No man is an island, entire of itself
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main . . .
every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main . . .
John Donne- 1572
In the last four weeks, for various clients and partners, I have traveled from Tampa to New Orleans to Los Angeles to Boston. While on the road, I have rubbed elbows with event industry greats such as Andrea Michaels, worked the "green" carpet with Sheila E., and helped launch Lady Gaga's new foundation. Oh . . . and somewhere in between, witnessed the wedding of my 22 year old "godson!"
This past week, as I made my way back to New York City, I thought about the importance of collaborations, connections and supportive colleagues. I thought about each team I worked with on the road and had a fresh appreciation for what it really takes to pull off a fundraising event (and even a wedding).
There is the old saying that my dad used to quote often. "No man is an island, entire of itself." What I really like is the rest of the quote. . . "every man (or woman) is a piece of the continent (the world), a part of the main (the whole)."
When my travels began, I was at The Special Events awards show in Tampa at the end of January. I sat in my chair, by a supportive colleague, as they announced the category for "Best Non-Profit Event" and highlighted each of the three nominees. Elizabeth Rose Consulting was nominated and I had flown in to accept the award should we be selected. There was a lot of talent represented in the room and I truly felt honored to be one of the companies acknowledged for our work.
As I sat there waiting - fidgeting with my program booklet - I thought about how many people were involved in an effort that took us over a year and generated more than $1.5 million in funding. I thought about the countless hours - the endless calls - the conversations - the challenges - the decisions - the paperwork - the stress - the success.
In the end, for us to achieve the fundraising success we had, there were so many who gave . . . There was the client - OctoberWoman Foundation - who had the vision and put in all their time, energy and resources to make the event happen. There was the spokesperson - Brianna Commerford - a young cancer survivor who touched 1,100 lives in one night.
There was the project partner - OneSource Worldwide - who worked by our side. There was the show producer - Empire Events - who made it all come together. There was the entertainment coordinator - Danny Bergold - who added excitement through dance and music. There was the auction manager - Grandstand Sports - who enticed folks to shop and give.
There were the donors, the doctors, the celebrities, the volunteer manager, the countless staffers, the volunteers, the committee members, the decorators, the vendors, the sponsors, the venue and then there was us.
So while I sat there and represented the company who was "named" as the responsible party, we were really just a small part of the whole and I was grateful.
