Charities – think like a Hungarian!

You may have noticed in my blog a certain fondness for extending a metaphor to make a point. Recently, for example, I've drawn parallels with marshmallows, men's underpants, and Christmas decorations... Well, I've realised it's because of my father. Ten minutes in his company and you’d realise where I get it from. Both my parents were born in Hungary, you see. And my father in particular peppers conversation with his translations of colourful Hungarian proverbs at most opportunities. So here are some  favourites, all of which are applicable to the charity sector: You cannot shoot a sparrow with a cannon! Ágyúval nem lehet verebet lőni How often do we invent overblown solutions to incidental issues? This is the Hungarian version of the English saying involving a sledgehammer and a nut, but I think the Hungarians say it better, especially because the sparrow is quite likely to avoid the cannon ball. We need to be leaner, more agile, and think more strategically. Let's focus on finding the right tools to solve our most important problems. He wants to be a spoon in every soup! Minden lében kanál This expression colourfully describes someone who likes to get involved in everything. Know anybody like that? We need to guard against our tendency to involve ourselves in too many different projects. It's so tempting, particularly for smaller charities, to engage in every type of fundraising activity they come across. We ne