Transcript:
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Brad Caruso:
Welcome to Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. On this podcast, we bring the conversation to you, sharing, engaging stories that motivate and build consensus in the nonprofit community. This podcast is about the innovators, the leaders on the front lines of adversity, guiding lights in the nonprofit industry affecting change. And through their stories, we can all join forces to become civic warriors. Hey, warriors. Welcome to today’s episode of Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. I’m your host, Brad Caruso, leader of Withum’s not-for-profit practice. On today’s episode, Melany Duval, the Senior Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute joins us. Melany is responsible for the fundraising strategy and tactics in the division of philanthropy, including the Dana-Farber campaign. Melany is a seasoned development executive with over three decades of experience in advancement campaign planning and strategy. Melany has a passion for philanthropy and the possibilities that philanthropic resources enable mission-driven organizations to achieve and is a true civic warrior helping various organizations raise millions for the cause.
Brad Caruso:
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization has been committed to reducing the burden of cancer for adults and children through scientific inquiry, clinical care, education, community engagement, and advocacy. Dana-Farber is dedicated to a unique and equal balance between cancer research and care, translating the results of discovery into new treatments for patients locally and around the world. The Jimmy Fund is iconic in the New England and Boston area. The Jimmy Fund was established in Boston in 1948, is comprised of community-based fundraising events and other programs that solely and directly benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s Life-Saving Mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults. The generosity of millions of people in Boston and around the world has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. With all that said, Melany, welcome to the show.
Melany Duval:
Thank you. I’m really delighted to be here, and I’m very excited to talk a little bit about Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund. So appreciate the opportunity, Brad.
Brad Caruso:
Awesome. Um, so Melany, why don’t you share a little background of how you arrived at Dana-Farber and the passion behind your work? Sure.
Melany Duval:
I’d love to, I, like many people who might be listening, I have been in a wonderful opportunity to combine what I love with my career and what I love and am passionate about are creating opportunities for people to lead and serve in the nonprofit space and make a difference in the world. You know, especially now when there’s so much going on and it feels like it’s hard to make an impact. There are so many ways that everybody can do one thing or many things that will have an impact that may go on for years that they don’t even know at the moment. So the fact that I’m in this profession of service and philanthropy is a gift and one that I’m very grateful for. I came to Dana-Farber from California, where I worked for some really wonderful organizations before, um, discovering just the, the magic that is Dana-Farber. And I was introduced to the opportunity and had a great experience with our CEO Dr. Laurie Glimcher, who shared with me her vision for growth and service and excellence as she started her tenure as CEO and president. And I was really inspired by how she presented the opportunity and where I thought philanthropy could really move her agenda forward in a meaningful way. So, came back to California and asked my husband what he thought about, uh, moving to Boston, and here we are.
Brad Caruso:
How was that, how was that transition? Is that an easy transition or a difficult transition? <laugh>,
Melany Duval:
We made the best of it. We weren’t, uh, we weren’t expecting a pandemic, but, you know, there were some really wonderful experiences along the way. And, you know, some of my, my fun memories of those early division meetings where I would, I would speak with the team, were talking about the, all the new weather terms that I was learning, wintery mix and, you know, <laugh> and, you know, uh, some of those things, which in California, sunny and 78 was pretty much the extent of my weather terms.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. We have an office in, in, uh, Southern California, and I never want to talk to them about the weather and how outside is for them. And if I ever get the opportunity to go to an office, that’s the first office that I pick because it’s, it’s a different it different weather mix than, uh, over here on the East Coast.
Melany Duval:
For sure. But I really appreciate the Four Seasons, which is, you know, a special part of New England and Boston, as you know.
Brad Caruso:
Without question. And, and certainly, you know, you came to a, to a great organization that that’s doing so much good for the world. So, um, yeah, getting into it. Um, you know, one, one of the things that we want to talk a little bit about today is, is the Jimmy Fund. Um, and, and wondering if maybe you can share a little more information, um, of the activities, the Jimmy Fund and a little bit of the history behind it, because I think it’s, you know, it’d be great to hear a little more about how it started and, and, um, you know, how those funds go to benefit, uh, Dana-Farber.
