Shows
Reflections on Generosity99: Joy of Discovery"...Humble ignorance can imagine that it might be wrong and hopes that its community will correct it early enough to avoid harm. It can marvel at what it sees that it cannot hope to understand or control...."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 wil...2025-05-1204 minReflections on Generosity98: Active Charity"...Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait."This week, I'm reflecting on a poem, A Psalm of Life, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1838.Reflection questions:How does thinking of your donors as partners as well change your perspective?If you are in the middle of a fundraising campaign, when was the last time you gave an update to your donors, to your partners for this campaign?Reflection on poem:This we...2025-05-0504 minReflections on Generosity97: Fullness of Generosity"...There is a difference between quantity and fullness. You can have a lot of money and still be empty. There is no fullness in your heart...."This week, Pope Francis passed away. In honor of his teaching on generosity, I am reflecting on his homily from November 8, 2015.Reflection question:Are you asking for leftover generosity? Or, are you asking for true generosity in your messages to donors?Reflection on quote:In his words, he talks about giving from fullness and not from leftovers. This is a mark of true gen...2025-04-2804 minReflections on Generosity96: Unexpected Gift"... If donors are largely unaware of fluctuations in the grants received by charities, then reductions in fund-raising becomes a sensible explanation for crowding out..."This week, I came across a large scale research article from 2009 titled, “Is Crowding Out Due Entirely to Fundraising?”Reflection questions:If your organization suddenly lost significant government funding, what unique strengths, especially through your donor relationships, could you leverage to better serve your specific community's needs?The nonprofit sector has faced profound shifts before. Will you ponder with me how our current challenges could bring...2025-04-2105 minReflections on Generosity95: Network of Care..."It is the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed..."This week, I’m sharing quotes from The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships and Forgotten Approaches to Care to connect the practice of hevrot to our work in fundraising.Reflection questions:How are you “thinking in relationship” to avoid depersonalizing our donors?How are you bringing groups of donors together to create networks of care?Reflection on quote:At its core, fundraising isn't just about...2025-04-1404 minReflections on Generosity94: Strive for a Good Cause"...There's only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive for a good cause."This week, I’m reflecting on his words from Summer Meditations by Vacslav Havel, published in 1993.Reflection question:What is the internal battle within yourself that you are facing related to the external threats to the cause you serve? And, how will you stand for principle in that internal battle?Reflection on the quote:When I consider the challenges we face in raising sufficient funding for the good causes we ser...2025-03-3105 minReflections on Generosity94: Strive for a Good Cause"...There's only one thing I will not concede: that it might be meaningless to strive for a good cause."This week, I’m reflecting on his words from Summer Meditations by Vacslav Havel, published in 1993.Reflection question:What is the internal battle within yourself that you are facing related to the external threats to the cause you serve? And, how will you stand for principle in that internal battle?Reflection on the quote:When I consider the challenges we face in raising sufficient funding for the good causes we ser...2025-03-2405 minReflections on Generosity93: Sincere Charity without Delay"...Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity..."This week, I’m reflecting on several sayings of the Prophet Mohammad and the Quran and along with the definition of Sadaqah.Reflection questions:How are framing our messaging around giving to include this meaning of charity as speaking truth?How do we give our donors the opportunity to speak truth, to speak up when our missions are facing some type of external challenge?Reflection on quotes:We are in the middle of Ramadan, a...2025-03-1704 minReflections on Generosity92: Execise of Virtue in the Face of Indecision“...Confidence is that feeling by which the mind embarks in great and honorable courses with a sure hope and trust in itself...”This week, I’m reflected on the words of Cicero as weaved through several of his works, published between 89 BC and 43 BC. Reflection questions:Is there an area where you are stuck in indecision and procrastination? How can you bring confidence, hope, or trust in a good outcome to that area of indecision?Reflection on quotes:This week, I’m been thinking about the effect...2025-03-1004 minReflections on Generosity91: (Nonprofits Have) A Power Conspicuous"Thenceforth they are no longer isolated individuals, but a power conspicuous from the distance whose actions serve as an example; when it speaks, people listen...."This week, I’m reading selected quotes from Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville. Published in 1835. Note: his use of the word association is our current word for nonprofit.Reflection questions:How are we sharing the impact of the causes we serve? In sharing our impacts, are we welcoming our communities to unite with us and have their power enhanced?How are...2025-03-0303 minReflections on Generosity90: When All We Can Do Is Laugh"....The Stage which was not for low Farce design'd,But to divert, instruct, and mend Mankind."This week, I’m reading from the play The Modern Husband by Henry Fielding, published in 1732.Reflection Question:There are times when stress is only relieved with a bit of dark humor. How will you gather with your community of friends and colleagues to laugh in the face of the absurdities we face in our fund development work?Reflection on the Recorded Quote:There are days that if we are not...2025-02-2404 minReflections on Generosity89: Generosity with Discernment"...Where there is quiet and meditation, there is neither worry nor dissipation...."This week, I’m reflecting on Of the Virtues putting Vices to Flight by Francis of Assisi, first published in English in 1906.Reflection questions:Which virtue do you want to cultivate this week?Complete this sentence, This week, I want our donors to know and feel...Reflection on quote:As I record this week’s reflection, there continues to be so much upheaval for nonprofits. How we respond matters to our missi...2025-02-1804 minReflections on Generosity88: Generosity in Ordinary Acts"...