Afleveringen
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"...Therefore one should not cease from planting. Rather, just as he found, one should still continue to plant even though he is old..."
How will you plant seeds for fund development programs, like legacy giving, that take longer to see the benefits?
This week, Iām a story from Midrash Tanchuma Kedoshim 8:1, written sometime between 500 to 800 AD and published in 1885.
Reflection question:Reflection on quote:
Recently, I have been assisting my clients with starting legacy programs; that is, encouraging long-term donors to give through their will and bequest. Some of these organizations have donor bases of older donors who have already started to think about giving a gift upon their death. Other organizations donāt have many older donors. So a question might come up, why waste precious time now to create a program without an immediate impact?
Yes, starting a legacy program may seem like a long-term endeavor with uncertain immediate rewards. However, the wisdom from this story underscores that we must begin planting the seeds of a legacy program now. By encouraging donors to consider legacy gifts, we are creating a sustainable future for ourselves. While the benefits may not be realized for years, the impact can be profound.
Yet, as this story also alludes to, there may be a more immediate blessing to donors who wish to consider their legacy in the future. By considering their long-term impact, donors can find deep satisfaction in knowing that their values and passions will live on. The act of planning a legacy can be a transformative experience. It allows donors to reflect on their lives, identify why our organization is one of their most cherished causes, and consider their lasting mark in their community. This process can bring a sense of peace and purpose, knowing that their generosity will be a testament to the power of giving in their lives.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...In the same way, as you are unable to take care of all of your fellow people, treated as the luck of the draw when the time and circumstance brings some into closer contact with you than others."
Is there an area of your work where you need to step back and apply this framework: accepting our limits, focusing on what we can do, and releasing that which we canāt do or whom we canāt help?Related, what do you need to let go of and find freedom in that release?
This week, Iām reading a quote from De Doctrina Christiana by Augustine, published in 397 AD.
Reflection questions:
Reflection on the quote:
Have you ever been overwhelmed by the sheer need of our work, and yet feel a bit crushed by limits we face in our work? While we often feel like our challenges are new, that we face problems no one else has ever encountered. But history, as they say, rhymes. The human condition, with all its complexities and contradictions, remains constant. The needs have overwhelmed those who care for over a thousand years.
When we feel that weight of the world on our shoulders, the overwhelming sense of need, the constant pull to do more, to be more, this quote gives us some practical wisdom. We first accept that our ability to help is constrained by our circumstances. We canāt do everything. We canāt solve every problem, heal every wound, or right every wrong. Second, we identify what we have, especially our time, resources, and capacity. Third, we prioritize that which we can do. We can cause change in our own local communities, focusing our efforts on those within our reach. Finally, there is freedom in seeing that sometimes itās just the luck of the draw for whom we can help or for what we can do.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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āWhoever practices charity and justice fills the world with loving kindness.ā
How are we giving donors that vision of repairing the world through their gifts?What are ways that we can practice tzedakah with donors? That is, practicing justice, peace, and loving kindness with donors instead of just receiving donations from donors?
This week, Iām reading quotes from Sukkah 49b about tzedakah.
Reflection questions:Reflection on the quote:
This week, Iāve been reading about tzedakah, the Jewish tradition of charity. However, itās meaning is so much broader than the traditional idea of giving a donation. Within its meaning are also the concepts of justice and righteous behavior. In the article I was reading, the author stated that itās the way in which we repair world. In addition, instead of giving charity to someone - the emphasis on to someone, it must be done with someone. The emphasis is on with, meaning to come alongside, to journey with someone when giving a gift to them.
In our work, we accept tzedakah, that is, the generosity of others. And, through our work, we are partnering with these donors to repair the world and bring about justice and care for both the poor and the rich. In doing so, we are filling the world with lovingkindness, peace, and confidence that the arc of history bends towards justice as Martin Luther King Jr. stated.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road..."
Is there a response from a donor that you need to stop giving too much weight to and instead put it in its proper place, thank the donor, and continue with your good work?
This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.
Reflection questions:Reflection on quote:
One of my clients got the letter this week. You know the letter. Youāve sent out the year end appeal. Youāve started receiving donations in the mail. You feel very good about the generosity of the donors. Then you get the letter. It's the letter telling you that you should not wasted a stamp on an appeal letter, and that the donor wants you to remove them from the mailing list. Of course you check the database and you see that they've only given once as a very small donation. Despite all of the good work youāve done, it's amazing how this one letter affects your day.
We don't know what is going on in the donorās life who wrote us that letter or email. Perhaps they can only give a very small donation and they do truly feel as though you are wasting a portion of their small donation. Or perhaps they got bad news and our letter just came at the exact same time. No matter the reasoning, we have a choice in how we react. Will we give it more weight than needed, ruining our day? Will we see it as a distraction? Will we make major changes in response to a minor criticism? These are all possibilities. Or, we acknowledge the wisdom from the Meditations and we can put it in its proper place, thank the donor for their concern, and continue the work of giving opportunities for donors to give.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."
What is one thing you can do this week to let your donors know that you see their gifts and they are welcome to belong to your mission?
This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.
Reflection Question:Reflection on Quote:
Seneca describes a number of attitudes that can accompany the receiving of a gift from cheerfulness to offense to slavish humility. He points out that when we receive gifts languidly, it leaves the giver in doubt. It also tells the donor that they are not welcome to join us in the mission; that they donāt belong. And, that is painful.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."
No matter the donor or the donorās motivation, how are you and I receiving gifts? What is the attitude of our hearts?
This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.
Reflection Question:
Reflection on Quote:
When we look back over the last few months, what has been our attitude in accepting gifts? Seneca describes a number of attitudes that can accompany the receiving of a gift from cheerfulness to offense to slavish humility. Beyond the attitudes he describes, I would add one more. Busyness. When we do not add enough margin to our days, especially during busy fundraising seasons, we can neglect saying thank you and thus give the appearance that the donations are not needed. Or, we can instead take the time and aim to accept gifts with cheerfulness.This work has entered the public domain.
What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed...."
As you wait for donors to respond to a campaign, have you given to the mission you serve?How are you leading this week in your daily life with the intention of generosity in your own life?
This week, Iām reading a quote from the Jewish wisdom on generosity from Proverbs 11.
Reflection questions:Reflection on Quote:
A part of any campaign is the waiting. We wait for a donor to join us in that beautiful space called generosity. In that space is both the donor and us, you and I. If we are asking donors to be generous, what should we doing?
As we wait for donors to join us in that beautiful space of generosity, our hearts must be transformed by generosity as well. As a consultant, my work has been to teach nonprofits on how to encourage generosity from their donors. Several years back, I had an epiphany. I was asking others to be generous - even sacrificially generous, yet I had never stopped to reflect on my own generosity. Now, it happened to be around tax time, so I took a look at past tax returns and those itemized charitable deductions. And, honestly, I was a bit ashamed. I myself wasnāt giving freely. I was asking others to give freely, but I was unduly withholding. From that year on, I have set a goal to give freely and there has been much joy as a result.
When we give, we are also seeding generosity in our organizationās culture and into the staff around us. We are showing our colleagues that we care about their work. That is an opportunity to refresh them. It shows confidence in the hard work of the staff and volunteers. To the frontline and back-office staff, it shows that we are grateful for the daily and sometimes mundane routines of running the office that allows our mission to happen. To the program staff, it encourages them to continue into their work. When we give, we are less worried about asking. As the quote stated, one person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but ends up impoverished. When we give first, our fundraising campaigns become less about the ask and more about the opportunity for others to join in that beautiful space of generosity.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...For with wisdom cometh patience, And with patience cometh rest..."
Where are you waiting for some major change to occur as a result of your work? Is it time to gain more wisdom or to be more patient or to stop and rest in that area?Will you take the time to document your hopes for change in the coming year and then schedule an email to send that reflection to yourself in a year as a way to see that those hardest times of waiting was when the change was actually occurring?
