T. Clay Buck, CFRE’s Post

I've never posted on anything personal or political on LinkedIn. Isn't the forum for either. And this isn't either. It is about much-needed humor in increasingly humorless times. Admission: I'm a frat boy. Have some fratastic tendencies. Insert frat boy joke here. Guilty as charged. But THIS, my dear internet friends, is perhaps the most epically fratastic tour de force in history. By way of background, as university campuses around the country are devolving into utter chaos by (as some have characterized) performative self-absorbed narcissists, a group of frat boys from UNC-Chapel Hill took a stand yesterday against an attempted removal by the blue-haired 'protesters' of Old Glory. It made national news. In response, a GoFundMe page was set up by sources unknown to raise money for these gents to pay for (drum roll) the most epic kegger ever held. Whatever your politics and beliefs about current goings-on in the middle east, a sense of humor is in short supply. These brave frat boys have provided some much-needed perspective and, yes, humor in stark opposition to those Ivy League students demanding the very universities whose buildings they've stormed & overtaken... (drum roll) be obliged to provide catering to them because they've 'paid for a meal plan' as they've barricaded themselves inside said university buildings, broke in & padlocked the doors. Sacrificing for the cause, but only if it is catered & paid for by the very same vile universities they protest. Let them eat cake! Take 30 seconds to read the GoFundMe page-- not necessarily to contribute, or because you favor one side or the other, but for some glimmer of humor in what is an increasingly humorless time. Enjoy and have a laugh at my fratastic expense!

Stop the donations, and don't send your kids to any school that practices appeasement and fosters and tolerates anti-Semitism and race based bigotry. This must get through to the Jewish community, and to the Asian American community. i am still seeing Jewish friends celebrating their kids getting into schools like Brown, Northwestern etc, which have capitulated to radical pro Hamas protestor demands, instead of punishing those involved in illegal acts. I notice that many bew buildings now at major college campuses bear the names of Asian donors: Asian Americans--don't be stupid. What is being done to Jewish Americans (admissions discrimination) has already been done to Asian Americans and what is happening now (exclusion based on threats of violence as well and campuses full of ideological brainwashers intent on getting your children to hate you) will happen to Asian Americans. Stop the donations, stop sending your talented and hard working kids there, support funding cuts, until real leadership is put in place and true diversity is reestablished. It can be done. But se need to start now, and be principled.

Five easy ways to support student protestors in your community: 1. Call your local school/university and express your support for protestors, your admonishments on calling the police (where applicable), and how the school's decisions will shape your relationship with the school in the future <<< ESPECIALLY if you're a donor. Do this at least three times. 2. Join them IRL (where appropriate) and stand in solidarity. Some communities are choosing to position themselves between students and law enforcement to shield them from harm. 3. Amplify stories from students, student journalists, and others on the ground online. Express your solidarity in your post so it's clear where you stand! 4. Look for student-led accounts on social media that often post other ways to support, including dropping off supplies, donating money for resources and bail funds, and even signing up for meal trains to send food. 5. Call your local officials and express your disappointment with the use of local law enforcement to attack and criminalize students.

Stupid is as stupid does. What will it cost each university to cancel commencement ceremonies in deference to protestors? Consider brand, reputation, loss of future donations, loss of government funding, lower enrollment, and the list goes on. You know what costs a lot less? Security. And the leadership of those institutions could easily tap their billions in endowments to support graduates, their families and the faculty. If they won’t take free advice, let’s talk value pricing. That advice is worth billions. #crisiscommunication #brand #reputation #marketing

OK, so . . . this is a wow. And some lessons to be learned from this. In short? We - "traditional" fundraising and nonprofits are all twisted around brand and values/identity and best practices and (checks notes) all kinds of things . . . . Meanwhile, these bros are like BUY US BEER! and donors - people - over 14,000 of them are like SURE HERE YA GO MY DUDES! $467,000 from 14,000 donors with an average gift of $38. Three gifts of $10,000 or more and 29 gifts between $1,000 - $5,000 (some reports indicate the 'average' major gift threshold for nonprofits is $1,000). In 48 hours. Tell me another acquisition campaign that has THAT kind of return? Wanna know why? Immediacy. Direct help. I give now dudes get beer because I believe they did something good. Their action reinforced how I think of myself and I'm going to put money to it in a way that hits directly. No One: Absolutely No Beer Donor: Dudes: Just so you know the keg itself will cost x and the tap will cost y so only z amount of your contribution is going to beer. Didn't happen. I'm not at all saying we throw out everything we know and all the research and data and proven practice. I AM saying that maybe, just maybe, people give to things because it matters to them and while we're all worried about the economy and election and what somebody said on a podcast, people are giving money where they're getting personal value and good feelings from it. https://lnkd.in/gUEAxX5c

