Reflections on Generosity

Reflections on Generosity

2: The Goodness of Donors

"... donors see 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 in the donors’ hearts and souls?How are you and I giving space for donors  to share their desire to be world changing and life giving?To purchase this book:  Growing Givers’ 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

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May 29, 2023
Reflections on Generosity

1: To Heal the Sorrows of Life

"Donors, grantees, and beneficiaries need each other to bring something beautiful and life-giving to fruition. It is a collaboration borne of deep desire to find meaning, to be a blessing, to be part of something successful and consequential, and to heal the sorrows of life....” This week I am reading two quotes from Imagining Abundance. Fundraising, Philanthropy, and A Spiritual Call to Service. Kerry Alys Robinson. 2014.The quote begins. “What we realized was that we were unwittingly viewing donors as objects to try to get as much money from as quickly and painlessly as possible, rather than as subjects in their own right. Donor prospects are not objects; they are subjects, and like all of us, they want to contribute to something meaningful and life-giving and successful. Like us, they too search for meaning, have fears and hopes, desires and regrets, and beliefs that should be acknowledged and reverenced.”“When we enter into sacred discussion with donors or grantees or beneficiaries of a ministry, vulnerability is established. Donors, grantees, and beneficiaries need each other to bring something beautiful and life-giving to fruition. It is a collaboration borne of deep desire to find meaning, to be a blessing, to be part of something successful…

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May 22, 2023
Reflections on Generosity

Thriving in Fundraising with Our Donors

This is a short three part series on practical ways to thrive in fund development. This series will not cover self-care; however, self-care is vital. Read the series here and here. After we fill our generosity tank and our passion tank, we next need to fill our relationship tank. When we have been in a fundraising position for awhile, we can become so focused on our endless to-do lists and get disconnected from the "with whom" we are partnering to raise money. These are our "co-conspirators" as Kishshana Palmer puts it. These are the donors to the cause we serve. There are three ways to re-connect with the passion the donors have for the cause: Ask longtime donors why they give including their favorite memory for giving, and listen to their stories. Be sure to assure them that you will not be asking them for a donation.Ask any donor you meet what their origin story is for why they started to give to the mission you serve. Create memory markers with these stories to keep in your work space. This could be a collage of stories or quotes, pictures of donors, or other tangible reminders. Now, if you find, after you have…

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April 16, 2021
Reflections on Generosity

Thriving in Fundraising with our Missions

This is a short three part series on practical ways to thrive in fund development. This series will not cover self-care; however, self-care is vital. Read the first in the series here. After we fill our generosity tank, we next need to fill our passion tank. When we have been in a fundraising position for awhile, we can become so focused on our endless to-do lists and get disconnected from the "why" we are fundraising. How do we re-connect? First, what is your origin story? Why did you join the cause as a staff member, Board member or volunteer? Then, go one step further and tell your story to a fellow staff or Board member or volunteer. Second, take time without your fundraising hat on. Just be with your organization's mission. Spend time talking with clients, recipients, patrons. Take the time to hang with the animals. Or, visit the places or history the organization is trying to protect. Be a tourist within your organization. Third, give a one-time donation to your organization. We are more invested when we give our own funds. Now, if you find, after you have done these things, that you are no longer passionate about the cause, it's…

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March 17, 2021
Reflections on Generosity

Thriving in Fundraising with Ourselves

This will be a short three part series on practical ways to thrive in fund development. This series will not cover self-care; however, self-care is vital. How are you doing? Really doing? We are a year into the pandemic. Our lives and plans upended. Some nonprofits are seeing equal measures of phenomenal generosity and crushing need. Others are grappling with an uncertain future. As fund development professionals, we can easily burn out because there will always be more that could be done. How do you cope with the uncertainty? One of the most important ways is to practice generosity. It is easy to see why. If we are not giving, how then can we expect others to? The first step is to fill our own generosity tanks! Spend some time exploring your personal passions and values. Outside of the nonprofit you serve, what cause do you want to belong to? Pick a new charity of that cause to begin donating to. Make it a monthly gift so you can see the joy of your donation on your credit card statement or bank statement as a reminder. Share your decision to donate to this new charity widely and encourage others to give. Now,…

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February 17, 2021
Reflections on Generosity

The donor is….canceled?

Our culture is shifting. Word, phrases, and actions that were generally accepted a generation ago have now been re-examined and acknowledged as racist or sexist or homophobic, etc. Cue most comedic sitcoms from the 1980s and there will be cringe-worthy scenes. It is a positive change that we are learning how our words and actions affect others. As an unforeseen consequence over the last few years, we have also seen a number of employees in high profile positions fired as a result of statements made 10, 20, and 30 years ago. This cancel culture has become widespread across various sectors. I am concerned when it reaches the donors to the nonprofit sector as a binary choice of canceled or not-canceled. To be clear, when a Board member - who is also a donor - is making racist or sexist comments publicly, they are an ambassador of the nonprofit. The leadership of the nonprofit, the Board and Executive Director, has to confront, request a public apology, and, depending on the reaction, require a resignation. An ambassador cannot be allowed to undermine the mission of the organization. Back to the donor. If a donor is making racist, sexist or offensive comments publicly, should the…

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October 19, 2020

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