Melany Duval:
Sure. I think, you know, again, one of the things that is so special about Dana-Farber is the Jimmy Fund, and it’s unlike anything anywhere else. And, you know, his story and the story of the Jimmy Fund, you know, began in 1948 when Dr. Sidney Farber had a 12-year-old lymphoma patient whose name was in Einar Gustafson, and he was the original Jimmy. He was an inspiration to hundreds and thousands of people, um, particularly in Boston, but as the Jimmy Fund has endured now across the country and around the world, so name Jimmy Einar, you know, was a patient. And, and he was, you know, kind of given the pseudonym Jimmy to protect his identity. He appeared on Ralph Edwards, someone will have to Google that, but Ralph Edwards National Radio program, which was called Truth or Consequences. And that was broadcast from Jimmy’s hospital room in May of 1948.
Melany Duval:
So during that broadcast, Ralph Edwards talked about, you know, this young cancer patient from his Hollywood studio going back to California. And the fact that this young cancer patient was a Boston Braves baseball fan, and, you know, Einar was, you know, a real, a real fan of the Braves, and they surprised him with a visit to his hospital room. So at the end of the show, the show ended with Ralph Edwards, you know, asking listeners to make donations so that Jimmy could get his own TV set to watch his beloved Braves play. And more than $200,000 was collected and the Jimmy Fund was born. And just as a sidebar, I looked up what the value of $200,000 in 1948 would be today. And today, accounting for Inflation, $200,000 in 1948 is worth $2.6 million in today’s dollars. So it’s a really incredible origin story, and it’s something that is definitely part of New England, definitely part of Boston, and by every measure part of the DNA of Dana-Farber.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And, and, and to have that much relevance and impact over that many years and maintain consistent, strong fundraising with the Jimmy Fund itself. And yeah, thinking about $200,000 back in the late 1940s, it, it probably is even more than that if you think about the, the times and, and what, what, what a dollar bought you back then versus what a dollar buys you today. And so, yeah, it’s incredible to hear that and, and also to see, um, you know, the evolution of, of the organization for so many years and the impact that you’ve had for so many years. Um, you know, and one, one of the ways that, that our firm, um, got introduced to the Jimmy Fund itself, we have a Boston office and they, um, have have been participating in the, um, the Jimmy Fund radio telethon that you host, and that’s kind of how I got introduced, which, uh, I, I started reading more about it and learning more about it. And, uh, just, I, I, I love that aspect and, you know, really wanted to dive into it little bit, just, um, how that’s going. So I, I was wondering if maybe you could share a little information about, you know, the radio telethon that you hold, how much money was raised last year, how, you know, I know that’s coming up, uh, in the near future, but maybe share a little more information about that.
Melany Duval:
Yeah, I’d be happy to. And you know, as I talk about the Jimmy Fund and, and the radio telethon, I can’t talk about the radio telethon without acknowledging the role that Larry Lucchino had in coming up with the idea, with supporting the idea with, you know, his partnership as a champion and advocate for Dana-Farber as a, as a leader in the Red Sox and baseball community. And, you know, it was really under his watchful eye that, you know, the radio telethon, you know, has evolved to what it is today in partnership with WEEI and NESN and the Boston Red Sox. So again, I just wanna acknowledge and have that appreciation for, for Larry Lucchino, who we lost earlier this year. The radio telethon is a signature event for us. It is so fun, I have to say, like walking around and hearing everybody taking calls and listening to all the amazing stories that, you know, people come to share from across the country.
