Monthly Archives: October 2024

"...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!" This week, I am reading a quote from Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry by Thomas Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger. 2000 edition. Reflection questions: Where are there areas that we are failing to recognize the world-changing and life-giving power that resides the donors’ hearts and souls? How are you giving space for donors  to share their desire to be world changing and life giving? 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…

“It 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.”  JK Rowling This week, I’m 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, I’ve 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. It’s easy to be ashamed or to let the failure harden us into never wanting to make a mistake again. …