The funds

Thursdays...all about money. Every Thursday we have our meeting at Cafe Muro with the fundraising committee for Colectivo 41. It is made up of wonderful people from Mexico, the U.S., and Canada. One of the committee members also plays host. He is the owner of the cafe and his name is Gerardo. Gerardo is gracious beyond measure. I can only hope to learn the art of exquisite etiquette from him. We have coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and we discuss how to raise money, how to have events, and how to be a successful fundraising committee. Two of the reasons I love coming to the meetings are that I get to see Gerardo, and I get to have a real cup of coffee, as in - not instant!!! Oh for the love of all that's green and gold, how I love fresh coffee. One of the things I find to be very challenging about the meetings, is that by the end, I'm always uncertain as to whether anything has actually been accomplished. I can only imagine this happens in other work or group meetings? Espero que si!! My role is to record the minutes and to assist, in general, however I can with whatever I can. Everyone in the group is passionate about supporting Colectivo 41 and building a community for LGBTI youth. We are just struggling now with how to be a committee. How do we hold ourselves and others accountable? If you are part of a committee should you not also be a donor to the cause for which you are serving? If you have a friend of a cousin of a friend that might have a yacht that can be used, how do you go about securing that and not just talking about it. So, I am directly experiencing how funding manifests itself into action - working with peer counselors at CASA and seeing the resources and education they bring into the rural communities. I'm also involved in the ongoing hustle for funds. It's an interesting balance of energies. I'm grateful to be part of both. Is it more pleasant at times to be speaking Spanish with peer counselors and working on site at CASA rather than discussing money in English? YES, por supuesto! Still, I have realized lately how obtaining ongoing sources of funding can't be separated from building and sustaining a program. Not only that, it's really beneficial to learn about fundraising. Believe it or not, it can actually be fun. I liken it to a room of infinite and incredible boxes of puzzles. We are choosing which one we want to invest our time in. We know we need to work together. The results could be wonderful. And then...the results might evolve...into...puzzle number two. One of the coordinators and I were having a discussion on the way to the meeting. Fundraising is hard, planning and carrying out events is REALLY hard, having someone promise you money and then retract that promise is hard. What might be even more difficult to handle than all of that? Knowing that people's livelihoods and well being are at stake if we do nothing. I can only speak from the first person but I can't live with that. Even if I can only give $20 right now and volunteer time, I'm going to do it. I need not worry about what others choose. I'm the one that has to walk around with my koo-koo mind all day after all! So, in a toast to the world wide community of fundraisers all over the world, behind the scenes, behind the desks, on the phones, blinded by statistics, and forgetting to breathe. Thank you for working so hard to fund a project you believe in. Thank you for helping to create spaces and resources. Thank you for not giving up.