Jay Love is a guest contributor for Nonprofit Hub. He’s currently the CEO and Co-Founder of Bloomerang and the Senior Vice President of Avectra—both organizations serving the nonprofit sector with cutting edge technology tools for fundraising and communications.
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No matter what type of industry you are involved in there always seem to be wise old mentors where the younger folks involved are sometimes lucky enough to be befriended and mentored by. I believe the non-profit sector is particularly blessed in this area due to the very nature of mission orientation and giving back, which is so prevalent.
Please allow me to share the portrait of two of the best who have touched and who are still touching so many lives in the non-profit sector. These individuals are Dr. Gene Tempel and Dr. William McGinly.
Suffice to say Gene’s vision in creating the Center on Philanthropy was enough to qualify him as one of the all-time great mentors to the charity world. The number of wide eyed young adults who he not only introduced to the world of philanthropy, but in many cases guided their in-depth understanding already has and will continue to impact our sector.
Bill has guided the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy for nearly three decades. His influence and mentoring to thousands in the field of healthcare philanthropy may never be matched. Prior to then, he lead the National School Boards Association. He continues to this day as a leader, teacher, mentor and volunteer in our sector.
For me personally, both Gene and Bill served as mentors and as defenders of the highest ethical principles of the fundraising profession. I had already been involved as a provider of technology to the sector for a decade and a half when I enlisted their help. They were close advisors as we created and brought eTapestry to the non-profit market. Keeping valuable and confidential donor information in the “cloud” via the Internet was a bold new step, which required experienced guides and mentors. I cannot think of two better mentors for such a new frontier than Gene and Bill.
I hope all of you find such outstanding mentors in your career in our beloved sector. They can and do make all the difference in the world in your success and the success of any organization!