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts;..."This week, I am reflecting a quote from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, published in 1871.Reflection questions:When you feel caught up in the uncertainty of this time, what are a few acts of love and kindness that you can do?When was the last time you brainstormed small ways that donors can be involved as a partner with the mission you serve? Will you take time this week to do that?Reflection on quotes:...2025-02-1004 minReflections on Generosity87: Generosity in These Times"...God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!..."This week, I am reading the words of Jesus and His approach to opponents from Matthew 5 and 6.View the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon about Enmity and Fundraising Letters from July 7, 1995.Reflection questions:If you were to give your fundraising appeal to an opponent to read, how would they respond? Would the letter be consider fair? Considerate? Even loving?When you are speaking with a donor about an opponent of your mission, are you...2025-02-0304 minReflections on Generosity86: Never Wasted"..No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”This week, I’m reading a story from Aesop’s Fables, titled the Lion and the Mouse as told sometime between 620 and 564 BC.Reflection question:What kindness can you give to a donor this week?Reflection on quote:It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that the relationship with donors is only about asking or thanking. A donor gives, and we thank them and report back on the impact their gifts has. Yet, relationships with don...2025-01-2703 minReflections on Generosity85: Contributions to Justice"...How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution toward introducing justice straight away!..."This week, I’m reading from Give, an essay from Anne Frank, published in 1959.Reflection questions:Pick a task on your to-do list this week and imagine your colleagues in other nonprofits doing the same task. What impact does your combined efforts have on your community?Where are you lacking in courage? To whom can you turn to receive support in that area?Reflection on quote:2025-01-2004 minReflections on Generosity84: Striving Valiantly for Generosity"...It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong person stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better...."This week, I’m reading from Citizenship in a Republic, a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910, changing the word man to person.Reflection questions:Are you second-guessing yourself or letting criticism steal the joy of giving donors the opportunity to be generous?Is there an area where you simply need to let go and remember that this is a ne...2025-01-1203 minReflections on Generosity83: Waiting for Generosity"...Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment.."This week, I am reflecting on selected quotes from Henri Nouwen from the The Path of Waiting, published in 1995 and Bread for the Journey, published in 1996.Reflection questions:When you are meeting with donors, are you listening with full attention and waiting with the donor to discover more about themselves?Think about the areas where you are waiting, is there something you can do to nurture the...2025-01-0603 minReflections on Generosity82: To the Days of Generosity AheadAs you know, this podcast highlights the transformative beauty of generosity. I will be taking a brief break until January 6, and in the meantime, I encourage you to reflect on the role of generosity within your own holiday traditions.As I consider the myriad of holidays during this season, I am reminded of the universal themes of generosity and connection that they all share. Yet, in the flurry of holiday preparations, it's easy to overlook the simple but profound gift of giving that is at the heart of each celebration.As we move through...2024-12-2301 minReflections on Generosity81: Planting Generosity for Others"...Therefore one should not cease from planting. Rather, just as he found, one should still continue to plant even though he is old..."This week, I’m a story from Midrash Tanchuma Kedoshim 8:1, written sometime between 500 to 800 AD and published in 1885.Reflection question:How will you plant seeds for fund development programs, like legacy giving, that take longer to see the benefits?Reflection on quote:Recently, I have been assisting my clients with starting legacy programs; that is, encouraging long-term donors to give through their will and bequest. Some of...2024-12-1604 minReflections on Generosity80: Luck of the Draw"...In the same way, as you are unable to take care of all of your fellow people, treated as the luck of the draw when the time and circumstance brings some into closer contact with you than others." This week, I’m reading a quote from De Doctrina Christiana by Augustine, published in 397 AD.Reflection questions:Is there an area of your work where you need to step back and apply this framework: accepting our limits, focusing on what we can do, and releasing that which we can’t do or whom we ca...2024-12-0904 minReflections on Generosity79: Generosity Repairs the World“Whoever practices charity and justice fills the world with loving kindness.”This week, I’m reading quotes from Sukkah 49b about tzedakah.Reflection questions:How are we giving donors that vision of repairing the world through their gifts?What are ways that we can practice tzedakah with donors? That is, practicing justice, peace, and loving kindness with donors instead of just receiving donations from donors?Reflection on the quote:This week, I’ve been reading about tzedakah, the Jewish tradition of charity. However, it’s meaning is so much broader than...2024-12-0203 minReflections on Generosity78: To Do Good"...that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road..."This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.Reflection questions:Is there a response from a donor that you need to stop giving too much weight to and instead put it in its proper place, thank the donor, and continue with your good work?Reflection on quote:One of my clients got the letter this week...2024-11-2503 minReflections on Generosity77: Letting the Giver See"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Question:What is one thing