Melany Duval:
Our doctors love to, you know, participate. Our scientists are, you know, telling, you know, the community about the impact of philanthropy and the labs. It is just such a special event. And without WEEI, without NESN, without the Boston Red Sox and without Arbella Insurance, who has been our presenting sponsor for such a long time, we would not be able to have, you know, such an incredible event. This year is our 22nd annual event. We will air from 6:00 AM through the Red Sox post game coverage on Tuesday, August 13th, and again on Wednesday, August the 14th. And the, um, the radio telethon can be accessed anywhere and everywhere, so by WEEI FM Radio and NESN Television Station throughout the two day broadcast. And as I said, it includes some really inspirational stories from our Dana-Farber patients, their family members, our clinical and research leadership. So this year in particular, we’re really excited because, um, we’ll include the Jimmy Fund captain and Boston Red Sox pitcher, Garrett Whitlock, who is fantastic. Um, we’ll have a special on field ceremony, uh, before the game. And this year the game is the Red Sox against the, the Texas Rangers. In 2023, just last year, the radio telethon raised more than $4 million, and that philanthropy directly benefits adult and pediatric cancer care and research at Dana-Farber through the Jimmy Fund. So it’s just an incredible outpouring of support. It’s an incredible gift to be able to work together with the organizations I mentioned. And it’s a lot of fun.
Brad Caruso:
I love it. And I, I, you know, a couple things that you mentioned there that just, you know, are, are probably contributing to it. Uh, maybe you wanna comment on a little bit, but, but it seems like you’ve created this like really strong culture, uh, around the event, all the different individuals that participate. You know, you have the Red Sox that are participating, you have the doctors that are participating. You have, um, you know, a lot of different individuals that are, are, are taking part in this and, and seem to have been taking part in probably for many, many years. Right. It’s, it, it doesn’t, it’s, it’s certainly been around for 22 years. It, it, you know, you’re not part, it’s not a one time thing from your perspective. And, and also, um, just to comment the, the, the format, um, you know, not, not many, not-for-profits out there in, in, you know, we talk about 1948 versus 2024, not as many nonprofits have had as much success, I think, with a radio telethon and the in-person gathering that you’re creating and kind of making all these things work. You know, what, what do you think has been, has been contributing to, to your success and maintaining that relevance over so many years and, you know, continuing to be very, very successful with it?
Melany Duval:
There are so many things. I can’t, I can’t just name one thing, but you know, I think as we think about, you know, people that might be listening to this podcast, what we do in philanthropy is a team sport. It starts and ends with the team. And we have an incredible team in the division of philanthropy. We have an incredible team at Dana-Farber who partners with us, our clinicians, our nurses, our faculty, so many administrators, you know, they walk, they run, they scoop ice cream, they volunteer, they show up for the 6:00 AM segment on radio telethon day. And it’s the team that really does make this event and so many of our other events and success in, in philanthropy possible. So I think that’s also an important corollary to the fact that science and, you know, in everything that we’re doing to serve our patients and families in the space of cancer prevention, detection therapy is a team approach as well. So, you know, Dana-Farber is known to be among the best, if not the best in New England for cancer care and research because we collaborate, because we share the research, because we have open, you know, opportunities to learn from other organizations. And that team approach really, I think is part of what we do so well, and I would say points back to why the radio telethon has endured and been so successful is because we embrace it as a team with our partners in the community and in our organization.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, that is very well said and very well received. I think from an audience and folks that are in the, in the community in the not-for-profit world. And, and hearing it, I, I think, you know, the couple things that, that you can, you know, very clearly glean from that is kind of that, that connection to the cause, the active participation of members of the organization itself, like really being ingrained in it. Um, I imagine many of ’em are sports fans as well, and you know, I think everyone in the Boston area is a Boston Red Sox fan. So I think, you know, that probably adds to the magic of it as well. And, and, um, yeah, it’s phenomenal that you’ve created, you’ve been able to create and maintain that, that, uh, that culture and, and it goes to show why you’re successful. But, and the reason you’re, the reason that you wanna be successful is that you can support the mission of Dana-Farber itself, and you can continue to do the great work you do. So I think all of those things are mutually inclusive and and I really appreciate you sharing that. Um, certainly, you know, give, it gives people, you know, when they’re thinking about how do I, how do I make an ex event successful? How do I, you know, engage my community? I think, you know, this is a, this is a perfect, um, example and model for how to make that happen. And, and it’s been successful so, so many years and will continue to be successful probably for eternity, <laugh>.
