McCAIN - DIVERSIFY YOUR SOURCES

John McCain spoke to the NAACP yesterday morning, making his case to a respectful but skeptical crowd appreciative of the simple fact he showed up - something other GOP presidential nominees, like George W. Bush in 2004 and Bob Dole in 1996, failed to do. He praised the NAACP for its struggle for equal rights and dove head first into one of the organization’s hot issues, school vouchers. McCain was guaranteed to be interrupted with applause by quoting Martin Luther King, Jr. three times (even though he did not vote to make King’s birthday a national holiday).

After McCain’s speech, his staff brought out handheld microphones for a Town Hall-like question-and-answer session with the NAACP delegates and guests - a format he noticeably handles better than delivering speeches from a teleprompter. The audience was clearly impressed with the move. Questions from delegates touched upon the federal government's response to natural disasters, faith-based initiatives, judicial appointments and the No Child Left Behind Act. McCain exhibited the ability to stay on message, sometimes avoiding a direct answer, while “nice-ing” his questioner out of contention. For example:

Marjorie Moseley, a former Head Start teacher now working for a Columbus-based chapter of the Service Employees International Union and wearing an SEIU OBAMA T-shirt, said Head Start workers were struggling to afford housing, gas, food or health care for their children. "We cannot continue this way," she said.

McCain responded that the point of his education platform was to boost pay for "a great and outstanding teacher like you" and other educators who are passionate about their work. "I want to reward good teachers," said McCain. How could she argue with that?

News accounts from McCain’s "Straight Talk Express" bus after the speech report that McCain couldn't tell whether he had won over a single vote. "I came here to assure all Americans that, if I am their president, I will represent every American." As with his speech to the National Council of LaRaza earlier in the week, he is reaching out to audiences whose votes, while not in large numbers, might make the thin difference to put him over the top in a few key states.

He’s attempting to diversify his constituency just as non-profit organizations must do with their funding bases. Look at your income pie chart. If you lose your largest grant, what could that do to your organization? If your largest benefactor refuses to renew their gift, what would happen to your special project? If your fundraising event is a flop, how would it affect your constituency, program and staffing? What does your asset sheet tell you? Is your endowment fund large enough to help you weather a storm while you seek funding? Would a loss of investment income seriously hamper your program? What are your weakest links? This type of scrutiny should not be left for a rainy day or months from now when you revisit future budget planning or in the aftermath of an emergency.

Professional fundraisers, the income generators for non-profits, need time to cultivate sources of support and, thus, should be in the thick of strategic planning. Like McCain, fundraisers look for ways to pick up financial support that can make the difference in key areas of the organization.

Aside: McCain also had nice words about his opponent. He said Barack Obama "…has inspired a great many Americans, some of whom had wrongly believed that a political campaign could hold no purpose or meaning to them.” Whatever the outcome in November, he said, "Senator Obama has achieved a great thing - for himself and his country - and I thank him for it."

One thing I have in common with McCain -- Graeter’s black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream is my favorite, too!