you can do this week to let your donors know that you see their gifts and they are welcome to belong to your mission?Reflection on Quote:Seneca describes a number...2024-11-1804 minReflections on Generosity76: Accept Gifts with Cheerfulness"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Question:No matter the donor or the donor’s motivation, how are you and I receiving gifts? What is the attitude of our hearts?Reflection on Quote:When we look back over the last few months, what ha...2024-11-1104 minReflections on Generosity75: Generosity Begins with Us"...A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed...."This week, I’m reading a quote from the Jewish wisdom on generosity from Proverbs 11.Reflection questions:As you wait for donors to respond to a campaign, have you given to the mission you serve?How are you leading this week in your daily life with the intention of generosity in your own life?Reflection on Quote:A part of any campaign is the waiting. We wait for a donor to join us...2024-11-0403 minReflections on Generosity74: Wisdom and Rest"...For with wisdom cometh patience, And with patience cometh rest..."This week, I am reading the poem The Hardest Time of All, by Sarah Doudney. Written in 1896.Reflection Questions:Where are you waiting for some major change to occur as a result of your work? Is it time to gain more wisdom or to be more patient or to stop and rest in that area?Will you take the time to document your hopes for change in the coming year and then schedule an email to send t...2024-10-2804 minReflections on Generosity73: Generosity Builds Democracy..."An association [nonprofit] is an educated and powerful body of citizens which cannot be twisted to any person's will or quietly trodden down,..." This week, I’m reading selected quotes from Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville, published in 1835. Note. His use of the word association is our current word for nonprofit.Reflection questions:Are you getting caught up how national events affect the nonprofit you serve? Will you instead reflect on ways your nonprofit is improving your community through the power of association and democracy?How...2024-10-2104 minReflections on Generosity72: Generosity or Transaction"...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...2024-10-1403 minReflections on Generosity71: Generosity Covers Failure“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 RowlingThis 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 w...2024-10-0703 minReflections on Generosity70: Generosity in Failure"...All that happens, happens right: you will find it so if you observe narrowly..."This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.Reflection questions:When you have failed in your work recently, how are observing narrowly for the right things that came out of it?Are you seeking perfection or goodness in your fundraising activities?Reflection on the quote:In working with over 100 clients, it’s not surprising that I’m well-acquainted with failure as well. A donor even...2024-09-3004 minReflections on Generosity69: Weep and Plant Again..."And then with a cry from his soul despairing,He bowed him down to the earth and wept.But a voice cried aloud from the driving rain;“Arise, old man, and plant again!”This week, I’m reading a poem, Disappointed, written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, published in 1913.Reflection question:Is there an area of your work where you have been disappointment and you need to stop and weep before moving forward?Reflection on the quote:This week, something sad happened with a nonprofit in my community. Often, I focus...2024-09-2304 minReflections on Generosity68: Living Splendor"...Life is so generous a giver, but we, judging its gifts by the covering,Cast them away as ugly, or heavy, or hard.Remove the covering and you will find beneath it a living splendor,Woven of love, by wisdom, with power..."This week, I’m reading a poem written by Greville MacDonald to his father George MacDonald in 1930.Reflection question:When will you take time to pause, wait, and look deeper to glimpse joy, beauty, and living splendor? Reflection on quote:In our wo...2024-09-1604 minReflections on Generosity67: Thinking and Deeds"...To think and to will without doing, when there is opportunity, is like a flame enclosed in a vessel and goes out; also like seed cast upon the sand, which fails to grow, and so perishes with its power of germination. But to think and will and from that to do is like a flame that gives heat and light all around, or like a seed in the ground that grows up into a tree or flower and continues to live..."This week, I’m reading a quote that sums up Johnny Appleseed’s beliefs from Heaven and...2024-09-0904 minReflections on Generosity66: Curiosity"...The first and the simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind is curiosity..."This week, I’m reading a quote from On the Sublime and Beautiful by Edmund Burke, published in 1756.Reflection questions:What is your personality like: do you prefer the new and novel or the familiar and dependable?What do you think your donor base needs right now? And, based on what you know about your personality, are you willing to step outside your comfort zone to adapt to your donors’ needs? Ref...2024-09-0305 minReflections on Generosity65: Cultivate Success"...Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity..."This week, I am reading quotes from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu from his various works.Reflection questions:Are you watering your fundraising appeals with worry and desperation? Or, are you watering them with kindness and optimism?During a busy fundraising season, how are you embracing the saying, “do your work, and then step back. The only path to serenity”?Reflection on Quote:In the United States, we have trained our donors to give between November and D...2024-08-2504 minReflections on Generosity64: Childhood Impacts Generosity"...Consistent with social learning theory, individuals tend to carry beliefs about money and money skills learned in childhood into their adult lives..."This week, I’m reading selected quotes from Money Beliefs and Financial Behaviors by Bradley Klontz, Sonya Britt, and Jennifer Mentzer, published in 2011.Reflection Questions:Have you spent time thinking about your childhood and the beliefs around money you were raised with?Which money script have you been operating in and how might you break those patterns?Reflection on Quote:Earlier th...2024-08-1905 minReflections on Generosity63: Persistence and Joy"...