By Scott Brazda, The Stuller Family Foundation

It was one of those rare occasions in which our family actually made it to Sunday Mass early, and, as part of my reward for making it into church prior to 11 a.m., I was asked to fill in and serve as an usher, the main job being….

Passing the collection basket.

It had been years since I’d done this; usually I’m a lector or Eucharistic Minister, but, as I said, I probably hadn’t reached across people with a metal basket attached to a fairly long handle in well over a decade. Still, wanting to help out, I said “yes,” and immediately after our pastor’s sermon (don’t ask me his topic; I was too nervous about doing my offertory job), I processed up the center aisle of Holy Cross Catholic Church with basket in hand, bowed to our priest, turned to my right…

And immediately struck a woman in the first row with the collection basket. She smiled, I mouthed the words “sorry,” took a step back…

And struck a gentleman in the second row. Then I slapped a double on third row (hit a man on the wrist and his son on the arm) and grazed a family of three on the row after that. My holy path of destruction came to an end shortly after that, and at no time was there a need for immediate medical personnel.

Still, it wasn’t my finest hour, and you know what? That’s alright. Perfection wasn’t and isn’t required for passing the collection basket… Or for being involved in philanthropy.

I thought back to my first couple years as executive director of The Stuller Family Foundation, roughly 24 months in which I was afraid to make a move, hesitant to make a decision, and unwilling to trust my instincts. Every ‘i’ had to be properly dotted, every ‘t’ had to be smoothly crossed… or so I thought. Adding to my anxiety was the ever-present thought, “This isn’t MY money!! So don’t mess it up!!”

We’re all going to make mistakes, especially when we start new positions. But once a new director assumes the center chair in a philanthropic mission (substitute yourself for Star Trek’s James T. Kirk or Jean-Luc Picard, and your foundation for the Starship Enterprise), remember this:

You were hired for a reason. Your board members liked what you did before they offered you the job; in fact, that’s why you were brought in, and, for the most part, they want that person, filled with abilities and potential, to grab the reins and take the foundation to the next level. You were a go-getter before; why stop now?

None of this is to say that you don’t need to put your pride aside, probably on more than one occasion, and ask for guidance and directions when you’re unsure (stereotypically difficult for us guys, most certainly). Remember: Asking for advice, or inquiring about proper procedure within your organization, is most certainly NOT a sign of weakness. If anything, it’s a sign of strength, a sign that you care about doing the very best for your foundation and its stakeholders.

Be smart, be strategic, be detailed and well-thought-out in your planning. And to get you through the rough spots, to keep you from repeating those mistakes that are going to happen (and to be sympathetic when you make the new mistakes), there are groups much like this one: Exponent Philanthropy, made up of folks who have already walked… the philanthropic walk.

Now, about my collection basket technique…

Scott Brazda is executive director of The Stuller Family Foundation. For 16 years, he served as a news and sports anchor at KATC-TV in Lafayette, LA, during which time he won seven Associated Press awards. Scott is a committee member for the United Way of Acadiana and Community Foundation of Acadiana, board member of the Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and faculty member of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette communications department.