It was a lovely morning a
s I walked to work. The sky was pearl grey and the air was moist and cool. I noticed the walnut tree behind the house starting to put on her fall clothing and the walnut husks stood boldly out against the lacy yellow-green leaves. Walnut trees lose their leaves first and soon she will stand with her slim, twisted branches bare among the still-green foliage of the maples. Autumn is a season of thrilling changes. Colors blaze and fade among the foliage. Plants that haven’t finished blooming do so with reckless abandon. Somehow cloudy days only seem to intensify the hues.
A change has come to our house as well. About a week ago we heard our tomcat, Phillip, fighting with something. As it is his job to keep other cats away, we don’t usually interfere. But the cries of the other cat were those of surrender rather than challenge, so we went to see what was happening. Phillip was holding down a tiny kitten, so thin her hips jutted above the ridges of her backbone like hills. Phillip released his little victim on command and she skittered a short distance away. Ten minutes later the scene was repeated and we once again insisted he let her go. Phillip must have gotten the message at that point as he willingly allowed the kitten to eat from his dish from then on. Thus the scrawny, half wild Queen Mab has joined our family.
Nonprofit organizations are very much like a family. Just like in our family, a new member represents a change. It is important to help your new family member “learn the ropes” and become comfortable in his or her new home. If your new colleague will be using FundRaiser, our Customer Portal provides a number of very helpful training videos that explains everything from a simple overview of our donor tracking software to a more comprehensive look at the membership management and pledge tracking facets of Fundraiser. While you’re at it, long-time family members might benefit from a little refresher course and can clarify any questions your newbie might have.
For help in accessing the training videos or your Customer Portal username and password, feel free to call FundRaiser Tech Support at 800-543-4131.