Yearly Archives: 2023

"...the paradox of generosity also seems to entail this relevant truth: generosity cannot be faked in order to achieve some other, more valued, self-serving end. Generosity itself needs to be desired..."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: Are any of our fundraising activities and messaging encouraging self-interested, fake generosity?  If so, how can we tweak them to reflect authentic generosity?How can we share the stories of genuine generosity with our community?To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. Copyright: Oxford University Press 2014. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.What do you think?To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

I was asking others to be generous - even sacrificially generous, yet I had never stopped to reflect on my own generosity. This week, I’m reading a quote from the Jewish wisdom on generosity from Proverbs 11.Reflection questions:If you were to receive an unexpectedly large financial windfall to you personally, how much would you spend, save, and give?How are you leading this week in your daily life with the intention of generosity in your own life?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

"...actually living generously results from an existential confrontation with what is ultimately humanly valuable and important in life and the world."I’m reading a quote from the Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition. Reflection question:How are we giving space and the opportunities for the donor to reflect and discuss what is humanly valuable and important to life and the world as it relates to the cause we are asking them to join?To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. Copyright: Oxford University Press 2014. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.What do you think?To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"Giving brings happiness in every state of its expression..."This week, I’m reading 3 quotes from the Buddha.  Reflection questions:If you have a task of asking a donor for a gift this week, what is your mindset going into the ask?  A necessary task?  Or, a joyous opportunity for the donor to join in the power of giving?If you have a task of stewarding a donor this week, what is your mindset?  Is something to get off of your to-do list?  Or, do you see the task as planting a seed filled with joy for the donor to consider a life of service and compassion?Copyright expired.What do you think?To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...the testimony of those who have shifted in their minds, spirits, and emotions from an imagined world of scarcity and insecurity to one of abundance, blessing, sufficiency, and overflow is almost always the same: it is liberating...."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: As you reflect on some of the donors to the organization you serve, how have you seen a transformation from scarcity to abundance?What about you and I? Are we seeing that transformation from scarcity to abundance in our lives?To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. Copyright: Oxford University Press 2014. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.What do you think?To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"Books which it would have been impossible for me to obtain elsewhere were, by his wise generosity, placed within my reach; and to him I owe a taste for literature which I would not exchange for all the millions that were ever amassed by man..." This week, I’m quoting a story from the Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. Published in 1920.Reflection questions:When was the last time we asked our most committed donors about their story for giving to the cause we serve?When your fundraising tasks seem overwhelming, imagine what impact today’s generosity by donors and volunteers will have on the future.To read this book: Autobiography of Andrew CarnegieCopyright expired.What do you think?To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop