Reflections on Generosity

"...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..."This week, I’m reading from Citizenship in a Republic, a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910.Reflection question:How will you let the dust, sweat, and blood from last week go and look forward to daring greatly this week?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…

"...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..."This week, I’m reading a quote from Imposed Ignorance and Humble Ignorance - Two Worldviews by Paul Heltne, published in 2008.Reflection Questions: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?Reflection on the QuoteEarlier 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 it’s 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…

"...The brain is stirred. The emotions may be provoked, desires clarified, the imagination stretched...."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions:Will you choose a cause other than your own where you can meet with their staff or volunteers to listen with imagination and have your horizons expanded?Will you intentionally reach out to an organization that you wouldn’t typically support in order to be exposed to a different community of people?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