The age of acknowledgement

Friday morning I did a presentation for all of our account people. The topic was fundraising through bequests and legacies.

It might sound like a morbid topic, but by 2013, which is only five years away, experts are forecasting that there will be more revenue in bequests than in direct mail.

Part of the presentation had to do not only with why charities need to consider this important revenue stream, but when and how to talk to donors.

I talked a lot about "the age of acknowledgement". This is that time in every individual's life when they realize they're not immortal.

It's funny only if you haven't reached it.

For most of us, that age comes with a life crisis -- the death of someone close to us.

Until something like that happens, most people just don't get it.

As my friend TM said, after losing her 40 year old sister to ovarian cancer, "After my sister died, I realized how really precious life is. And that nothing is forever."

Nothing. Nothing is worth more than this day.

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Happy to report that my BFF's Dad has made it through the operation. We're waiting for an update.