Ryan Wilson

On this Father’s Day, here are five lessons my dad taught me:

1. Always take care of people — family, friends, strangers. Always.
2. There is a way to balance work and play. My dad hustled, but we always found ways to have fun.
3. Family is first. Everything else is second.
4. Never stop learning. My dad was a top salesman, but he kept learning, even toward the end.
5. Never root for the Chicago Cubs. My dad was a lifelong Cubs fan, and, wow, I felt bad. He saw thousands of losses. He watched Cardinal’s games only because of me.

Sure, college was hard.

And, sure, breaking 60 bones is hard.

But it’s hard to compare these experiences to running your own business. It’s way more challenging than any final exam or broken leg.

Running Team Trust has forced me to put my “big-guy” pants on. I’m only 3 foot 8, though I’ve learned I can figuratively fit into bigger pants.

As a child, I think I deferred to friends and mommy and daddy for big-boy decisions. It was easy. I’ll just play video games, and let their parents work their magic. I’ll figure it out … whenever.

With Team Trust, I can’t do that. If I don’t figure it out, nobody will for me. Plus, daddy’s not here, and mommy’s doing her own thing. She has her own life, too.

Nowadays, all decisions, easy or hard, fall on me. All mistakes, tiny or mighty, are mine.

I can’t and won’t put the blame on anyone else, and that’s just the way I want it.

I’m on a mission to change the world forever.

Ain’t no one decision, person, exam or broken bone is stopping me.

Your next fundraising campaign may already exist.

Not in your marketing plan.

Not in your budget.

In a story that hasn’t been told yet. 🤯

Every nonprofit has moments that remind people why the work matters. The challenge is that those moments often come and go without ever reaching the people who would be inspired by them.

That’s a missed opportunity.

Donors don’t connect with organizations and people.

They connect with people.

Up your game, and share the stories that already exist inside their organizations.