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 bl...2024-08-1203 minReflections on Generosity62: Humble Ignorance"...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 do...2024-08-0504 minReflections on Generosity61: Learning Generosity"...real generosity requires requires learning something different, something that may not feel natural for many people. It often requires real personal change. A better understanding of how generosity works can aid that learning and change..."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions:How will you take time to explore your own generosity?Will you consider the most important generous person you know and reflect on how they become such a generous person?To purchase th...2024-07-2904 minReflections on Generosity60: Imaginations Stretched"...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?2024-07-2204 minReflections on Generosity59: Generosity to Our Opponents"...You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you..."This week, I am reading the words of Jesus and His approach to opponents from Matthew 5 and 6.Reflection questions:If you were to give your fundraising appeal to an opponent to read, how would they respond? Would the letter be consider fair? Considerate? Even loving?When you are speaking with a donor about an opponent of your mission, are you portrayi...2024-07-1504 minReflections on Generosity58: Generosity to Those Who Offend"...Ninthly, that meekness is invincible, where it is genuine, and sincere without hypocrisy. For, what can the most insolent do to you, if you stedfastly persist in kindness to him, and, upon occasion, mildly admonish and instruct him thus, at the very time he is attempting to do you an injury?.."This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.Reflection questions:How do you approach donors with opinions that are different to your own?How can you be intentional about...2024-07-0804 minReflections on Generosity57 Disappointment with Donors"...many of our disappointments and much of our happiness arise from our forming false notions of things and persons. We strangely impose upon ourselves; we create a fairy land of happiness..."This week, I am reading from Abigail Adams’ letter to Hannah Lincoln, written in 1761.Reflection questions:Where are you experiencing disappointments with donors? Can you release the donor and not the vision?As you create a fairy land of happiness, that is a vision of impact, how will you hold the list of donors as changeable?Thi...2024-07-0104 minReflections on Generosity56: Happiness and Companionship"No one can have a happy life if he looks only to himself, turning everything to his own advantage. If you want to live for yourself, you must live for another..."This week, I am reading from Seneca’s Moral Letters, published in 65 AD. Reflection questions:How do we view a donation? Is it simply money for our organization’s advantage? Or, do we view it as a bid for connection from the donor?Is there an area where we letting technology replace relationships and companionship with donors...2024-06-2403 minReflections on Generosity55: Lifter and Leaner"...In which class are you? Are you easing the load Of overtaxed lifters, who toil down the road?Or are you a leaner, who lets others share Your portion of labor, and worry and care?"This week, I’m reading a poem, The Two Kinds of People by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, published in 1896.Reflection questions:Is there a new fund development professional in your network that you can reach out to in order to encourage?Or, do you feel like you are drowning a bit an...2024-06-1703 minReflections on Generosity54: Generosity in the Face of Ugliness"...Suppose someone standing by a clear, sweet spring were to curse it: it just keeps right on bringing drinkable water bubbling up to the surface. Even if he throws mud or dung in it, before long the spring disperses the dirt and washes it out, leaving no stain..."This week, I am reading quotes from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.Reflection questions:Are we holding onto ugliness from a past interaction with a donor?How can we let go of the ugliness and turn to kindness, simplicity...2024-06-1004 minReflections on Generosity53: Generosity in Humility"...pride is to be feared even when we do right actions, lest those things which are done in a praiseworthy manner be spoiled by the desire for praise itself."I sought wisdom from Augustine. First, from Augustine’s book, On the Happy Life, published in 386 AD. And, then from his letter 118, written in 410 AD.Reflection questions:How often are we confronted with the mountain of pride in how we carry out your fund development work?How can we lead with humility in our generosity?These work...2024-06-0304 minReflections on Generosity52: A Public Pledge of Generosity"...On the psychological level, precommitment could induce a preference for avoiding inconsistency, leading people to act in line with their past or committed behaviour. Our study provides behavioural and neural evidence that supports the link between generosity and happiness..."This week, I’m reading quotes from A neural link between generosity and happiness by S. Q. Park and several researchers, published in 2017 in Nature Communications.Reflection questions:How do we perceive donors who insist on a public pledge? Do we perceive these donors as acting out of ego...2024-05-2805 minReflections on Generosity51: Cultivate Abundant Generosity"...Kind hearts are the gardens, Kind thoughts are the roots, Kind words are the flowers, Kind deeds are the fruits...."This week, I’m reading a quote, often attributed to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, published in 1873.Reflection questions:In our fundraising materials, are we guard them from weeds of hatred and strife?Related, do we seek to fill the metaphorical garden of donors with sweet sunshine and blossoms of good words and kind deeds that reflect the work we are doing?This work has entered the pu...2024-05-2003 minReflections on Generosity50: The Drafter of Many AppealsThe Drafter of Many Appeals ends the article with ... "But the fact is that motives of pure reason to explain voluntary action are usually difficult of discovery, and not in charitable spheres only..."This week I am reading "The Ethics of giving: The Ratio of Generosity to Income" by "a Drafter of Many Appeals" from the Hospital Magazine, published in 1915.Reflection question:When will you take the time to find the humor in our fundraising work through a Google search of humorous videos or cartoons focused on fundraising or, perhaps...2024-05-1304 minReflections on Generosity49: Liberating Generosity"...