Yes, yes, it’s my favorite Rolling Stones song. Something about those first three chords has always been like a good jolt of caffeine to me.  Electric and inspirational – the riff that gets the party started. 

We might dub June “Start Me Up” month here at the Foundation. For the past three weeks, we have watched with excitement as affiliates across the state embarked upon a campaign to raise money for their community grant-making endowments. The “start button” for this amazing endeavor was a challenge gift from a generous donor with a passion for local philanthropy. 

In response, 42 of our affiliate boards across the state answered the call to raise unrestricted grant-making dollars – often the trickiest of all fundraising efforts to undertake.  Given a June 1–June 30 campaign window, these amazing board members wasted no time — gifts began flowing in right from the start and have continued strong right up through these last few days. 

Will they ever stop?  Alas, there IS a deadline for this particular effort. But I think everyone’s competitive juices have been duly engaged. While each contributed dollar will receive a proportion of the matching pool, a friendly rivalry has certainly ensued among members of our team as to whose affiliate will bring in the largest number of gifts.  (The lead affiliate changes from day to day, so that has kept the excitement alive!)

Start ‘em up?  Our amazing and generous boards were already committed and it just took a gentle nudge. 

Next tune in the shuffle? Coming in July:  The “Satisfaction” of reporting our success!