 #DEMANDpeace  Are YOU part of the 96% that just decided the United States presidential election as detailed at https://lnkd.in/eZH3Eycc ? If so, continue to do what you just did - DEMAND PEACE!!! 5 minutes of Peace https://lnkd.in/etwz9HKv Do YOU care about the rights of indigenous people? https://lnkd.in/e37V9XP9 HERE IS WHY INCUMBENT PARTY LOST: It's unfortunate, but as far as the rest of the country is concerned, it's not about how you or I feel regarding the worser of the two evils, it's the fact that 96% of the people are not happy with the people in power over this issue. When you do something like that to that many people, you create a situation where, in their eyes, the right thing and even the ONLY thing to do now is get rid of the people who already screwed you. This is also the ONLY WAY to send a message to the people coming in because 96% of the people can do a lot of damage between now and the midterms if the same behavior is repeated or even worse. FACT: More people are against genocide than were even against slavery back in the Civil War. Do you want to get up in 96% of the peoples faces and do the complete opposite of what they want and then ask them to reelect you? We told the Democrats and they didn't listen and now Bernie Sanders is livid because they ALL know it cost them the election. BREAKING!!! Bernie Sanders now LIVID because refusal to act on Jazz for Peace vote showing 96% were AGAINST GENOCIDE cost them the election. BUT WHERE WAS HE WHEN WE PERFORMED AT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL? “International Jazz Day could not happen without partners like Jazz for Peace....using concerts, community outreach and education programs to raise support and awareness for local and international charities...to promote charitable and service-based activities that help make a positive difference in the world...to unify and empower the vulnerable in our society. We are indebted to you for your steadfast support, and look forward to working with you...” ~ Herbie Hancock Click here for Video of Jazz Day 2017 at Washington DC Lincoln Memorial - https://lnkd.in/db7wsF2

𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗢: 𝗣𝗥𝗢-𝗣𝗔𝗟𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗜𝗔𝗡 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗕𝗬 𝗕𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗦 𝗕𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗢𝗥𝗦 Article excerpts: "The donors include some of the biggest names in Democratic circles: Soros, Rockefeller and Pritzker, according to a POLITICO analysis." "Two of the organizers supporting the protests at Columbia University and on other campuses are Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow. Both are supported by the Tides Foundation, which is seeded by Democratic megadonor George Soros and was previously supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It in turn supports numerous small nonprofits that work for social change." "Soros declined to comment. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has previously funded the Tides Foundation and other groups, said it no longer has active grants to Tides. It also does not support Jewish Voice for Peace or IfNotNow." "Another notable Democratic donor whose philanthropy has helped fund the protest movement is David Rockefeller Jr., who sits on the board of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. In 2022, the fund gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation; according to nonprofit tax forms, Tides has given nearly $500,000 over the past five years to Jewish Voice for Peace, which explicitly describes itself as anti-Zionist." "Several other groups involved in pro-Palestinian protests are backed by a foundation funded by Susan and Nick Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotel empire — and supporters of Biden and numerous Democratic campaigns, including $6,600 to the Biden Victory Fund a few months ago and more than $300,000 during the 2020 campaign." "The trail of donations shows a series of blurred lines when it comes to liberal causes and Democratic politics. Often those missions are aligned, but they also sometimes have different and — particularly when it comes to Gaza — conflicting agendas and tactics. And a small group of wealthy heavyweights are often playing an outsize role funding many of them." by SHIA KAPOS Full article; https://lnkd.in/egbNrXYh

Greatful to serve as the Board Chair for such an active and involved “community profit” company called Pro-Se Potential. One of our community outreach events was featured on the Back to Besa show with FOX news capture by the ever active Converge Media Team. Check it out in the link below. Our mission is to help our youth outperform their current environments. While we have a wide reach a majority of our children and families exist in King and Pierce Counties. If you want to get involved we have a Gala coming up November 2nd. Contact me for details. How do we heal a nation? Listen to the needs of the states. How do we heal the states? Listen to the needs of the counties And the counties? Listen to the needs of the cities And how do we heal the cities? Listen to the needs of the families. And how do we shape a better future? Listen to needs of the children and serve. https://lnkd.in/dgSxPkVX

HERE IS WHY YOU LOST!!! It's unfortunate, but as far as the rest of the country is concerned, it's not about how you or I feel regarding the worser of the two evils, it's the fact that 96% of the people are not happy with the people in power over this issue. When you do something like that to that many people, you create a situation where, in their eyes, the right thing and even the ONLY thing to do now is get rid of the people who already screwed you. This is also the ONLY WAY to send a message to the people coming in because 96% of the people can do a lot of damage between now and the midterms if the same behavior is repeated or even worse. FACT: More people are against genocide than were even against slavery back in the Civil War. Do you want to get up in 96% of the peoples faces and do the complete opposite of what they want and then ask them to reelect you? We told the Democrats and they didn't listen and now Bernie Sanders is livid because they ALL know it cost them the election. BREAKING!!! Bernie Sanders now LIVID because refusal to act on Jazz for Peace vote showing 96% were AGAINST GENOCIDE cost them the election. BUT WHERE WAS HE WHEN WE PERFORMED AT THE LINCOLN MEMORIAL? “International Jazz Day could not happen without partners like Jazz for Peace....using concerts, community outreach and education programs to raise support and awareness for local and international charities...to promote charitable and service-based activities that help make a positive difference in the world...to unify and empower the vulnerable in our society. We are indebted to you for your steadfast support, and look forward to working with you...” ~ Herbie Hancock Click here for Video of Jazz Day 2017 at Washington DC Lincoln Memorial - https://lnkd.in/db7wsF2

Prepare yourself! "Thursday Thoughts" is now posted at TheWesternWord.com. These are the topics for today’s column: >Sheehy - “Little Black Girls” >Fundraising Thoughts >Gianforte/Busse Debate >Harris on Fox News