Cheryl and Conrad Swanson’s Generosity Moves Others to Give
The impact of Mosaic’s mission is a good news story. Sharing stories about the impact of our work helps people to see the good that is happening in their communities. I’m a pretty firm believer that good attracts more good – it gets people excited to be part of what we are doing. I have seen that proven true numerous times in my more-than-35-year career with Mosaic.
For example, when we have good people join our workforce, other good people are attracted to the mission because of those people. When people volunteer to support Mosaic, they encourage other people to do the same because it was a great experience. When we live our purpose to love and serve others, love is multiplied and shared, and good things happen as a result.
A corollary of those truths is generosity attracts generosity. I’ve seen that come alive in Mosaic donors and volunteers many times. It certainly is true of longtime Mosaic donors and volunteers Conrad and Cheryl Swanson.
“My parents were supporters of Mosaic for a long time,” Conrad said recently. “So pretty much as far back as I can remember, I was aware of the work that Mosaic does.”
His commitment to Mosaic became manifest in a number of ways, including volunteering to serve on The Mosaic Foundation Board of Directors and the Mosaic Board of Directors. He even served as Chair of the Board. Together with Cheryl, the couple have been co-chairs of our Called to be Bold Comprehensive Fundraising Campaign.
But their commitment doesn’t end with volunteer service; they also are generous donors. For GivingTuesday, which is next week on November 30, Conrad and Cheryl have pledged $75,000 as a matching gift for donations made to Mosaic on that day. The decision was an easy one, Conrad said.
“There’s quite a bit of research showing that matching gifts can inspire others to give or inspire others to give more,” he said. “The impact is going to be greater.”
Generosity attracts generosity. We’ve already seen that for GivingTuesday, even before the day arrives. Another donor, aware of the match, pledged a $10,000 gift to GivingTuesday. That gift becomes $20,000 because of the match from Conrad and Cheryl.
“With Mosaic, it is so rewarding to know how our monies impact the lives of the people who are served by Mosaic,” Cheryl said. “We’ve seen so many stories of when someone isn’t in Mosaic and then they move to be in service with Mosaic, their lives are just transformed. It just makes it so easy to give.”
“Any kind of donation that is made to Mosaic is going to make a real difference in somebody’s life, maybe in many people’s lives,” Conrad said. “It will contribute to their dignity, to their autonomy, and simply to their enjoyment of life. I’d like people to keep that in mind.”
Mosaic is nearing the end of the Called to be Bold fundraising campaign, and we’re closing in on our $63 million goal. But we still need others who share the Swansons’ mindset of generosity to help us reach the finish line. My hope is that many others will see the attraction of having their gift double through this GivingTuesday match and help us finish strong.
