The old saying goes, “You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” But I am getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to the Wayback Machine for this lesson.

This story has its beginnings in the days of the Cold War. It was a time when the United States and Russia distrusted each other at peak levels. Rumors about spying and counter-spying proliferated everywhere. Accusations of treason and the susceptibility of the average person to the scourge of communism were rampant. Fears of nuclear war and its consequences were on everyone’s minds. Schools ran drills, preparing for such an inevitability. Government agencies and even average citizens conducted drills in their own homes.

One alarming climax to this apocalyptic mindset became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Fidel Castro was the dictator who seized power in Cuba, a Russian proxy state, during the late 1950s. He withstood what historians call the military fiasco called the Bay of Pigs. Russia, sensing American weakness, deployed medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles into Cuba, creating the crisis.

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, zt”l recounts a fascinating story in one of his books about how they diffused the Cuban Missile Crisis. During the crisis, President John F. Kennedy received two messages from Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. One was a conciliatory message, while the other was more aggressive. In what was a defining moment, Kennedy responded to the conciliatory message. This helped de-escalate the situation and ultimately resolved the crisis.

Rabbi Sacks references this piece of history in his book Lessons in Leadership in the essay “The Price of Silence.” In it, he discusses themes of leadership, responsibility and the power of communication. To quote directly:

…Llewellyn Thompson had been American ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1957 to 1962 and had come to know the Russian president well. He had even spent a period of time living with Khrushchev and his wife. He told Kennedy that the conciliatory message sounded like Khrushchev’s own personal view while the hawkish letter, which did not sound like him, had probably been written to appease the Russian generals. Kennedy listened to Thompson and gave Khrushchev a way of backing down without losing face – and the result was that war was averted.

Rabbi Sacks used this story to illustrate the power of hope and positive communication, even in dire circumstances. He emphasized that even crises can be opportunities for growth and positive change if we approach them with the right mindset.

So, what is the connection with fundraising? There is one. But wait. There’s more. We have one more point to make before we connect everything.

When I attended graduate school, I learned a valuable lesson called “the four C’s.” These were communication, consideration, cooperation and collaboration. A cinical psychologist, Dr. Thomas Gordon, introduced these principles as part of his work on leadership training, conflict resolution and communication skills.

What we learn from the four C’s is that communication matters and we can pay a dear price for a failure to communicate. The consequences of the Cold War story might have led to a catastrophic nuclear Armageddon. Instead, cooler heads prevailed and life returned to normal. Eventually, President Ronald Reagan was the catalyst to bring down the Berlin Wall and detente triumphed.

In everyday life, many of us witnessed a true story about how the four C’s turned a potential disaster into a success. You may remember the story known as “The Miracle on the Hudson.” On January 15, 2009, US Airways Flight 1549, piloted by Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger and First Officer Jeffrey Skiles, took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Just minutes into the flight, the plane struck a flock of geese, causing both engines to fail. With no thrust and limited options, the pilots had to decide quickly how to handle the emergency.

Here’s where the four C’s and good communication played a critical role as there was clear communication between pilots, direct communication with Air Traffic Control and reassurance for passengers.

By effectively communicating, the crew saved all 155 people on board. This incident stands out as a remarkable example of calm, clear and efficacious communication in a high-stress situation, and it is therefore an excellent paradigm of the four C’s in action.

And, now, as promised, let’s connect everything.

This is why fundraisers, even parents or corporate CEOs, must set as their goal good, strong, honest and open communication. In my career, I have always found that effective communication with donors and colleagues has led to consideration of my ideas. This, in turn, engendered their cooperation and, frequently, their collaboration on a mutually beneficial project.

A fundraising example of the four C’s was our annual employee giving campaign (AEGC). Communicating the tangible accomplishments and urgent needs of the agency in team meetings prompted staff’s consideration of our yearly appeal. Their generous response was the essence of cooperation and even collaboration in the organization’s mission. We saw significant yearly increases in employee donations directly attributed to our speaker presentations and written materials about the campaign.

An anonymous and wise person once said, “The power of good communication lies in its ability to connect people, convey messages and influence thoughts and actions.” Fundraisers, take note. We can learn a lot from the Cuban Missile Crisis, “The Miracle on the Hudson” and our AEGC.

And what about those flies? It’s honey’s sweetness that attracts them — a dipteran lesson about productive pollination. Even flies understand good communication cues.

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.