Young donors

When I was a young teenager, I was very active in the Boy Scouts of America. At the age of 14, my Eagle Scout project took me on a civics adventure that started on the streets of my community … took me to city hall … which in turn lead me to the Illinois Department of Transportation … and ended up in the Governor’s office.

I very clearly remember learning the the following lessons:

• You can fight city hall (and win)
• It is amazing what a small group of people can accomplish when they put their minds to it
• Public policy decision-makers and politicians are people, too, and put their pants on one leg at a time just like me
• Kids can be active and engaged citizens in our community … it isn’t just an “adults’ world” out there.

I was reminded of these early lessons in life today while reading Twitter. I came across a link to a website trumpeting a company’s initiative to engage kids in making a difference in their communities. As I clicked around, I found a gentle reminder that kids raise money for worthy causes all the time.

While I am always a little concerned about using kids as “sales people” to sell cookies and popcorn and wrapping paper and candy bars, I am reminded of how powerful a “case for support” becomes when a group of kids are behind it and pushing.

Here is a link to that website: http://kidswhogive.com/about-kids-who-give/ 

If you have any stories about young people as donors or fundraising volunteers, I’d love to hear from you. Please drop me a line using the comment section below.

Here is to your health!

Erik Anderson

Owner, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC

eanderson847@gmail.com

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