South Carolina Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy

THANK YOU!

Posted 08/09/08

Sorry for being such a slacker… I’ve been on the road a LOT lately and haven’t been on the blog much lately. Travels last week had me in Washington, DC with lots of friends and colleagues from around the country. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy gathered leaders from around the country to discuss organizational sustainability and fundraising.

I was flattered to be asked to serve on a panel of experts to share stories (and wounds) from fundraising adventures. My main message – remember to say THANK YOU! When I put the presentation together I was clearly thinking about our relationships with funders, donors and supporters. Then on the way home it hit me… we have not done a good job thanking YOU – whoever you are! South Carolina has made tremendous progress reducing rates of teen pregnancy in the last decade plus and each of you who have played a role deserves a sincere thank you. Thank you to the thousands of providers from each county in our state who continue to do the real work of mentoring and educating people; thank you to our state legislature who has continued to fund this critical issue in tough economic times; thank you to the parents out there who have initiated conversations about sex, love and relationships with their children; thank you to the schools, community groups and communities of faith who have realized the importance of incorporating age-appropriate, comprehensive sexuality education into their operations; thank you to our amazing staff and awesome board for your continued excellence; and, thank you to everyone that I have forgotten (I am sure there are many).

With everyone’s continued investment we can make a difference in South Carolina. So, thank you for all that you have done to date – and more importantly thank you for all that you will undoubtedly do in the future.

Stay cool out there and enjoy the final days of summer!