This week, I am reading the poem The Hardest Time of All, by Sarah Doudney. Written in 1896.
Reflection Questions:Reflection on the poem:
This week, I attended our statewide Association of Fundraising Professionals conference, just to sit in the audience and learn. A recurring theme was perseverance in small daily tasks that will yield fruit. Our work does take patience in order to see change. Whatever your faith tradition, letās take a moment to reflect on wisdom, patience, and rest as it works itself out in faith.
With wisdom comes patience and patience comes rest. If we stop and reflect on the changes that have occurred in the last year, in those moments, those changes would have seemed minuscule filled with times of waiting. Yet, after a year of those tasks - making calls, sending emails, writing thank you notes - I am confident that you can look back and see major changes just as the poem - we must wait for the blossoms to fall in order to gather the fruit. And now, the hardest time of all - or should I say, the hardest time in the next few months is to continue to actively wait for breakthroughs and major changes. But, in wisdom, patience, perseverance, and rest, we see the real difference we are making.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
..."An association [nonprofit] is an educated and powerful body of citizens which cannot be twisted to any person's will or quietly trodden down,..."
Are you getting caught up how national events affect the nonprofit you serve? Will you instead reflect on ways your nonprofit is improving your community through the power of association and democracy?How are you giving opportunities for donors to see that they are a part of that powerful body of citizens that work together to save common liberties?
This week, Iām reading selected quotes from Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville, published in 1835. Note. His use of the word association is our current word for nonprofit.
Reflection questions:
Reflection on quote:
In the United States, we are in the middle of election season. As nonprofit leaders, we can wonder and even worry about the effect the election will have on the missions we serve. However, instead of getting caught up in that worry, we can look to the role of nonprofits in democracies and how generosity promotes democracy.
Letās consider these ideas that, according de Tocqueville, nonprofits have a vital role in maintaining democracy. Nonprofits through our missions allow citizens to act together to alleviate the challenges we see in our community. Through the networks of nonprofits and citizens acting together, we bring arts and culture, preserve places for people to enjoy history, nature, and learning, help vulnerable individuals, families, children, and animals, protect the environment, and so much more. We defend and civilize our communities.
And, also according to his writing in 1835, generosity to nonprofits creates an educated and powerful body of citizens that saves common liberties. When donors give, they become more engaged in our missions and feel more responsible to see our missions succeed. A colleague often states that nonprofit work is the most pure form of democracy; that is, people coming together in consensus for the common good of our missions. When those with wealth, at any amount, choose not to keep their wealth and instead are generous, that wealth is combined with the knowledge of the common good of our missions and saves the common liberties to maintain civilization in our communities.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
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"...the potentially world-changing and life-giving power that may be present in or working through the goodness of the donors' hearts and souls; if only someone would acknowledge it, call it forth, and nurture it!"
Where are there areas that we are failing to recognize the world-changing and life-giving power that resides the donorsā hearts and souls?How are you giving space for donors to share their desire to be world changing and life giving?
This week, I am reading a quote from Growing Giversā Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry by Thomas Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger. 2000 edition.
Reflection questions:Reflection on quote:
As we prepare for year-end giving or any fundraising campaign, how we message matters. Are we selling a transaction or inviting generosity?
This quote reminds me of a conservation nonprofit client and their experience with a donation. The donor planned to give appreciated stock for their donation. When the donor was told how to avoid capital gains tax, they refused and instead insisted on selling the stocks, paying the capital gains tax, and donating the proceeds. This donor cared more about the world-changing and life-giving power that was present in or working through the goodness of his heart and soul than the tax break. When we consider our fundraising messages in our fundraising materials, we should avoid focusing on the tax deductions and other transactional benefits and instead we invite and nurture the generosity of donors who want to be a part of our missions.
To purchase this book: Growing Giversā Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry by Thomas Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger.
Copyright permissions granted for use of this quote.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
āIt is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default.ā JK Rowling
This week, Iām reading various quotes to reflect on how generosity covers our failures.
