thriving

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

0 Comments
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…

0 Comments
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…

0 Comments
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…

1 Comment
March 17, 2021

End of content

No more pages to load

Newer Posts