Tiny Little Cigarettes

Are you one of those people that always puts your grocery cart in the parking lot cart caddy? Or maybe you’re one of those people that never eats the last cookie or brownie or piece of cake. Then again, it’s quite possible that you’re one of those people that always smiles at people when you walk into a store. Yeah, I know some of ‘those people’. They’re starfish people. You know, like in the old story about the boy who threw every starfish he found washed up one the shore back into the ocean. Then a passerby explained that his efforts were for naught as there were thousands of starfish on that beach alone and how he couldn't possibly make any significant difference. The boy looked up, smiled, threw another starfish toward the ocean, and said, “Well, I made a difference to that one.”


I saw a mammoth example of small things making a big difference once when my son and I took a Spring Break trip to New York City. My favorite site was probably the 115-year-old Grand Central Terminal. It’s a magnificent building with 2,500-pound glittering chandeliers, cathedral windows, and a ceiling illustrating the zodiac…which some say was intentionally painted backwards to represent God’s view; while others think the artist just accidentally painted it wrong. Either way, it’s truly spectacular. Yet, a mere 20 years ago, this majestic piece of art was nothing but grime and filth…and almost rubble.

As one would expect, the age of the building and the nearly 750,000 visitors daily began to take a toll on the structure. The once beautiful starry night sky was literally pitch black. The massive disarray led to many proposals for destruction and replacement. Instead, they opted to restore the structure. But, to prevent the problem from happening again, they needed to investigate the cause of all that black soot. At first, they thought the layers of black covering the art and marble were the effects of coal and diesel from the trains, but upon further investigation, they discovered it was the result of…wait for it…cigarettes!

This 16,000 square foot building was destroyed one cigarette at a time! Now, I don’t know about you, but that blows my mind. Tiny little cigarettes, over time, wreaked havoc and nearly destroyed this century old historic monument.

Now I know what you’re thinking. “Dawn, what does any of this have to do with nonprofit marketing or fundraising?” I know, I know…it’s just how my brain works, so hear me out.

Left Brain Marketing Methods: If a landmark like Grand Central Terminal can fall into disrepair over a few decades without the proper care and maintenance, what can happen to your marketing methods if you’re still doing the same kind of marketing/fundraising that was being done 20 years ago?

Right Brain Marketing Moxie: Stories matter. They change minds and hearts. They resonate as people can see themselves playing the parts of various characters. What do tiny little cigarettes have to do with your donors, I’m about to tell you!

Let’s go, Starfish People!

Left Brain Marketing Methods: When things are going well, it’s easy to relax a bit. Perhaps through the years, you’ve grown your assets and your impact—you might even be recognized as the go-to hub of philanthropy…that’s great! But that’s no excuse to rest on your laurels. In fact, the pursuit of continuous improvement can prevent the near catastrophic event that impacted the Grand Central Terminal—they nearly lost their landmark status.

The lesson to be learned here, is that the best time to learn more about improving is when things aren’t in crisis mode! Leaders are readers, but learners are earners, too. What are you reading or learning that can improve your marketing efforts today? This blog for one! That’s terrific! But learning only helps if you execute what you now know. Knowing and doing are vesting different things.

At Grand Central Terminal it wasn’t like no one saw what was happening—the foot traffic there was immense. It was just no one paid much attention. They just kept doing what they had always done, day in and day out. And while daily maintenance can work, for a bit, growth happens. And when you’re growing, you need to evaluate how that growth is impacting your organization.

So, use your left brain and think about what you’re doing today that you’ve always done. I’m not saying you must change it--or anything really. I am asking you to ask yourself the tough questions though. Is every practice still serving you well? Is there a better way to do things? Are you doing things you really don’t need to do any longer? Yes, I’m taking about busy work. Are you meeting the needs of your 2023 donors? Are the messages you sent to last generation still apropos to this generation?

Ultimately, are you looking at what you’re doing carefully enough that changes are made incrementally, as needed? If you’re not, they’ll sneak up on you, you’ll find yourself in crisis mode, and then you’ll be forced to make all the changes at once. No nonprofit ninja deserves that! Make small changes monthly to prevent marketing madness later.

Right Brain Marketing Moxie: Can you believe it? Day-to-day, without anyone paying much attention, the minuscule action of millions of individuals smoking all those tiny little cigarettes through the years led to a near tragedy. Now, I’m no mathematician, but if small negative actions can have a significant negative impact over time, wouldn't the opposite hold true as well? Wouldn't small positive actions also have a significant positive impact over time? 

It’s true! Every small action we take can be part of the problem or part of the solution, but rest assured, it will have an impact. Are you telling your donors this story?

Quite often, I talk to generous people who thought community foundations and charitable giving were only for the wealthy. And while, we do have wealthy donors who give to us, that’s not what all our donors have in common. The one commonality they have is that they’re all generous. Period. End of story.

We’ve all met the millionaire next store, but we’ve also me the kids who donate their Elf-on-the-Shelf or Tooth Fairy money. We’ve known the loyal donor who gives $50 monthly. We’ve thanked the donor who was frugal during life and left part of their estate to us. And we’ve shaken the hands of the donors who gave modest amounts annually for their entire life. They weren't all wealthy, but they were all generous.


Clearly, donors come in all shapes, sizes, and amounts. That’s why they need to hear the story of the Grand Central Terminal. Millions and millions of tiny little cigarettes made a negative impact on their architecture. It was so bad that the artistic marble and zodiac scene was completely destroyed because it was covered in soot. So, the restoration team who refurbished this New York landmark wanted everyone who ever walked below that celestial ceiling to remember what could possibly happen if they ever neglected this beauty again.

That's why they left behind a not-so-subtle 2 ft. X 1 ft. reminder in the upper corner of the zodiac. One black rectangle remains symbolizing what once was, and what will never be again, in the newly pristine, now smoke-free Grand Central Terminal.

Grand Central Terminal: On the left is a picture of the ceiling view any typical visitor would see when looking up at the zodiac. The picture on the right is a close-up of that very same tobacco stain whose actual size is 1 ft. x 2 ft.

Your donors, all of them, need to know that every action, even the small ones, add up. You need to convey that generous people that have an affinity for what you do are your people! If tiny little cigarettes can make such a negative impact, I bet donations of every shape and size can make an equal and opposite positive effect.

Lessons are truly learned when you act upon your knowledge.  What small action can you take today to improve your tomorrow?  Now, go do that!

 All My Best,

Dawn
[email protected]
dawn brown creative, llc.