[Generosity] removes a weight, a burden, a nagging fear. It sets one free to appreciate and enjoy what one has, rather than being burdened with the wish that one had more or worry about losing it. This kind of personal transformation shores up the personal security grounded in believing that, whatever the future holds, one will always have enough....."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: How are our words to donors reflecting that shift from sc...2024-05-0604 minReflections on Generosity48: Generosity and Guilt"...Guilt appeals in the field of persuasion are quite common. However, the effectiveness of these messages is sometimes ambivalent. It is widely acknowledged that guilt leads people to engage into prosocial behaviors, but the effects of guilt can also be counter-productive...."This week, I am reading a quote from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu and A Theory of Guilt Appeals: A Review Showing the Importance of Investigating Cognitive Processes as Mediators between Emotion and Behavior, by Graton and Mailliez, published in 2019.Reflection question:With what are you watering the messages to...2024-04-2905 minReflections on Generosity47: Wealth of Generosity"...Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others..."This week, I’m reading from 2 Corinthians by Saint Paul.Reflection questions:Is there a volunteer or Board member you have deemed too poor to give the opportunity to donate?How can you empower all people - regardless of their economic situation - to give joyfully?This work has entered the public domain....2024-04-2204 minReflections on Generosity46: Ask Freely"....Once we have learned to love the rich for who they are rather than what they have; and once we believe that we have something of great value to give them, then we will have no trouble at all in asking someone for a large sum of money...."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, originally presented in 1992.Reflection questions:When I meet a donor at their home, am I jealous or envious? Or, am I grateful for their generosity?Also rel...2024-04-1504 minReflections on Generosity45: Rich and Poor"But sometimes our concern for the poor may carry with it a prejudice against the rich." This week, I’m reading a quote from The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, originally presented in 1992.Reflection questions:Am I falling into either extreme of begging or entitlement?With our donors, how am I prioritizing the relationship over the request?To purchase: The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri NouwenUsed with permission from Upper Room Books.What do you think? Send me...2024-04-0804 minReflections on Generosity44: The Generosity of Nature"...The waves beside them danced; but they [daffodils]Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:A poet could not but be gay,In such a jocund company:I gazed—and gazed—but little thoughtWhat wealth the show to me had brought:..."I'm reading two reflections on nature, abundance, and generosity: On Benefits by Seneca published in 59 AD and I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth published in 1807.Reflection questions:When will you take time this week to be outside and reflect on something abun...2024-04-0104 minReflections on Generosity43: Our Relationship with Money"...Those of us who ask for money need to look carefully at ourselves. The question is not how to get money. Rather, the question is about our relationship with money. We will never be able to ask for money if we do not know how we ourselves relate to money...."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, originally presented in 1992.To purchase: The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri NouwenUsed with permission from Upper Room Books.What do you think? Send me a te...2024-03-2505 minReflections on Generosity42: Belonging"...People have such a need for friendship and for community that fund-raising has to be community-building...."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, originally presented in 1992.Reflection Questions:How does this perspective of communion, belonging, and friendship affect you in your work?Thinking back to your last fundraising appeal, was it just an ask for a donation or was it also an offer for belonging?To purchase: The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri NouwenUsed with pe...2024-03-1804 minReflections on Generosity41: Count That Year..."...One glance most kindThat fell like sunshine where it went—Then you may count that day well spent..."I would like to share a poem from George Eliot, Count That Day Lost, published in 1887, and a quote from Aristotle which he wrote around 350 BC. Reflection question:Will you join me and challenge yourself to donate generously this year?To read: George Eliot, Count That Day Lost, and The Nicomachean Ethics of AristotleThe works have passed into public domain.What do you think? Sen...2024-03-1103 minReflections on Generosity40: Lives Woven Together"...Both generous and ungenerous people live lives that are less than ideal. But the generous possess an insight usually missing among the less generous. They know that they already have enough, and that clinging to what they have or clamoring for more will not bring about greater happiness. So they share some of their time, money, and care with others. They tend to see the beauty of life, the value of solidarity, and their connection to humanity. Their perspective tells them that the world, properly viewed, is a place of abundance. They take their hardships in stride, believing that...2024-03-0404 minReflections on Generosity39: Best of: Week 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.Reflection questions:In thinking about those who support our missions, especially those areas that deal with human tragedies, How are we helping to heal the so...2024-02-2604 minReflections on Generosity38: May I Be"...May I be a guard for those who have no protector, A guide for those who journey on the road.For those who wish to go across the water, May I be a boat, a raft, a bridge..."This week, I am reading a reflection from Shantideva from the 8th century AD.Reflection Questions:Which metaphor most resonates with your work?Consider asking a donor which metaphor resonates with them about your work.To read: Shantideva BodhisattvaThis work has entered the public d...2024-02-1903 minReflections on Generosity37: Patience "...For with wisdom cometh patience, And with patience cometh rest..."This week, I am reading the poem The Hardest Time of All, by Sarah Doudney. Written in 1896.Reflection Questions:Will you reflect on your current fundraising or mission challenges and consider where perseverance, patience, wisdom, and rest can enter in?Will you take the time to document those challenges and then schedule an email to send that reflection to yourself in a year?To read: The Hardest Time of AllWhat do you think? Send...2024-02-1204 minReflections on Generosity36: Pride and Joy"...She's somebody's mother, boys, you know,For all she's aged and poor and slow."And I hope some fellow will lend a handTo help my mother, you understand,..."This week, I am reading the poem Somebody’s Mother by Mary Dow Brine. Written in 1878. Reflection questions:In thinking of your work, what is your somebody’s fill-in-the-blank?What brings you pride and joy in your work this week?To read: Somebody's MotherThis work has entered the public doma...2024-02-0504 minReflections on Generosity35: Rise Together with the Giver"...See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving. For in truth it is life that gives unto life—while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness...."This week, I am reading the poem On Giving by Kahil Gibran. Published in 1923.Reflection question:How are you rising together with the giver, whatever their motivation?To explore more: the poems of Kahil Gabran.This poem has entered the public domain.What do you t...2024-01-2904 minReflections on Generosity34: Open Hands Giving Hearts"...Those who hoard their gifts, living with clenched fists, suffer the sadness of a pinched soul and a miserly existence. They never experience the extravagant blessings that come to those who live with open hands and giving hearts...This week, I am reading various quotes from Being Generous by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, published in 2009.Reflection question:In this field, how is your soul being shaped this week? With an open hand and giving heart? or Clenched fists and a pinched soul?To purchase this book: Being Generosity by Theodore Roosevelt Mal...2024-01-2204 minReflections on Generosity33: Other-Concern"...I would say that other‐preservation is the first law of life. It is the first law of life precisely because we cannot preserve self without being concerned about preserving other selves..."In honor of the Reverend Martin Luther King Junior Day in the United States, I thought I would share two related quotes from him. Both of these quotes come from the time of his launch of the Poor People’s Campaign.Reflection questions:How will you invite someone in your community to join you in this other-concern work?If...2024-01-1503 minReflections on Generosity32: Society, Risk, and Generosity"...Remove gift and gratitude from human society, and what remains is not a community but a "lonely crowd," in the famous words of the sociologist David Riesman..."This week, I am reading various quotes from Being Generous by Theodore Roosevelt Malloch, published in 2009.Reflection questions:Have you ever considered if some of the donors to your missions are giving because of that idea of community and dependency? Seeking to acknowledge that we are interdependent on each other?What risks will you take this week in building relationships with donors?2024-01-0804 minReflections on Generosity31: To the Days of Generosity AheadAs you know, this podcast focuses on the beautiful spaces of generosity. I will be taking a break until January 5. Instead of reading a quote this week, I encourage you to explore the roots of generosity within your own holiday traditions. As I reflect on St. Nicholas Day, Hanukkah, Christmas, Christkind, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day and so many of the other holidays, I am struck by the universal elements of generosity and relationships. Yet, we can get so busy in planning for these holidays that we miss the simple truths that generosity brings to each of these holidays. So, let...2023-12-1801 minReflections on Generosity30: The Beauty of a Cupped Receiving Hand"...One would give generous alms if you had the eyes to see the beauty of a cupped receiving hand..."This week, I am reading various quotes from the writings of Goethe who lived in present-day Germany from 1749 to 1832.Reflection questions:What are you carrying in your heart this week: generosity, abundance, or scarcity?When will you take time this week to jot down a reflection on the beauty of the mission you serve?To explore more: the writings of Goethe...2023-12-1103 minReflections on Generosity29: Generosity for the Next Generation"...our first moral criticisms are exercised upon the characters and conduct of other people; and we are all very forward to observe how each of these affects us..."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Theory of Moral Sentiments by Adam Smith, published in 1759.Reflection question:In your network of influence, perhaps in your family or friends, how are you sharing the joy of giving as a model to the younger generation?To read: The Theory of Moral Sentiments by...2023-12-0405 minReflections on Generosity28: Gratitude and Forgetfulness"... just as those tools which are kept in use, and are daily touched by the hand, are never in danger of growing rusty, while those which are not brought before our eyes, and lie as if superfluous, not being required for common use, collect dirt by the mere lapse of time..."This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Questions:When will you pause this week to remember the donors from yesterday or last week or even last year?...2023-11-2703 minReflections on Generosity27: The Roots of Ingratitude"... by complaining I shall not make myself deserve to receive more, but shall become unworthy of what I have received...."This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Questions:Have we noticed signs of self-esteem, greed or jealousy slipping into our thinking when we consider our donors or donors to other organizations?What are ways you can lean into gratitude this week?To read this writing: On Benefits by Seneca the YoungerThis work has...2023-11-2005 minReflections on Generosity26: A Leader's Culture of Abundance"...the moral challenge of generosity can also push people to confront and overcome their emotional, existential fears about insufficiency, their psychological perceptions of scarcity as a mode of life that governs their world..."