Melany Duval:
I would love that. And Brad, I think one of the things that’s important in, in our work and that, you know, is really terrific with the radio telethon is that, you know, that when you support an organization, you want to know what the impact is and how it’s, you know, how your participation is, is making a difference, and who better to hear that from than our our doctors, our faculty, our patients. And you know, it really does, um, you know, create that connectivity to yes, Dana-Farber and also the individuals, the groups, the teams, the, you know, the patients we serve who are benefiting from the generosity. And people have a lot of choices to, you know, select from when they think about their philanthropy. And we’re just so grateful to everyone who has selected Dana-Farber.
Brad Caruso:
Without question. It makes it real, you know, the, the real people that are involved in the day-to-day, whether it’s on the care providing side or the, the care receiving side, you know, kind of just hearing their voice and knowing, you know, knowing what they’re going through and hearing more about what they’re going through. We all wanna support it. I, I think in general, you know, we all wanna be there for that. And, uh, that, that certainly helps. Um, the other thing you mentioned in there too is you’ve had a partnership with the Boston Red Sox and, um, you know, certainly, um, it’s a big part of this, you know, radio, radio telethon, and also they’re, um, you know, they’re involved not only here, but, but throughout the year and in different events and different, uh, activities, how has your partnership with them kind of increased the impact that you’ve had at Dana-Farber?
Melany Duval:
It’s had an impact that’s immeasurable. I, I would say, again, you know, when we talk about the Boston Red Sox, they have been champions in the fight against cancer with us since 1953. You know, the Boston Red Sox in over seven decades with the Red Sox Foundation, Red Sox Nation, they’ve helped raise more than $167 million for Dana-Farber in that timeframe. And, you know, the Jimmy Fund and the Red Sox have the most unique, longstanding and visible relationship between a charity and a sports team in the history of professional sports. It’s just amazing. And we are so, so grateful for that relationship and that partnership. Um, I would also say that again, you know, coming from the West coast to the East coast, it’s, you know, it’s not lost on me that that tradition has continued for generations. We’ve got families that have been, you know, three generations now supporting Dana-Farber through the Jimmy Fund with some kind of, you know, commitment and passion for the Red Sox.
Melany Duval:
And dozens of Red Sox legends have dedicated themselves to the Jimmy Fund, you know, Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Dom DiMaggio, and you know, I think our honorary trustee at Dana-Farber, Carl Yastrzemski, Mo Vaughn, you know, Trot Nixon, Tim Wakefield, you know, David Ortiz, like the names just go on and, you know, Brock Holt. And as I started in open, you know, when we talked about radio telethon, the former chairman of the Jimmy Fund, um, was Larry, you know, Larry Lucchino as well as, you know, Mike Andrews, who was also a trustee. So, you know, the connectivity is just, you know, so important. And our current trustees, Sam Kennedy and Mike Gordon, you know, continue to honor, um, and help us serve the community and also stay connected to Red Sox Nation and, and all things that, you know, kind of, again, are part of that long-term relationship with the Jimmy Fund. So I think that the Red Sox support has helped advance Dana Farber’s groundbreaking research and, and patient care in ways that are transformative.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. And thank you to the Boston Red Sox, if you’re listening for all your support. And it’s great to hear an organization have such a connection and such a, a give back attitude that, uh, you know, it’s something that we should all strive for in the corporate world of having that culture and, and passing, as you said, that culture through generation. And that’s not an, that’s, that is not an easy thing to do and maintain, but you know, clearly that’s, that’s, that’s occurred and, and, uh, I love, I love hearing it, I love hearing your connection as well with them and kind of all the, the people that are involved, uh, appreciate you sharing that.
Melany Duval:
I will say that, you know, every year a Red Sox player pitches in as the Jimmy Fund captain. So that’s a special role that helps build support for adult and pediatric cancer and raises awareness for the Jimmy Fund and various fundraising events. So this year, our 2024 Captain is Garrett Whitlock, who’s just, you know, a fan favorite and a really amazing pitcher, and he’s just been terrific and has been really gracious with his time, and I think is a great, great captain for us this year.
