I had the privilege of speaking to the widow of a prominent philanthropist today. Her husband passed away less than 6 months ago. He was the founding board member of the non-profit organization of which I wanted to speak with her about.
Heading into the call, I was a little nervous. I guess I assumed that talking about something so important to her and her husband might be a painful discussion; however I couldn’t have been more wrong. Listening to her talk about the non-profit organization was like listening to a mother or father talk about their child. It didn’t take long for me to realize that this was her husband’s legacy, and while he is no longer with us the charity lives on in our hearts and minds as testament to his vision and greatness.
I guess I walk away from this conversation reminded that some donors try to leave this world a little better than how they came into it. Legacy is a powerful idea!