relationships

Reflections on Generosity

21: Sit Down and Rest

"Once there was a tree..."This week, I’m reading The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, published in 1964.Reflection questions: As fundraisers, when are we the tree and when are we the boy?How are we sitting down and resting with our giving partners?To purchase this book: The Giving Tree by Shel SilversteinSend me a Text Message.To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

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October 9, 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 During Fundraising Slumps

Yesterday, I attended a webinar for nonprofit consultants that started with a focus on brain science and stress. The stress we are all consciously or unconsciously facing right now is affecting our ability to plan for the future. With that in mind it is important to consider how the next phase of fundraising during this pandemic will impact you personally in your fund development role. If you have not yet reviewed the research from The Better Fundraising, co. and Jeff Brooks Fundraising on phases of donor generosity during an economic or natural disaster, please download it here. It will be helpful to share with the organization and Board you serve. Credit: The Better Fundraising Co. and Jeff Brooks Fundraising. Download the research summary here. The authors describe the four phases of generosity (as pictured above) as the bump, the slump, the surge, and the new normal. This pandemic bump was quite extraordinary and lasted about 2 months. Network for Good, one of the largest and longest established organizations that receives and distributes donations, saw a 30% year over year increase in donations for both direct and indirect service nonprofits. To put that in context, a 3% increase is considered a conservative, but…

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May 14, 2020
Reflections on Generosity

Living Authentic

The blur between a fund development professional's work and personal life has increased with the rise of social media. A Facebook post or Twitter tweet meant for friends or as a personal view can have a greater impact than just a Letter to the Editor because the potential viral nature. Accepting or declining a Friend request of a donor to the nonprofit you serve is fraught with decisions on how to be authentic in the online and the off-line relationship with that donor.

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February 17, 2020

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