Leadership Lessons from This Year’s Bridge Conference – Part 1

This image of stones, from the PS Booth, represents the balance and integration we bring to our work.

The Annual Bridge to Integrated Marketing and Fundraising Conference (Bridge Conference) is always a great experience – full of informative sessions, enthusiastic colleagues, and inspiring speakers.

This year’s keynote speakers shared some critically important knowledge and vital lessons with attendees. So begins part 1 of a 3-part series on Bridge, beginning with some key inspiration from Craig Kielburger of Free the Children:

One Person is All it Takes to Start a Movement, or Keep it Going

It’s a crazy world out there – it seems like violence, death, and disease are everywhere, but people just glue themselves to their mobile phones and ignore it all. How can one person possibly help? Am I that person?

Kielburger won’t let you off the hook. He wants you to know that it’s you – you’re that person – you’re the one who can help. If you’re still sitting on the couch, he had some great suggestions for getting inspired:

• Never forget why you do what you do. At Production Solutions, our clients help fight critical diseases, feed the hungry, save the environment, care for homeless animals, comfort the sick, and more. If you’re a nonprofit professional, what you do is special. Take some time to reconnect to your mission.
• Understand your blessings. What do you have that others don’t ? Things you have a lot of, others might have little of.
• Is reading the newspaper too depressing? Desmond Tutu said that the newspaper is “God’s to-do list.” All that bad news is really a menu of how you can help today.
• Focus on your next generation of givers. Let young people today bring energy to all you do – it’s never too early to engage them. For inspiration, check out www.WeDay.com .
• Remember the words of Mother Teresa: “We do no great things but we do small things with great love.”