Reflection question:
Are we letting failure harden or shame us? Or, are we letting generosity cover our failures with the desire to keep trying?
Reflection on Quotes:
Last week, I talked about failure and how to view failure. All this week, Iāve been thinking about how donors view our failures. Although we can Google a bunch of quotes about people not wanting others to be successful or root for our failures, that is not how donors view failures in our nonprofit work. Instead, because donors are investing in our work, they are cheering us on to move passed our failures.
When donors see that we are seeking to succeed in our work, they will see failures as a learning process to better serve our missions in the future. What we do next matters. Itās easy to be ashamed or to let the failure harden us into never wanting to make a mistake again. Especially when we respect the sacrificial giving leads some donors to give to our organizations.
However, our donors have not called us to live cautiously, to feed half a child or protect half the land or play half the music. No, their gifts cover our failures with a desire for us to keep trying, or as BrenƩ Brown states, to keep daring greatly.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
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"...All that happens, happens right: you will find it so if you observe narrowly..."
When you have failed in your work recently, how are observing narrowly for the right things that came out of it?Are you seeking perfection or goodness in your fundraising activities?
This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.
Reflection questions:
Reflection on the quote:
In working with over 100 clients, itās not surprising that Iām well-acquainted with failure as well. A donor event that no one shows up to. An email campaign that raises zero dollars. A year-end direct mail campaign that goes out in January. A fundraising event where no one gives. As much as I want every campaign, event, fundraising activity to be successful, thatās not real life. So how do we grapple with that. This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.
All that happens, happens right. Notice that Aurelius did nt say, all that happens, happens perfectly. Or, successfully. But, he says āright if you observe narrowly.ā We can get stuck in embarrassment or paralysis. We can fear that donors will stop giving to us because of our failure. Instead, a failure can help us have more honest interactions with donors. For instance, ask the donor help us understand the best way to give you the opportunity to donate. Or, a failure can lead to the right conversations with the right donors. For example, a smaller-than-hoped-for event can open up a more in-depth conversation that wouldnāt have been possible if the event was larger. Failures can lead to growth when we have the right attitude, which is the second half of the quote. Let your aim be goodness in every action. We donāt fail in fundraising because we want to fail. But we will fail because failure is a part of life. So, we donāt aim for perfection or status. We aim for goodness. Goodness for the cause that we serve. And, remember, donors donāt give to us. They give to the cause through us.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
..."And then with a cry from his soul despairing,He bowed him down to the earth and wept.But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain;āArise, old man, and plant again!ā
Is there an area of your work where you have been disappointment and you need to stop and weep before moving forward?
This week, Iām reading a poem, Disappointed, written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, published in 1913.
Reflection question:Reflection on the quote:
This week, something sad happened with a nonprofit in my community. Often, I focus on the positive side of generosity. Yet, with generosity, sometimes there is a pain. Itās a pain that comes from striving for good and giving generously and yet seeing our work swept away.
When we face times of disappointment, it is easy to respond in two ways. To give up and walk away from our work. We may walk away physically, leaving our job or volunteer position. Or, we walk away emotionally, no longer truly engaged in our work. The other way we can respond is to push through and act as though the disappointment didnāt happen. Unfortunately, disappointments build up and we canāt keep pushing without burning out. This poem gives a third way. Acknowledge the disappointment and pain. And then allow your soul to despair and weep. But, then have hope and arise again to your work.This work has entered the public domain.
What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by the covering,
Cast them away as ugly, or heavy, or hard.
Remove the covering and you will find beneath it a living splendor,
Woven of love, by wisdom, with power..."
This week, Iām reading a poem written by Greville MacDonald to his father George MacDonald in 1930.
Reflection question:
When will you take time to pause, wait, and look deeper to glimpse joy, beauty, and living splendor?
Reflection on quote:
In our work, it is easy to become overcome by the immediate needs we face. Unlike for-profit organizations, our goal is to put ourselves out of business by tackling challenges outlined in our mission and vision. Because of this, the immediate needs can lead to burnout and stress. But, if we pause, we can glimpse something else.