Brad Caruso:
So, switching gears a little bit and thinking about raising some dollars for Dana-Farber, you know, obviously as a cancer institute, as an organization, you know, you’re serving a lot of individuals and families, a lot of adults and children. Um, you know, cancer is a very difficult diagnosis to, if anyone has a family member affected or if they’ve ever been personally affected, it’s a very difficult diagnosis to receive and, and, and certainly requires a community to help care for that. When we talk about Dana-Farber, what, what are some of the unique aspects from your perspective, um, of how you go about helping children and families as they go through a cancer diagnosis?
Melany Duval:
That’s a great question. And this is really the, the special nature of Dana-Farber. We are equally devoted to both research and patient care, and we excel at both. And a lot of that is made possible because of the philanthropy we’ve been talking about. Our model, which is unique, focuses on research and patient care. And that’s important because it improves patient outcomes by accelerating the pace of bringing research findings into the patient setting and then bringing those clinical observations back into our research. And what we talk about that was is, you know, bench meaning the scientific bench to bedside, and then the bedside of the patient, those clinical care observations back into the research laboratories. So that we’re always looking at the impact of, and the flow in that way. Dana Farber’s teams that are in the clinical space, they devote their careers to providing every single patient with unmatched, what we call high touch wraparound care.
Melany Duval:
And we talk about this at Dana-Farber as total patient care. And that means that that type of care supports the medical, psychological, spiritual, social, emotional needs of our patients and their families. And that means social workers or nutritionists or integrative therapies like acupuncture. A lot of things that aren’t covered by insurance plans, we just do because it’s the right thing to do and it provides for better outcomes and a better experience. And then the Jimmy Fund represents this power of community. So, so many friends and families who feel like, you know, when a patient family member is going through an experience at Dana-Farber, that there’s nothing that they can do it, it really allows people to have an outlet to do something, organizing a bake sale, or, you know, participating in a golf tournament or a radio teles on or raising money to help advance cancer care. And research is so empowering and meaningful for families, again, who feel like there’s nothing that they can do. And very helpless in some cases when family members and friends are going through an experience at, at Dana-Farber. And we’ve been able to help millions of patients here in New England and Boston, but also patients and families around the world. And that’s a really special and important part of, of why we do what we do.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, that full circle approach and having different families involved, everyone involved, and then continuing to advance the research and then bring that back in. So yeah, you’re covering all your bases and improving. So can you share a couple stories of maybe some impact that you’ve had or some, any special stories come to mind that, uh, that you’d be comfortable sharing?
Melany Duval:
Sure. So some specific examples of what philanthropy has enabled is in the development of more than half of all the cancer drugs approved by the FDA in the past five years. And one specific example is the first new treatment for acute myeloid leukemia in 25 years, which is a new generation of therapies for multiple myeloma, the first epigenetic drug for solid tumors. Another example is the first targeted therapy for certain patients with glioblastoma. And another example is the first CAR-T cell therapy for certain lymphomas. So those are some very specific examples in terms of cancer, drugs and therapies. And um, I think another example is that clinical trials are very important at Dana-Farber. And because of philanthropy, we continue to offer one of the largest cancer clinical trial programs in the country with more than 1100 active trials. And for reference, this is more than twice the number of clinical trials conducted each year at Mass General Cancer Center, for example.
