Page 61 of Overtime
“Well. She’s handling the board stuff. Between her and Alex they have some ideas for people who are well-qualified to run that side of things. So I’ve been trying to get some high-profile donors while she works on that. I mean hopefully, the board members are donors too, but we really need people beyond that group.”
“Right.” I nod, pulling her over to the bed and having her sit down next to me.
“So I’ve been working the contacts I have here, and some through Violet. No one’s interested in a startup though. They’d rather donate to established funds in the city. One older woman even lectured me on how I was probably just going to split off more donors and muddy the waters and make it worse for everyone. I tried to explain that we’re trying to create a pot of money all the museums and cultural centers could pull from, but she didn’t want to hear it.”
“Well, fuck her.”
“Colton,” she chides as she wipes a tear away. “Your language.”
“I told you. I’m spending too much time around you.”
She shakes her head and then leans it against my shoulder. “So now I have to figure out how to tell Harper I’m failing her.”
“You’re not failing her. You’re just hitting some bumps in the road. It was bound to happen. Anytime you start something new like that, it can’t go perfectly. You know that,” I say softly, running my fingers over her upper arm as she leans into me.
“I’m supposed to do better. Be better. Violet counts on me, you know? She sold me as this magic fairy godmother who could help fix everything. And I’m failing both of them.”
“Joss, you are not failing them. It’s only been a few weeks. It usually takes months or even years to get this kind of thing off the ground.”
“We don’t have that kind of time though. I leave in a few weeks, and Harper’s old museum needs the money. I talked to Scarlett the other day, and it’s getting dire.”
“Okay. Well, we can triage this. You find out how much they need and maybe I can help buy you more time.”
“It sounded like a lot. And all the guys on the team have already donated what they pledged. It’s how we’ve managed to have any funds at all.”
“I can afford to donate more. A lot more really. I could just talk to my accountant about shifting what charities the money goes to this year.”
“Colton, no. I’m not taking your money. Especially not at the expense of other charities who need it. I’m just complaining to you because you’re my friend.” She sits back away from me and scowls.
“I’m a donor the same as any other person, and I’m willing.”
“I need more donors. Not to bleed one dry. That’s not how this works. Or at least it’s not how we build a successful nonprofit. We need to spread out where the money comes from. Lots of little donations from people invested in the cause will be better than a few from high profile donors. It’s just doing a fundraiser, contacting all of those people, and getting them on board. That all costs money.”
“Okay, so let me pay for that then. I’ll front the money to help you get the advertising for new donors.”
She’s still scowling, but I can tell she’s at least thinking about it now.
“Maybe.”
“And I know you’re not fond of the idea, but you should put me on the board.”
The scowl deepens to a glare, and she glances at me and then the floor.
“You’re right. I don’t like it. At all.”
“Why not?”
“Because you’re still young, Colton. You’re a wildly successful athlete. You should be out, partying and getting wild. Not sitting on the board of a nonprofit using all of your free time trying to cultivate donors. Violet’s told me how many you’re already involved in.”
“Or maybe the board should have some younger opinions on it. With fresh ideas and different leads.”
Her lips purse together as she looks at me again. “Stop making it sound reasonable.”
“You just don’t like that I’d have power over you.” I smirk.
“No. Well, I mean, I don’t love it. But the bigger issue is that I feel like I’m taking advantage of you and your celebrity and relying on you to fix problems.”
“That’s what friends are for, Joss.”
