Ver­i­ty 12: if you can con­ceive it, you can achieve it.

Written by
Jerold Panas
Added
January 15, 2014

The surest way to guarantee success is to determine you will succeed. You decide. You envision it. You dream of it. You command it to happen.

That’s how you win. That’s the road to success.

I used to call on a great philanthropist, W Clement Stone. He wrote a book called the Success System that Never Fails in which he espoused his theory of the ‘power of positive thinking’. The book is powerful. Read it if you dare to be a success.

He told me one day: ‘If I want to achieve something worthwhile, really worthwhile, I think about it. I concentrate. It fills my consciousness. Every fibre of my body. Then, Jerry, I write it out and I tape it to my mirror.

‘I see it and re-read it. I know that I can think it to happen. That’s the power of positive thinking.’

I want you to be the kind of person who goes after Moby Dick with a rowboat, a harpoon and a jar of tartar sauce.

About the author: Jerold Panas

Jerold Panas has been professionally involved in fundraising for over 40 years. He combines his understanding and experience with a special talent for strategic planning, major gifts and volunteer development.

He is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars and a regular contributor to professional journals. Dr Panas is regarded as an author of particular note and his books are considered amongst the most significant in the field.

In 2013, he received the coveted lifetime achievement award for his contribution to philanthropy and fundraising. In 2011, the Cultural Office of Mexico cited him for his contribution to the nation’s philanthropy.

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Introducing: the verities

An introduction to Jerold Panas’ fundraising verities.

Each important, many a virtual strike of lightning. 

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Verity 11: you have an unwavering commitment to the institution and a near-militant belief in its mission.

Goethe wrote: ‘Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to drop back. The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.’

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Verity 10: boldness has genius, power and magic to it

It’s the courage to dare, to step out that’s wins the contest and gets the gift. The great fundraisers are infused with boldness and courage: an awesome audacity.

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Verity nine: you have presence

‘Presence’, says Jerry Panas, ‘is one of those words that everyone talks about and no one defines. It somehow eludes description. Yet, it’s one of the most important elements in our work. It’s not appearance, dress, or funny stories: it’s energy. It shows and it glows.’

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Verity eight: you delight in the premise that fundraising provides fulfilment to deeds not words.

Raising funds forces us to believe in the promise of the future. But it pays great tribute for what we achieve today.

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