Never too small to start

By Jenny Chapin 

Last month my colleagues and I ventured up to Omaha for the annual National Philanthropy Day luncheon hosted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals-Nebraska Chapter. The celebration is always inspiring – with many folks from our region receiving well-deserved recognition for their generosity. 

We had nominated our Give to Lincoln Day Presenting Sponsor, West Gate Bank, for Outstanding Local Business and were excited to applaud their incredible support for the communities they serve. Before that, the first award of the afternoon was for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy, and the recipient was a 12-year-old from Lincoln, Flynn, who decided you’re never too small to make a difference. 

Flynn took the stage to accept his award, and the audience was blown away. Here he was – so confident, so inspiring and still middle school. Flynn’s philanthropic journey started after a frightening incident at school. There were rumors that a gun was brought into the building, and everyone had to be evacuated. As he saw his classmates lined up outside – nervous and afraid – he had a thought. If one person could cause so much damage and chaos through a negative action, then one person could create a positive transformation in their community as well. 

He set out to do just that and started a fundraiser for the Malone Center’s Capital Campaign with a goal of raising $100,000 by the end of the year. He designed merchandise, built out a website and was on his way. At the time of the event, he had already raised more than $70,000. 

Flynn shared an African proverb that inspires his efforts with the crowd: 

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, you haven’t spent a night with a mosquito.” 

As we drove back to Lincoln that day, I couldn’t stop thinking about Flynn’s story. My mind turned to my almost eight- and five-year-old nieces. With the holidays quickly approaching, I decided it was the perfect time to make sure they knew they were never too small to make a difference and get them excited about giving back. 

At Thanksgiving, I sat them down in their breakfast nook and said, “Okay guys, we’re having a business meeting.” 

Their faces lit up with joy, excitement and frankly – confusion. 

“A business meeting?!” 

I explained that I had a special bank account (my donor advised fund at LCF) and the only thing the money can go toward is helping people. I was going to give each of them $100 for Christmas and they got to decide where they wanted the support to go to. Of course, I was there to give them some ideas/parameters. Their first request was to help Trevor – the dog who lives across the street. I explained that unfortunately, Trevor is not a registered 501(c)(3). 

Back to the drawing board. 

My youngest niece, Juliet, ended up selecting the Lincoln Children’s Zoo to support their new baby giraffe. My oldest niece, Rosie, wanted to help “the puppies” so we went with Capital Humane Society. I told them that I’d make their grants on Giving Tuesday so their money would be put to work in time for Christmas. 

The next day, Rosie wanted to watch something Christmas-y with me. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the cinematic work of Elf Pets: Santa's St. Bernards Save Christmas currently on Netflix but that was her selection. Fair warning, spoilers ahead. 

The IMDB synopsis reads:  Scout Elves, a slew of St. Bernard pups and a big-hearted family change their community for the better and ensure Santa's yuletide mission to bring more Christmas spirit succeeds.  

In the film (okay it’s a 26-minute animated short), a family struggles to get community donations for Bob’s Helping Hands, the food and clothing pantry they run. There’s simply no Christmas spirit. Everyone is out shopping to get deals and gifts for themselves. The kids decide to take matters into their own hands. They pool their money from babysitting, birthdays and mowing lawns and head to the store for supplies. Unfortunately, a sale has lapsed so their math was wrong, and they don’t have enough money to cover their purchases. 

As a line of impatient customers grows behind them, they finally share their reason for buying the groceries with the cashier. She ends up purchasing a gift card herself to help them cover the rest of the bill – explaining that she had once turned to Bob’s Helping Hands when she was experiencing hard times. 

At this point – I’m crying. 

The scene shifts back to Bob’s – folks are waiting in line for support, but the pantry is bare. Until the kids bring their supplies. Then suddenly, there’s more people at the door with donations. It’s everyone from the store who heard what the kids’ plan and got inspired to help. I’m still crying.  

Rosie looked up at me and tugged on my sleeve. 

“It’s like what we’re doing!” 

It is, kid. 

As we approach the holidays, I plan to give the girls stuffed animals – a giraffe and a puppy – as a representation of their first charitable endeavors. Down the road, I hope they’ll enjoy the intangible gift of giving back just as much as the presents under the tree. And eventfully, we’ll bring their baby brother, Burke, into our business meetings. At the moment, his two-and-a-half-year-old schedule is pretty much booked with carrying around a plastic stick and hitting things with it. 

I have to thank Flynn for his inspiration on that chilly November day. I sure hope he hits his goal. Perhaps I need to make one more grant – for Burke, for Flynn, for everyone who needs a reminder that you’re never too small to start something big.