Yes, our days are often full of trial, sorrow or duty. Yet, though our work we bring life, meaning, and purpose. And, within that, we can glimpse joy, beauty, and living splendor. As MacDonald writes, could we but see. That seeing takes time. Time for us to pause and waiting and look deeper beneath the covering and the shadows.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
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"...To think and to will without doing, when there is opportunity, is like a flame enclosed in a vessel and goes out; also like seed cast upon the sand, which fails to grow, and so perishes with its power of germination. But to think and will and from that to do is like a flame that gives heat and light all around, or like a seed in the ground that grows up into a tree or flower and continues to live..."
How many of your fundraising goals are outcome goals and how many are process goals?How would your conversations with donors be different if you focused on process goals?
This week, Iām reading a quote that sums up Johnny Appleseedās beliefs from Heaven and Hell by Emmanuel Swedenborg, published in 1758.
Reflection questions:
Reflection on quote:
Earlier this week, I read an article about goals and whether to envision the process to reach the outcome or the outcome. The article referenced the life and work of John Chapman; otherwise known as Johnny Appleseed. Like many, I pictured Johnny Appleseed as wandering aimlessly around the countryside, randomly sprinkling seeds that grew into trees and, against all odds, orchards. But that wasnāt the case at all. Instead, Johnny Appleseed, following his religious beliefs, knew the outcome he wanted; more apple trees for cider as an alternative to unsafe drinking water but then planned the process in which he met his goal. This came directly from his belief that our goals canāt be reached unless we act concretely upon them.
As I read this quote and the article, I thought of our fundraising goals and our conversations with donors. We can set goals based on the outcome; that is, x number of dollars raised. Or, we can set goals based on the process of reaching the outcome; that is, x number of phone calls and meetings or x number of opportunities presented for donors to give. As the article and quote alluded to, we are more likely to reach the outcome goal if we envision the process to reach the outcome and create goals around that process. More importantly, by creating process goals, when we meet with donors, the conversation is undergirded less by the outcome and instead on the process of giving donors an opportunity to be generous.
This quote has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
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"...The first and the simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind is curiosity..."
What is your personality like: do you prefer the new and novel or the familiar and dependable?What do you think your donor base needs right now? And, based on what you know about your personality, are you willing to step outside your comfort zone to adapt to your donorsā needs?
This week, Iām reading a quote from On the Sublime and Beautiful by Edmund Burke, published in 1756.
Reflection questions:
Reflection on Quote:
In my work reviewing materials from fund development professionals, I often see two ends of the spectrum. Either the work is completely new - every story, every word, every way to invite the donor to join in the mission is new. On the other end the work is recycled year after year - the same story, the same words, the same call to action. Honestly, there are times where either one of those is appropriate - the new and the novel or the recycled and the dependable.
We are, our donors are, naturally curious. We want to know the new, novel information, novel stories about the work we are supporting. For this reason, we start with blank screens to write fundraising letters, we brainstorm new events, and we gather new stories from our constituents. Yet, as Burke states, curiosity and novelty doesnāt bind us or our donors to a mission. For that reason, we also need to remind ourselves and our donors of the familiar stories. This is why the same fundraising event can be hosted for decades and still be raising more funds each year. Itās why the same fundraising letter can continue to be successful. And, itās why we can tell and retell our origin stories so effectively. Itās a balance between the novel and the dependable. As professionals, we have to be adaptable to our donors between those two ends of the spectrum - blending curiosity with the familiar.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity..."
Are you watering your fundraising appeals with worry and desperation? Or, are you watering them with kindness and optimism?During a busy fundraising season, how are you embracing the saying, ādo your work, and then step back. The only path to serenityā?
This week, I am reading quotes from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu from his various works.
Reflection questions:Reflection on Quote:
In the United States, we have trained our donors to give between November and December, which means that a prepared fund development professional has already finished their year end letter. Or maybe not. Yes, when we enter a busy season of fundraising, it can be very stressful and that stress can leak out into the appeals we send.
