By Linda Zelig
MnSF Development Manager

Nita walked into my office the other day, her scrumptious "pan-o-bars" tucked under one arm and her synagogue directory under the other. First things first, I had to have a brownie. Then she opened the directory and began pointing out particular friends of hers that she knew would enjoy being members of the Senior Federation if they only had a little more information. That Nita, she's optimistic about everything!

Anyway, I'm paying close attention - maybe I can work it into getting another brownie. By the time we had finished going through the book, I had at least a couple dozen people to contact on Nita's behalf. But that wasn't the end of it. My brownie connection had a better idea than a simple greeting saying, "Nita thought you'd be interested in this organization, so we're sending you a membership form." Nah, that's not creative enough for this gal. See what you think - I thought it was brilliant.

Nita told me that she would give the Senior Federation $10 in honor of her friends' birthdays whenever they came up (and she really does know all the dates) if we would send a personalized birthday card. We came up with a text that usually reads: Happy Birthday from Nita and The Minnesota Senior Federation - Wishing You the Very Best on Your Special Day! At the bottom of the card we put, Nita sent a birthday tribute to our organization in honor of your birthday. We are grateful for our members such as Nita...and then we slipped in a membership form.

Valentines Day is just around the corner. I'm thinking we could make a romantic encounter very easy for you. Send a gift of $25 to the Senior Federation and I'll send a Valentine to your sweetheart with a special note included. What could be sweeter?

I'm still working my way through the directory, the birthdays keep coming around, and Nita still stops by with brownies and a $10 bill for the federation. Some days I think I'd pay her $10 for one of her brownies - they're that good.