakes?  You betcha.

Ask me sometime about the stuff I’ve written that hasn’t succeeded: I’ll show you where I – and the clients I work with – learn some of our most valuable lessons.

So if my Mom’s still listening up there, she’s praying that we’re observant and humble enough to see our mistakes for what they are, and for those mistakes to make us smarter.

Last thing?

I’d ask my Mom to pray we keep our B.S. detectors fully charged. (I have a colorful vocabulary, but she didn’t like cursing. So it’s B.S. today instead of, well, you know.)

Look: if a writer or consultant or agency tells you everything they produce is a winner, or that they have the silver bullet to end attrition or skyrocket retention or social media or you-name-it, and they have precious little to back that up, run away as fast as you can. They’re either resting on their laurels, or lying.

If you don’t run away, if you unquestioningly follow that sweet siren song, guess where you’ll end up? Broken and bitter on the rocks, with donors beside you.

You know what Moms say: if it’s too good to be true…

And, little advice, maybe it’s time we stop demanding goose-that-laid-the-golden-egg perfection in vendors. Because, yikes: that’s a recipe for all kinds of badness.

So, as we roll into Mother’s Day weekend, I’m thinking of you all – mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons. And thinking of the generous, gracious people who so kindly underpin this profession we know and love.

But my Mom? Somewhere, she’s praying for us. Love you Mom. Miss you.

Lisa Sargent