How we write our appeals to donors does affect the outcome. We can approach the writing with worry, fear, desperation. And, our appeals will reflect that fear and worry. And, our donors will react - some by giving out of fear, but others will choose not to give at all. Or, we can approach the writing with confidence, kindness, optimism, and solutions. And, our appeals will reflect that kindness and optimism. These appeals attract donors because they give donors a greater vision of what they can accomplish by joining with the mission and constituents we serve.
This work has entered the public domain.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...Consistent with social learning theory, individuals tend to carry beliefs about money and money skills learned in childhood into their adult lives..."
Have you spent time thinking about your childhood and the beliefs around money you were raised with?Which money script have you been operating in and how might you break those patterns?
This week, Iām reading selected quotes from Money Beliefs and Financial Behaviors by Bradley Klontz, Sonya Britt, and Jennifer Mentzer, published in 2011.
Reflection Questions:
Reflection on Quote:
Earlier this week, I was talking with a person with new fund development responsibilities. She talked about her fears with asking for money. Like almost everyone Iāve met in the field, her fears were directly related to her childhood. Itās a reminder that often we have to unpack our own beliefs around money before we can discuss generosity with our donors.
As I read this research, I immediately recognized correlations to fundraising. Those with money avoidance scripts can struggle to ask for donations. Those with money worship scripts tend to engage in magical thinking around one major donation. Those with money status scripts can find crossing wealth classes intimidating when building a relationship with a more wealthy donor. Those with money vigilance scripts may find fundraising work too all-consuming in their lives. And, there are more correlations that you may have immediately thought of as well. The good news is that, in my experience, once a fund development professional recognizes their own money scripts, they are able to move past them and develop new patterns in discussing generosity.
Copyright: Klontz, B., Britt, S. L., Mentzer, J., & Klontz, T. (2011). Money Beliefs and Financial Behaviors: Development of the Klontz Money Script Inventory. Journal of Financial Therapy, 2 (1)What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause..."
How will you let the dust, sweat, and blood from last week go and look forward to daring greatly this week?
This week, Iām reading from Citizenship in a Republic, a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910.
Reflection question:
Reflection on Quote:
Earlier this week, I attended the grand opening of our local library. The capital campaign had been delayed and had faced many obstacles and criticisms. Despite of all this, the volunteer members of the fundraising committee persisted. And, the joy at the grand opening was contagious all because these volunteers decided to keep going.
Too often we are distracted by obstacles and criticisms. Our work is hard, dust, sweat and blood. We make errs and we will come short at times. But, we are spending ourselves for a worthy cause and we are daring greatly. And, when we persist in our work, we like the volunteers on the fundraising committee have ability to bring joy to those in our communities.This quote has entered the public domain.
What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop -
"...Acknowledging that one does not know is a humble kind of ignorance, one that is, in fact, filled often with the joy of discovery and wonder at what is discovered..."
Are we building structures and processes in our work that demand certainty or are we building those structures and processes to encourage discovery and wonder?Are we willing to be honest and humble with donors when we need to make a course correction?
This week, Iām reading a quote from Imposed Ignorance and Humble Ignorance - Two Worldviews by Paul Heltne, published in 2008.
Reflection Questions:Reflection on the Quote
Earlier this week, I was coaching a client through the process of asking for a corporate sponsorship. She knew that this was an area that she knew little about, but instead of being defensive, she embraced this ignorance with openness and curiosity. It stuck me. How am I approaching my ignorance whether itās about a donor or a fundraising technique or a trend in the field.
This also applies to generosity. We can approach donor relationships with certainty, with standard practices, and yet we may never find out the true reason a donor is giving to our organizations. In the face of our certainty, the donor may feel foolish to ask questions or be open with us. Or, we can approach donor relationships with this humble ignorance. We can build the relationship on a foundation of discovery, wonder, and openness. We can marvel at unexpected gifts. We can make course corrections and be honest with donors.What do you think?
To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.
Music credit: Woeisuhmebop - Laat meer zien
