106% to Quota

Friday was one of those days that remind you what you do is worth it.

In case you missed it, I’ve been promoting a fundraiser for the past several weeks. It’s a golf marathon where a group of us plays 100 or more holes in a single day. It’s an almost laughable idea, playing that much golf in a day… maybe just laughable enough that it gets people's attention and starts a conversation.

It took me just under ten hours to play 106 holes (if you want to know how we do this every year, just send me a note and I’ll break it all down for you). Physically, it's a lot of golf swings, but it doesn't take too long before you find a groove. Hole fifty doesn't feel a whole lot different from hole ten. The only time you really feel it is when you stop, so the key is to keep moving forward.

The first time I did this was in 2014, and we raised a little over $22,000. That was a record for Chosen Vision at the time.

The estimate on Friday before we left for the day was $185,000.

We’ve come a long way, baby.

That growth hasn’t been an accident. It’s been thirteen years of talking about the event over and over again. Not just for the six weeks prior to the event, but all season long when we meet people on the golf course.

We wear the swag, and we invite people to participate; sometimes just to see the looks on their faces.

Repeat donors look forward to the stories and to the fireside chat series. They shake their heads when they hear that I played 106 holes and then came home, splashed some water on my face, and went to my daughter's boyfriend's graduation party.

It's just such an incredible (and incredibly odd) thing to do, and it’s fun.

The team that puts this event on is mostly non-golfers. They’re family members and friends of Chosen Vision residents, and they couldn't tell you the difference between a birdie and a bogey.

But it’s not about golf, it's about what we're doing and why. People are willing to get a little uncomfortable to make the whole thing happen. They show up with a smile on their face, ask for directions, and encourage us to keep playing because, at the end of the day, they see the real impact we’re making.

It sounds silly. Maybe it is silly… but the goal is worth it. It's worth the discomfort of asking people for money every year. It's worth taking the day off. It's worth the long day and the soreness I'm feeling as I type this.

$185,000 was an unfathomable number just a decade ago, and over 93 cents of every one of those dollars go to make life-changing impacts.

Every year, I see the residents when they come out to spend the day with us. I hear the stories from their parents and siblings of how much they’ve grown and how their lives have changed. I reconnect with this community of folks who are thinking way beyond themselves.

It was a helluva day.

Thank you to everyone who donated, shared, or sent a kind word. We couldn't do this without you.

And “just keep moving…” more on that next week.

The Shoutout

I wouldn’t call myself a jealous person. Still, there are times when I see someone with a set of skills so outrageous that it goes a little beyond admiration.

Ravi Rajani is one of those people. The charisma just drips off this guy. The voice, the swagger, the look, the accent (my wife called it out from across the room), the orange glasses, are you kidding me?

We've connected in real time on a couple of occasions, and it's all real. He's kind, thoughtful, and brilliant. He's got the kind of personality you'd want to bottle up, and I'd be first in line to buy a case.

Every once in a while, he’ll reach out in a DM just to see how I'm doing and if there's a way he can help. He also usually ends our calls with "gotta go, it's bath time for the little one." Pure class.

In my LinkedIn #ThankfulThursday posts, I shout out the people who make me pinch myself that they take my calls. Ravi is one of the highest quality human beings I know.

The Nudge

The books aren't totally closed yet. If you've been meaning to contribute but haven't gotten around to it yet, here's one last chance.

Cheers,
JB