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions:If you work in an organization with a culture of insecurity and scarcity, what are ways you fortify a culture of abundance in yourself and that which you have direct control over?If on...2023-11-1305 minReflections on Generosity25: Overwhelmed by Kindness..." It is in itself an expression of gratitude to speak of one's self as overwhelmed by kindness."This week, I am reading a story and quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Question:No matter the donor or the donor’s motivation, how are you and I receiving gifts? What is the attitude of our hearts?To read this writing: On Benefits by Seneca the YoungerThis work has entered the public domain.What do you think? Send me a te...2023-11-0605 minReflections on Generosity24: Means of Generosity"... You see how the mind even in the straitest circumstances finds the means of generosity."This week, I am reading a story and quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Questions:Consider the volunteers you interact with, how are you going beyond thanking them for their time and instead honoring the gift of their own self?How are we restoring them to themselves; that is, sharing with them the greater impact the gift of their time and person has in the mission together...2023-10-3004 minReflections on Generosity23: Nurture Goodness"When conventional economic and marketing assumptions shape and undergird the work of charitable fundraising, whether for Christian organizations or others, potential donors will often be approached with the expectation that they will be more interested in having their names in the program or on a plaque or in receiving a premium or a tax break than in giving to help others 'out of the goodness of their hearts.'"This week, I am reading a quote from Growing Givers’ Hearts by Thomas Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger. 2000 edition.Reflection questions:Is there a donor to...2023-10-2303 minReflections on Generosity22: The Good of Love ExpressedThis week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: How are we continuing to give opportunities for donors to be generous to the mission we serve as they are also giving to others because of world events?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? Send me a text. To explore fun...2023-10-1603 minReflections on Generosity21: 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 SilversteinWhat do you think? Send me a text. To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.Music credit: Woeisuhmebop2023-10-0904 minReflections on Generosity20: From Beholden to Blessing"... And joy is the appropriate attitude with which to help others because acts of generosity are a source of blessing to the giver as well as the receiver..."This week, I’m reading a quote from John Chrysostom from the 400 A.D.s.Reflection questions:When was there a time when you were overwhelmed with the generosity of others because their generosity to you was given with such a spirit of joy that you received the generosity with pleasure?Is there an area of your fundraising work that you wo...2023-10-0203 minReflections on Generosity19: Surplus Wealth"...There is no mode of disposing of surplus wealth creditable to thoughtful and earnest men [and women] into whose hands it flows save by using it year by year for the general good..."This week, I’m reading quotes from the Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie, published in 1889.Reflection questions:When you consider your financial means, are you paying attention to how you are using your surplus above moderate wants?No matter your age, have you decided how you will leave your wealth?To read this writing: Gospel of Wea...2023-09-2504 minReflections on Generosity18: Kindness in Giving"... Be careful what you water your dreams with. Water them with worry and fear and you will produce weeds that choke the life from your dream. Water them with optimism and solutions and you will cultivate success..."This week, I am reading quotes from Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu from his various works.Reflection questions:Are you watering your fund development goals with worry and desperation? Or, are you watering them with kindness and optimism?How are you embracing the saying, “do your work, and then step back. The only path to ser...2023-09-1804 minReflections on Generosity17: Exposure to the Unknown"Living generously. . . also often provides new learning experiences and exposure to sides of life and society that would have otherwise remained unknown."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: How are we inviting donors, especially new donors, to encounter our missions and feel that sense of belonging?How are we being both patient and intentional about helping donors expand their horizons and understand our missions? To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by C...2023-09-1104 minReflections on Generosity16: Admirers of Wisdom and Virtue"This disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition... is... the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments. That wealth and greatness are often regarded with the respect and admiration which are due only to wisdom and virtue; and that the contempt, of which vice and folly are the only proper objects, is often most unjustly bestowed upon poverty and weakness, has been the complaint of moralists in all ages..."This week, I’m...2023-09-0405 minReflections on Generosity15: A Stone in the Ground"...When we don’t give the opportunity - especially to someone who is new to the journey of generosity, we encouraging the donor to throw a stone in the hole and cover it up. Whereas, instead, we could let the donor make use of the treasure for good in our communities..."This week, I’m reading a story from Aesop’s Fable, titled the Miser.Reflection Question:Do you struggle with the fear of offending someone as it relates to fundraising? What would it take to shift to a mindset of letting...2023-08-2804 minReflections on Generosity14: A Sip in the River".... Help your brother’s boat across and your own boat will reach the shore..."This week, I’m reading a quotes from three different cultures to help us reflect on our mentality of scarcity.Reflection questions:What ways can you cultivate joy for other nonprofits when they receive generous donations?When you know that a potential donor has a passion for a different cause, how will you encourage them to be generous to that different cause? To bless them and release them to be generous to a different organization?2023-08-2104 minReflections on Generosity13: To Avoid Fake Generosity"...the paradox of generosity also seems to entail this relevant truth: generosity cannot be faked in order to achieve some other, more valued, self-serving end. Generosity itself needs to be desired..."