12 Days of Saving Giving Tip #2 - Guest Mickey Levitan
Mickey's Tip for the New Year
Time is short and resources are always tight. But when we charge ahead without incorporating what has already been learned, we frequently get waylaid by problems that have already been figured out. Even when fresh innovation is needed, prior experience can help inform the approach.
Lisa’s Reflection
Mickey’s wisdom resonates so strongly with what I see across the nonprofit sector: our urgency to do often eclipses our opportunity to learn. Fundraisers are under constant pressure – new goals, new campaigns, new crises – and it’s tempting to sprint straight into the next challenge. But when we skip over the lessons already earned (sometimes painfully) by others, we end up reinventing wheels… and occasionally repeating avoidable mistakes.
One of the most powerful tools any fundraiser has is not a new platform or a new strategy, it’s institutional memory. Even when innovation is absolutely needed, grounding ourselves in previous experience gives us a clearer runway and a safer landing. It’s not about clinging to the past; it’s about letting it inform smarter, more human-centered choices today.
In a field where time and resources are precious, wisdom is efficiency. And honoring what’s already been learned is one of the simplest, most generous ways we can respect our missions, and each other.
Join the Revolution!
What does this tip mean to you? Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag #SavingGiving.
We’ll see you tomorrow for our next #SavingGivingTip from our 12 Days of Saving Giving! Here’s to saving giving—one day, one act, and one relationship at a time.
Thank you for being part of the revolution!
Lisa + Team Greer