Melany Duval:
So just that, you know, the number is enormous. Um, I’ll just give two other examples. Uh, philanthropy has enabled us to double the size of our cancer care equity program, which means that we can support more patients from medically underserved communities. And we’ve been able to hire six new patient navigators. And those navigators in the last three years have helped 600 patients with housing and transportation and facilitate care at Dana-Farber. And then the last two examples are, I’ll just fly through, which is, you know, philanthropy has enabled us to open three new patient care facilities in the past five years in Merrimack Valley, Chestnut Hill in Foxborough. So now we have eight facilities where we can offer service. And then, um, I think we’ve received, you know, philanthropy that has enabled us to create 20 new endowed Dana-Farber chairs and endowed chairs are ways that faculty members and clinical leaders can stay anchored at Dana-Farber focus on their work, focus in their research. And, um, and I think it’s a really wonderful way for, um, donors to connect directly with, um, our clinical leaders and our research faculty. And that’s another very special impact of philanthropy. So those are a few things that come to mind
Brad Caruso:
And a few big things that have a big impact that show, you know, you’re continuing to expand and all of these philanthropic efforts are continuing to have a positive impact. And a lot of the things you’re referring to endowed funds, FDA approvals, some clinical research, your patient navigators, which I love that idea. I had a, um, a guest on about a year ago, Amanda, if you’re listening, ’cause I know you listened to this. She talked about that she was diagnosed and one of the most difficult things was how do I navigate the process? Like there’s, there’s so many things to know and, you know, having that person there that can just help guide you through everything from soup to nuts, you know, where, where do I get food from? How do I, you know, I need financial help. I need someone to take care of my son.
Brad Caruso:
I need I, there, there are a whole host of things that, that occur. And I think that concept of that patient navigator, if I’m understanding it correctly, or if I if I’ve read into it correctly, is, is critical from me hearing it from, from a, a cancer survivor’s perspective. And, and I love that, um, you know, obviously you’ve invest, you know, being able to invest resources into that, uh, goes a very long way into helping people have just, they have the, the worst day, the worst news of their life, the worst day of their life. And now they have someone who’s there to help them navigate that news, navigate that information. And for anyone that’s gone through it or has family members have gone through it, you know, it’s, it’s one of the hardest things to hear and it’s one of the hardest things. You know, not always, not everyone knows how to, how to talk with their loved one or family member. I think there, there’s a whole variety of things there, um, that I I love hearing that. I love that it’s such a great story of impact and, and, um, how those dollars that you raise go to a great cause to improve the lives of many.
Melany Duval:
Yeah, that’s so true. Medicine is so high tech now, and it’s also really important for us to remember the high touch. You know, like if we, like you were just describing, you know, walking through someone on this journey requires a lot of empathy and a lot of extra support, and we’re grateful that we are able to provide that. It’s an honor.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. So I think one of the things I commonly hear out there is when we think about making a gift to a charity, how gift is too small of a gift or, you know, there’s this misconception that a small gift can’t have this big impact, but I think, I think you’re, you know, you’ve proved that wrong on a variety of levels. And can you help quell the theory of how small gifts can make a big impact?
Melany Duval:
I’m happy to, cancer care and research are very expensive. It costs over $6 million a day to run Dana-Farber. And every gift makes a difference in achieving what we aspire to achieve every day. And so gifts of all sizes support the breakthroughs and research that we need to continue to move things forward. Especially, you know, when we talk about the power of community, the power of the multiplier effect, I think that’s a really important aspect of, you know, the community of support at every level. Um, we have, you know, been the beneficiary of starting, you know, back in 1948, grassroots fundraising has always been and will always be part of Dana-Farber. And at the same time, you know, over years, those individuals may, you know, want to step into something that’s a little bit bigger opportunity or, you know, may want to make a provision in their estate for Dana-Farber, whatever it is.
Melany Duval:
Doing something and taking action and being part of a community that cumulatively is having such an impact on patients and families and, and the research in the field is important and I hope a gratifying experience. So it can’t be overstated how important it is to participate versus not participate, and how important it is for us to acknowledge the totality of every dollar, every contribution from every source. Kids have sold lemonade and brought in Ziploc bags of quarters. And I’ve written handwritten notes to a couple of those folks, you know, a couple kids I can think of specifically, Leslie, if you’re listening, I’m talking about your boys who, you know, had a lemonade standout on the cape and, you know, and brought in a, a Ziploc bag of quarters. And we wrote a hand, hand note to inspire that philanthropy as they get older. And hopefully, you know, we’ll continue to appreciate, um, the power of, of doing something for, for Dana-Farber. But doing something for, for others, which is so important.
