President Julie Roger's 2007 Exponent Awards Address
Thank you Kojo. We're so grateful that you've joined us again this year.
Seeing Kojo and all of you...and of course, listening to Donna sniffle and sneeze...It's hard to believe that a full year has passed since we first presented our Exponent Awards.
But here we are...and for that I must thank Ed Bersoff and the Meyer Board for their vision and support...our fabulous staff for their passion and hard work ...and special thanks to Albert Ruesga, Rick Moyers, Amy Harbison , Graziella Jackson and Katie Shaw for all their work on the award and this evening.
I know I speak for all of us when I say: it's wonderful to come to work every day and talk to extraordinary leaders...of extraordinary organizations...doing extraordinary things...making an extraordinary difference.
Tonight, we're here to celebrate the many outstanding nominees and all the nonprofit executives -- the heart and soul of our community – who feed, shelter, educate and inspire thousands of people in Greater Washington.
I would like to ask all the leaders of the nonprofits Meyer supports – that's all of you with the flowers – to stand and receive our affection and acknowledgement.
Supporting all of you -- Greater Washington region's nonprofit leaders -- is something we believe in...it's what the Meyer Foundation exists to do...and believe me, nothing makes us prouder.
Because we know what you do and how hard you work to do it.
I was reminded of that just a few weeks ago. I was at the Clinton Library in Little Rock, attending the Slate 60 Conference, honoring the 60 largest individual donors in 2007.
And in his speech to the group, President Clinton shared a wonderful story from his many trips to Africa.
He said that on the well-traveled paths of north central Africa, just below the Sahara Desert, tribal groups greet each other in a simple -- but really profound -- way.
Someone will say, "Hello or good day."
nd the answer they get back is not, "Fine, how are you?"
The reply is: "I see you."
I see you.
To me that says; I know you. I understand you. I get you. I appreciate you.
Isn't that great?
Well, we see you.
And not everybody does. Quite frankly, not even the Slate 60 and their peers.
Now, don't get me wrong. The generosity of that group knows few bounds. And it's so important that the wealthiest Americans are competing to give millions to good causes.
But those causes are different. They are universities, hospitals, museums, cures for disease.
All worthy. But different.
It's rarely for the daily survival of groups doing the most for the people on the ground in communities across America. It's not about what so many community-based non-profits like you need the most.
Sustainability.
We've watched you do it all: raise the money, create the programs, recruit the board, manage the people and serve: exponentially!
We see you.
And we see the toll it takes -- that family and work become harder to balance...you burn-out...and ultimately, our community risks losing what I truly believe is our most precious asset.
It's about sustainability.
That's why for well over 60 years now, Meyer has invested in leaders who give their time and talent in service to those in need.
That's why we've supported small and mid-sized nonprofits like yours, often before they are on others' radar screens.
That's why we are so committed to finding ways we can retain leaders like you and determined to recruit new leaders who can be like you.
And ultimately, that's why we created the Exponent Award.
If the stories of last year's winners tell us anything, it is that this year's are in for quite a year.
Our first year winners report raising close to a million dollars from new donors based on their increased visibility. They've used award money to 1) add staff; 2) free up their own time for more advocacy work; and 3) launch a major gifts campaign.
And that's why we're doing more. We've commissioned new research to conduct the most comprehensive survey ever done of the NEXT generation of nonprofit leaders -- in partnership with Idealist.org, Compasspoint, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. We have over 5,000 responses already, and the report will be released next March.
(pause)
I began by saying: I see you.
I've always been amazed and inspired by a woman who couldn't
see...but who had so much vision.
Helen Keller.
She couldn't see, but the truth is she saw humanity as clearly as anyone.
And she taught us that -- in her words: "Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
This entire region can be grateful because you all sacrifice so much to worthy purposes. You do absolutely everything. And then often, you find a way to do even more.
And as you do, you teach us something.
Something about dedication and determination.
Something about commitment, courage and compassion.
Something about the equity and justice that heal the world.
The very least we can do is thank you.
But we must do more.
We must do everything we can to help more people "see you."
See what you do, and see who you help.
We must work to make your efforts sustainable.
And that's exactly what we'll do.