Three Key Messages
I had the privilege of dining with 102-year-old wellness pioneer, nonprofit founder, and philanthropist Deborah Szekely this past week at Rancho La Puerta. She is almost 103!
During our conversation, she delivered three key messages that stopped me in my tracks:
“They need a patron.”
“We fulfilled our mission.”
“Everyone has a story.”
I was captivated by her language choices. Among the many things she shared, the way she punctuated these three words—patron, mission, story—felt like they were meant for me to hear.
In the world of mission-driven work, we often overcomplicate things. We become consumed by strategies, structures, and buzzwords. And we sometimes need to remember the basics. Deborah reminded me of their power.
Message #1: Patron
Patrons are protectors, as the word was originally defined. Supporters. Benefactors. We know this term holds historical baggage; today, “patronage” might come with criticism. Yet, when Deborah used it to describe an emerging nonprofit, it was as if she was transmitting the word “believer” to me—a person so on fire about the mission that they invest. A chief believer. A major donor. A patron.
As generosity becomes more democratized, I realize I’m more comfortable bridging the past with the present. This feels like the only way forward. We have a lot to learn from our elders, if we avoid getting hung up on words.
Message #2: Mission Fulfillment
When I asked Deborah about one of her nonprofit projects, she shared its aim and said, without wavering, “We fulfilled the mission.” Period.
This struck me. Deborah’s confidence when saying, essentially, “We did what we set out to do,” felt like wisdom for the ages—for all nonprofits.
It made me reflect on how many of my peers struggle to determine when enough is enough, when the time is right to shut something down, or when they’ve simply reached completion.
Far too many organizations cling to the myth of longevity when longevity does not determine impact. We know this in human relationships: quality, not duration. We need to get clearer about this in our work. Fulfillment is not failure. Fulfillment is a story we are in charge of writing.
Message #3: Everyone Has a Story
I shared with Deborah the story of a woman I met on a trail, who told me about losing multiple family members in a short time. She shared how ‘The Ranch’ became a place to begin her healing process. I related deeply, and, as ‘the storyteller’ for the week, I received her story with care.
As I expressed my gratitude to Deborah—who has spent a lifetime curating a space for a multitude of stories—she looked me straight in the eye and said, “Everyone has a story here.” I knew this in my bones but hearing it from a centenarian hit differently.
Everyone has a story here—on this planet and in this profession. We miss something essential when we bypass those stories, synthesize them, or try to write them for others.
This felt so validating for me, especially as someone who roots all her fundraising work in the story: the stories we hold individually, organizationally, and collectively.
Deborah’s messages serve as an invitation to simplify, return to the basics, and honor the stories we all carry. We need patrons who believe in our mission. We need to recognize when a mission has been fulfilled. Above all, we need to honor the stories of the people we serve, the communities we work with, and the organizations we build.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to sit down with someone whose wisdom has been honed over a century of experience. These lessons will stay with me, guiding my work and my understanding of mission-driven organizations for years to come.
For more on Deborah’s life and work, check out:
Deborah Szekely’s Longevity Secrets Business Insider: Secrets of a Healthy 102-Year-Old
Jennifer Harris is a San Diego-based entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in writing and storytelling across diverse sectors, including education, arts, health, and philanthropy. Founder of JH Collective, Inc., she has led storytelling workshops for hundreds of individuals and organizations, including the recent series Flexing Your Creative Muscles: Using Storytelling to Stretch & Release at The Ranch.
She holds a Certificate in Narrative Health Care from Lenoir Rhyne University and currently serves as Chair of the Board for the Health Story Collaborative, a nonprofit dedicated to the therapeutic power of storytelling. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.
