Please and Thank You | The Scoop

It's hard to ask for money — to physically spit out the words, “please give.” As a Nebraskan, these words must originate in my gut like stones in a bucket, where they rattle around making dents until I manage to yank them out.
 
??I’m going to have to say “please give” a lot over the next 10 days, as Hear Nebraska campaigns for a share of more than $600,000 in matching funds as part of this Thursday's Give to Lincoln Day, and Omaha Gives! on May 22.
 
It's always been easy to say “thanks,” however. I learned early on that showing courtesy to your fellow humans is simply the right thing to do.
 
But maybe I have it all wrong. Maybe it should be easy to ask for money for a nonprofit cause — Hear Nebraska — I believe in so deeply that Angie and I have made it our lives. After all, Hear Nebraska only exists through donations from people who enjoy the online content, concerts and other events we produce. None of that money goes to me, nor Angie, nor the vast majority of talented contributors who donate their skills to the cause: making Nebraska an international cultural destination by cultivating the state’s vibrant, fertile music and arts community.
 
In fact, the only person who does get paid for his work at Hear Nebraska — managing editor Michael Todd — is doing so now only because you rallied during last year’s Give to Lincoln Day and supported us to the tune of more than $10,000. Funding that position was critical, and we’ve stepped up our programming immensely in the last year because of it.
 
And it’s time to grow more. We need to hire someone to help book and promote our concerts, and someone who gets paid to focus every day on Hear Nebraska’s long-term sustainability. We need this because Nebraskans deserve this.
 
Nebraskans deserve multimedia stories like the one intern Chevy Anderson produced that features guitarist Derek Higgins talking about Offbeat, the now-defunct music hall in north Omaha that helped inspire his career as a musician. ??
 
Nebraskans deserve videos like the one Love Drunk produced that captures a tear-jerking wedding proposal amid a live performance by Omaha band Blue Bird.
 
?Nebraskans deserve the Hear Lincoln concert series, our An Evening dinner/music events, our “HNFM” radio show on KZUM, our “Hear Nebraska – Live at the 1200 Club” concert at the Holland Center June 7 that will be broadcast statewide via NET, our annual Nebraska Music Retreat at the Niobrara River Sanctuary, and so much more.??
 
So I will indeed be saying, “please give,” over the next 10 days, and I hope it comes easier and easier. On the other hand, I think saying "thank you" shouldn't be so simple. ??The words become automatic when you direct a nonprofit whose incredible production level requires the volunteer contributions of so many skilled — and busy — people: writers, photographers, designers, event coordinators, board members, street teamers, our accountant and our developers.
 
“Thanks” has a way of losing its meaning after you say it so many times.
 
To Hear Nebraska’s supporters, my friends and family, colleagues and coworkers: I promise that when I say “thank you,” next — and if I’m lucky, it’ll happen after you give $10 or more on both May 16 and 22 — I’ll consider how fortunate I am to be able to utter those words. 
 
I’ll consider how lucky I am to be surrounded by such gracious people, who believe in Hear Nebraska’s mission — and in me.
 
And I’ll consider what it truly means to be told, “you’re welcome.”
 
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You can schedule your May 16 donation now to occur "on a giving day" at givetolincoln.com/hearnebraska.
 

Andrew Norman is Hear Nebraska's director. He wants one of you to win a custom turntable by donating on May 16. Contact him at andrewn@hearnebraska.org.