A couple of years ago, I went on a site visit with a major donor. One of the places that we visited was Ayanot Youth Village. There they presented an employment training project with a culinary track for training future chefs. Following the visit, the donor had serious criticism of the program relating to the poor level of maintenance of the kitchen and equipment, as well as other elements of the program.
Following the visit, I shared the potential donor's comments with the director of the institution who felt insulted and reacted defensively, feeling that certainly someone who had so little knowledge of the work that had been invested to develop the program, was out of line to criticize so severely. On further reflection, he came to the conclusion that these were indeed issues that should be addressed before applying for funding.
During the next two years, the director kept in touch with the donor, updating him with changes that had been instituted as a direct result of his constructive criticism. Last month, the donor agreed to visit the youth village, and was treated to a dinner fit for a king, held in the spotless kitchen, prepared by the students decked out in their pristine white uniforms. Each young chef had prepared a different dish, and each in turn described the dish, as well as his or her background and vision for the future. The meal was followed up by a successful request for a grant of $20,000. The moral of the story is that sometimes a no, when taken with the right spirit, can be turned into a yes, by being responsive to the criticism.