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: Are any of our fundraising activities and messaging encouraging self-interested, fake generosity? If so, how can we tweak them to reflect authentic generosity?How can we share the stories of genuine generosity with our community?To purchase this...2023-08-1404 minReflections on Generosity12: Refreshing OthersI was asking others to be generous - even sacrificially generous, yet I had never stopped to reflect on my own generosity. This week, I’m reading a quote from the Jewish wisdom on generosity from Proverbs 11.Reflection questions:If you were to receive an unexpectedly large financial windfall to you personally, how much would you spend, save, and give?How are you leading this week in your daily life with the intention of generosity in your own life?This work has entered the public domain.W...2023-08-0704 minReflections on Generosity11: The Existential Confrontation"...actually living generously results from an existential confrontation with what is ultimately humanly valuable and important in life and the world."I’m reading a quote from the Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition. Reflection question:How are we giving space and the opportunities for the donor to reflect and discuss what is humanly valuable and important to life and the world as it relates to the cause we are asking them to join?To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hil...2023-07-3105 minReflections on Generosity10: Joy in Remembering"Giving brings happiness in every state of its expression..."This week, I’m reading 3 quotes from the Buddha. Reflection questions:If you have a task of asking a donor for a gift this week, what is your mindset going into the ask? A necessary task? Or, a joyous opportunity for the donor to join in the power of giving?If you have a task of stewarding a donor this week, what is your mindset? Is something to get off of your to-do list? Or, do you see the tas...2023-07-2405 minReflections on Generosity9: Transformation to Abundance"...the testimony of those who have shifted in their minds, spirits, and emotions from an imagined world of scarcity and insecurity to one of abundance, blessing, sufficiency, and overflow is almost always the same: it is liberating...."This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.Reflection questions: As you reflect on some of the donors to the organization you serve, how have you seen a transformation from scarcity to abundance?What about you and I? Are we seeing tha...2023-07-1705 minReflections on Generosity8: Depth of Gratitude"Books which it would have been impossible for me to obtain elsewhere were, by his wise generosity, placed within my reach; and to him I owe a taste for literature which I would not exchange for all the millions that were ever amassed by man..." This week, I’m quoting a story from the Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. Published in 1920.Reflection questions:When was the last time we asked our most committed donors about their story for giving to the cause we serve?When your fundraising tasks seem overwhelming, im...2023-07-1004 minReflections on Generosity7: Saving Common Liberties"An association is an educated and powerful body of citizens which cannot be twisted to any person's will or quietly trodden down, and by defending its private interests against the encroachments of power, it saves the common liberties....."This week, I’m reading selected quotes from Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville. Published in 1835. Note: his use of the word association is our current word for nonprofit.Reflection questions:Many individuals with the means to donate experience giving as a transaction. How will you bring the mindset that you are giving ba...2023-07-0304 minReflections on Generosity6: Live in Joy"O let us live in joy, although having nothing! In joy let us live like spirits of light!..,"This week, I’m reading a quote from the Dhammapada, written down in the 1st century BC. Reflection questions:When was the last time you stepped back to view the greater horizon of the mission you serve? Is it time to step back again and live in the love, health, peace, and joy to see what you get to fundraise for?Think now of donors, who are the donors tha...2023-06-2604 minReflections on Generosity5: The Degree of Goodness"Helping a person in need is good in itself. But the degree of goodness is hugely affected by the attitude with which it is done...." This week, I’m reading a quote from John Chrysostom from the 400 A.D.s.Reflection questions:When was there a time when you were overwhelmed with the generosity of others because their generosity to you was given with such a spirit of joy that you received the generosity with pleasure?Is there an area of your fundraising work that you would like to bri...2023-06-1904 minReflections on Generosity4: The Heart Enlarged"They would all therefore find themselves helpless if they did not learn to help each other voluntarily. With associations, feelings and ideas are renewed, the heart enlarged, and the understanding developed only by the reciprocal action of people one upon another...."This week, I’m reading selected quotes from Democracy in America by Alexis De Tocqueville. Published in 1835. Note: his use of the word association is our current word for nonprofit.Reflection questions:How are we sharing the vision of the causes we serve? In sharing our visions, are we welcoming our comm...2023-06-1204 minReflections on Generosity3: The Right to Be Generous"These are among the poorest and most destitute people you will ever meet. Never take away the right of another person to be generous....”This week, I’m reading a story from Imagining Abundance. Fundraising, Philanthropy, and A Spiritual Call to Service by Kerry Alys Robinson. 2014 edition.Reflection question:While we never want our clients to feel as if they owe the nonprofit for the services they receive, how are we giving our clients and, especially former clients, the opportunity to be generous?To purchase this book: Imagining Abundance. Fundraising, Philanthropy, and A Spi...2023-06-0504 minReflections on Generosity2: 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 do...2023-05-2904 minReflections on Generosity1: 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, rath...2023-05-2204 min