The following week, I presented the proposal to our board.

Seven people sat around the meeting table: a teacher, a retired banker, a social worker, a neighborhood business owner, an attorney, a parent representative, and our treasurer, who had a gift for spotting weaknesses in beautiful plans.

The treasurer studied the document for a long time.

“Four million sounds extraordinary,” she said, “but an endowment isn’t four million dollars we can spend tomorrow.”

“I know,” I replied.