Brad Caruso:
Stories like that always melt my heart when you hear about like, just, just a kid going out on a limb and, and, and yeah. Coming to you. And that, that’s the perfect example of, of how it’s, it’s about the effort and not necessarily, you know, not the dollar amounts. I mean, do big dollar amounts help? Sure, but, but hearing about a, a, you know, a child raising money for it and saying, you know, here, I’ve done everything I can. It’s just, you know, and, and, and I love that you wrote a handwritten note and I love that you’ve acknowledged it. And I bet I bet those children will keep that for a very long time, if not forever, because they’ll say, Hey, I love this. This was such a positive affirmation and I love doing philanthropy ’cause I know the good cause that it’s going to, and I know that it was a positive thing that I did.
Brad Caruso:
And teaching people the power of philanthropy and teaching people how important it is to have that type of attitude towards giving back, uh, it’s the gift that keeps on giving and it’ll, it’ll, it’ll, it’ll be there forever As we wind up here. I guess curious from your perspective, and you’ve shared a lot of great insight and you know, we have a lot of not-for-profit organizations and leaders listening to this and, and, and those, those folks in the community. What is one tip you can share for a, not-for-profit organization or individuals trying to raise money for a cause to help them maximize their fundraising efforts?
Melany Duval:
That’s a really great question. And there are so many, you know, I’ve learned so much from so many other people and, you know, really stand on the shoulders of, you know, people that have come before and done, done amazing work. Um, I think one of the important things is to say thank you, to be grateful and in that spirit, you know, don’t take anything for granted and don’t wait. It kind of all bundles together. You know, I think, um, you know, I think putting things off because you don’t know enough, you don’t have enough information, you’re not sure if it’s the right time. You think the person might say no, you know, I think, um, again, number one reason individuals do not participate in philanthropy or do not make a gift is because they were never asked. And so I think that that is a really important tip that, you know, has stayed with me. And I would offer that as, as one of the, I could only give, give one in, in very specific terms. It would be that.
Brad Caruso:
I love that. And I, and, and I think that that’s one of the most, uh, you know, people always fear the ask. I think it’s, it’s, you know, generally we have to get away from that fear of, of asking, but you’re right. If you don’t ask, thou shalt not receive. So in general, yeah, that’s a great tip. And, and, and for those that are, that are new to fundraising, doing fundraising, I know I went through a fundraising campaign about a year ago myself and kind of built a team, and I remember that was the one thing that, you know, was probably the most daunting, was how, you know, how do I ask and what do I ask and do I list an amount, do I not, how do I ask for it? But I remember the folks that I was working with that were on the professional fundraising side, like most important thing you do is just make that ask and then, and then just be ready to answer questions and be ready, you know, be ready. Like really understand what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. But when the cause is so personal to you, you shouldn’t fear the ask because, because it’s easy, because you’re, you know how personal it’s to you, you know everything about it. And it’s just, you know, sometimes as human nature, we shy away from the uncomfortable conversation, but it’s really not uncomfortable. It’s just in your mind, it’s uncomfortable. So yeah, I really appreciate you bringing that, that advice over, ’cause that is very important for those that are looking to raise money for a cause.
Melany Duval:
And it applies to every part of philanthropy, right? Not just those that are, you know, in the space of talking directly with potential supporters. But I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the fact that you asked me. So, you know,
Brad Caruso:
Very true. <laugh>.
Melany Duval:
I think it, you know, extends to everything, everything that we do in the space. And, um, and I’m very grateful and I appreciate the opportunity. So I think it comes back to that.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. So, Melany, thank you so much for, for dedicating your time today, uh, being on the show. Uh, I really appreciate you saying yes to join the conversation and, and have a really just, just great discussion about Dana-Farber, about the Jimmy Fund, about all the work you’re doing and sharing some tips and things that are gonna help maximize that impact. So I really appreciate your time, uh, and expertise in this conversation and really look forward to tuning in on August 13th.
Melany Duval:
Thank you so much for the invitation
Brad Caruso:
And Warriors out there. Thank you for listening. Subscribe and meet us right back here for another episode of Withum’s Civic Warriors. Bye everyone.
