By: Robert Costa, Jr, Risk Advisor, FBinsure
To me; the most powerful four letter word behind LOVE, and there are many, is CARE. There’s a drastic difference in success between those who apply this in their lives and those who don’t. We are the drivers of our own vehicles. Our ability to navigate determines where we end up.
Everyone knows there are many moving parts to this thing called life, right? There is no need to go into great detail here, but to sum it up, we all have on the field and off the field responsibilities. Meaning career and personal.
If you CARE about your job, you will ultimately have a long and prosperous career with that organization. If you CARE at home and in your personal life, it will only make your relationships stronger. I have positioned myself exactly where I want to be, and it’s all because in everything I do, I CARE. Granted there’s more to it, like education, and experience, but the point is you need to apply CARE.
Regardless of your occupation, this is a world where people make decisions emotionally. Why not meet emotion with emotion? As a doctor, you do what you do because you CARE. As a police officer you do what you do because you CARE. As a teacher you do what you do because you CARE. There needs to be more of this in business. Like getting into something, some career, because you CARE, and not just to make it about the money. Then you will truly see how much of an impact you can have on that organization and how much impact that organization has on the world.
Within the non-profit industry, the relationship we have with our donors is critical. Showing these organizations and individuals who contribute to our bottom line, that you CARE is a must.
This is Principle 7: Renew & Refresh™ of The Eight Principles™ in action.
“The key to sustainability for a fundraising program is the renewal of current donors. Achieving true fundraising potential is impossible without a high renewal rate. Acquiring new donors keeps the donor pool “refreshed” as donors drop out for a variety of reasons.”
As I write this, I realize where my vehicle is on the map of life. I am positioned in the air between my day job and my nights and weekends work. During the day I am a Risk Advisor with one of the largest agencies in New England, FBinsure. I am continuously identifying risks within a given organization, and in turn am able to put them in a better financial position.
After hours, I serve as the Executive Director of a startup non-profit that brings in thousands of dollars every year for children’s charities, Dodgeballin’ For Kids. We raise funds through community dodge ball tournaments. For me, I CARE about children, and strive to make sure there are programs out there for them to help better their future
Apply CARE to everything you do, especially when you are younger. It’s better to start early. You differentiate yourself. In a world where there is so much self-this and self-that, ignorance, selfishness, those that CARE standout and move forward. Sort of like an aircraft in the sky. Larger than life, full of horse power, and can make it anywhere in the world it wants. Larry’s analogy of the airplane approach for a more sustainable fundraising model displays investment. This only holds true to those who invest in anything must CARE.
How does CARE relate to business? Many people like to replace the word sell with help…but guess what? If you don’t actually CARE, there’s no point because that transition simply won’t happen.
Where selling and care meet is when you actually help. Too many times in my career I have run across salesmen or development professionals in the non-profit world that do the work like machines. They make the calls and write the proposals better than anyone, but barely show that caring quality. If you don’t show some emotion to the decision maker that you CARE, then it’s useless. You are wasting your time.
Think about it from the decision maker’s perspective. They want to buy or work with someone, who cares about them, and the toughest thing on their end, is figuring out who actually does CARE. Thousands and thousands of companies are out there. All have potential to work with each other, but who is actually the right fit for each other is the real question? When you take two entities or people who CARE about the work they do and the value they can bring to the table, then you sir/mam, have a dynamic combination.
“DON’T LET THE AIRPLANE OF OPPORTUNITY FLY AWAY BECAUSE OF YOUR LACKING TO SHOW THAT YOU CARE”
I work to show others that I truly CARE. Caring is built into MY plane. “The best thing in life is helping those around you, but more importantly watching them succeed”
What does CARE mean to you? What has happened to your success since you started applying this quality in your work?
Think about it….
How can I help your organization?
I would love to hear from you.
Robert Costa, Jr, is a risk advisor at FBinsure where he works with clients on their risk management and commercial insurance. Robert is also the founder of Dodgeballin’ For Kids Foundation which uses a charity dodge ball event to raise money for children’s charities in New England. Serving as the Director of Business Development at The Eight Principles, Robert seeks to put nonprofits in a better place.
