The story is told of a man who was tired of the singles dating scene. Seeking companionship, he walked into a pet store and told the clerk, “I’m lonely. I need a pet to keep me company.”

“Well,” said the clerk, “how about a cute parrot? He’ll talk to you.”

“That’s great,” said the man. He bought the parrot and took him home.

The following day, the man returned to the pet store. He told the clerk, “You know, that parrot isn’t talking to me yet.”

“Let’s see,” said the clerk. “I know! You buy this little ladder for his cage. He’ll climb the ladder, and then he’ll talk.”

So off he goes with a newly purchased ladder. The next day, he came back to the store again. He said to the clerk, “Hey, that parrot still hasn’t said a word.”

The clerk thought for a minute. “How about this little mirror?” he asked. “You hang it at the top of the ladder. The parrot will climb the ladder, look in the mirror and then he’ll talk to you.”

“Okay,” he said, and bought the small mirror, then went immediately home. But the next day, the man went back to the pet shop yet again. “Well, I’m getting a bit discouraged,” he said. “That parrot still won’t talk to me. I feel like I’m on a date again.”

The clerk scratched his head. “Let me think. Aha! Try this bell. You hang it over the mirror. The parrot will climb the ladder, look in the mirror, ring the bell and then he will talk to you.”

“All right, I’ll try it,” said the hopeful man. Sure enough,the next day, the man was back in the shop, very distressed.

“What’s wrong?” asked the clerk.

“My parrot… he died,” the man said quietly.

“Oh, my gosh! I’m so sorry for your loss!” said the clerk. “But I have to ask you, did the parrot ever say anything to you?”

“Oh yes,” said the man. “He said one thing, right before he died.”

“Well, what did he say?” the clerk asked, a bit impatiently.

The man mumbled his reply. “He said: Doesn’t that pet store carry any food?”

It’s often the obvious answer that eludes us. Sometimes, we have to make the answer obvious. Early in my career, when the answer was staring me in the face, I sometimes missed the conspicuous signals.

Here are a few unambiguous examples.

At the end of summer camp and the beginning of the school year, a philanthropic couple wanted their grown daughters to experience the depth of their passion for helping poor children. Even now, many impoverished youngsters find themselves at home with nothing to do while their parents work long hours. It’s a precarious interval for kids without adult supervision because they can get into trouble. Children often need an activity schedule during this unstable interlude to prepare for school, limit their non-productive downtime and prevent their involvement in potential trouble.

This couple drew our attention to the matter for several years before we satisfactorily resolved it. Our benefactors were growing increasingly disenchanted with the organization’s inaction on what they rightly considered a serious issue.

So, what did we do? The answer turned out to be obvious.

We established a scholarship committee that our supporters co-chaired at the outset and the nonprofit staffed. They had as much as told us this from the get-go. Every year, we convened the committee in early summer, reviewed applications and approved applicants for the “in-between” summer program, which was memorialized in remembrance of the philanthropic couple’s departed parents. During the process, their daughters were very involved and, over time, they developed a sense of ownership over the committee. This solution pleased their parents. It was the exact goal they had set for themselves: transmission of the philanthropic experience to the next generation.

Another instance involved the termination of a practice that I believed lowered the nonprofit’s prestige. We spent a large amount of time writing direct mail pieces that featured cartoons to make our fundraising points. There was an amateurish and undignified look to the caricatures. In the eyes of donors, they diminished the organization’s respectability. We needed images that elevated the appeal’s seriousness.

Because of privacy laws, we had to be careful with the pictures we inserted. Through clever positioning, we reimagined the direct mail pieces and incorporated photographs of clients without violating HIPAA requirements. We realized a bump in revenue thanks to the revisions. Only a simple change was necessary. In addition, it improved our supporters’ perception of the institution.

Therefore, let’s not forget obvious sensitivities when we do our jobs. After all, it was a wise old man who once said: “A day without sunshine is like, you know, night.” (Comedian Steve Martin).

© 2025 Norman B. Gildin. All rights reserved.

Norman B. Gildin is the author of the popular book on nonprofit fundraising “Learn From My Experiences.” He is the President of Strategic Fundraising Group, whose singular mission is to assist nonprofits in raising critical funds for their organization. His website is www.normangildin.com.