Words To Live By

In 2002, Bill Lively made history in Dallas when he asked Bill Winspear, an ardent supporter of the Dallas Opera, for a gift of $42 million - the largest one-time private donation at the time - for the Dallas Center for Performing Arts. Though Winspear was first shocked at the size of the ask, he agreed and set in motion an effort that has raised over $335 million and revamped the Arts District in Dallas.

Lively, the president and CEO of DCPA, is a humble fund-raiser. In an article by Pamela Gwyn Kripke published in the October issue of D Magazine, Lively says, "Nothing significant that I have done in my lifetime, have I done by myself. If you have an ego, you fail." As fund-raisers today, this is a great phrase to keep in mind, as the business of development is a team sport.

When Lively began his development career at SMU as the vice president of development for the Meadows School for the Arts, he was surprised at the appointment due to his lack of "experience" in fund-raising. But Lively embraced his new career path. Of those days at SMU, Lively says in D Magazine, "They wanted someone to reshape the philanthropic culture in a different way, so I turned it into a stewardship. We thanked people as much as we asked them."

As development officers in today's environment, stewardship is vital to the success of your organization. Adopt that motto as your own, "Thank people as much as you ask people," and maybe you will find the same success that Bill Lively found for the Dallas Center for Performing Arts.