“…Hope is not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out…”

I’m reflecting on this quote by Vaclav Havel from a series of interviews, published in the book Disturbing the Peace, translated to English in 1990.

Reflection question:

• How are you cultivating hope in something good, even if your follow-up call results in a no?

Reflection on quote:

If capital campaigns are like a riding a wild stallion without a saddle, then facing rejection is like being bucked off and being afraid to ride again.  This week, we will discuss how to develop the discipline of facing rejection.  Previously, we discussed developing disciplines with money beliefs, prioritizing tasks, and planting seeds of awareness. In this episode, we’ll discuss how to develop the discipline of hope when facing rejection.

I am convinced that the moment we close the car door or we hit end on a call with a donor, the doubts begin to creep in.  And, slowly or quickly, we wonder if we will be rejected when we make the follow-up call or visit we promised to the donor. That’s where the hope Vaclav Havel describes comes in.  It’s the hope in something good, regardless of how the follow up turns out. Hope can be following up, only to find out that the donor can no longer give what they intended and yet bringing grace and humanity into the relationship. And, hope can be following up for 6 months at a donor’s request, wondering if the follow-ups are badgering the donor, then to receive with joy a major gift that is twice the amount the donor was originally considered. And, hope can be following up and sometimes feeling the sting of rejection and yet knowing that an answer, even if it is no, is better than the anxiety of not knowing for us and the anxiety of sharing hard news for the donor. This type of hope keeps us above water and moving forward during a capital campaign.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop