"...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:

• First, when was the last time you stepped back to view the greater horizon of your mission? Maybe it's time to do that again—to reconnect with the love, health, peace, and joy of what you get to fundraise for.

• Second, think about your donors. Who are the people you could share that joy with—not to cultivate, ask, or steward them, but simply to have a conversation filled with genuine excitement about your mission? Who's coming to mind right now?

Reflection on quote:

I read a reflection on generosity from various world religions and science. One insight comes from Buddhism in how we show up in the spaces where we work.

Working with nonprofits across every sector imaginable—from arts and culture to human services, conservation to animal welfare—never gets old. My reaction is always the same: "You get to do what and raise money for that? Your mission is incredible!" When people ask what I do for work, I find myself talking about the amazing missions I get to support rather than fundraising tactics or strategies.
Here's what I've noticed: we get so laser-focused on the next campaign deadline or goal that we lose sight of the bigger picture. That tunnel vision weighs us down and leads straight to burnout. But when we step back and look at the greater horizon of our work, something shifts. We remember that we're bringing love, health, peace, and joy to our communities.

Think about it—you're living out love through arts, culture, or historic preservation. You're creating health for clients, communities, and people in your care. You're building peace for those in conflict or helping people find safety. And you're cultivating joy through the abundance of generosity, giving donors the chance to experience that same deep satisfaction.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...We must not consider how great presents are, but in what spirit they are given..."

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 giving them an opportunity to grow and restore themselves into better versions of themselves?

Reflection on quote:

In the nonprofit world, we frequently use some form of the saying, Work, Wisdom, and Wealth, to refer to the various forms of generosity. With that first gift, work, we are seeing a decline in volunteerism. So, let’s consider how to care for the generosity of time.

From Seneca’s perspective, time is a gift of one’s self and of great price. In fundraising, we discuss the donor’s journey and how we are stewarding them. What is the donor journey for volunteers? We have an opportunity to recognize these volunteers as some of our greatest donors. We give them the circumstances to expand their sense of belonging, their community, and their knowledge. The circumstances for self growth. Finally, as our volunteers show up with joy, we can allow that attitude to permeate our organization’s culture.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...We frequently make our gifts conditional on the giving of others, not because we wish to force people to do their duty, but because we wish in this way to root the institution in the affections of as many people as possible who, as contributors, become personally concerned, and thereafter may be counted on to give to the institution their watchful interest and coöperation...."

This week, I’m reading from Random Reminiscences of Men and Events by John D. Rockefeller, published in 1909.

Reflection questions:

• Who are the donors in your donor database that would likely catch the vision of leveraging additional generosity through their matching or challenge gift?

• What is your plan for growing the affections and the engagement of the donors who respond to that matching gift challenge?

Reflection on quote:

Christmas in July is a marketing gimmick. However, preparing for our year-end campaign in July and August is not. One aspect of year-end campaign planning is matching or challenge gifts. While often seen as a recent phenomenon in fundraising, it actually has a long history.

Rooting the nonprofits we serve in the affections of as many people as possible who, as contributors, become personally concerned in the cause is the primary goal of matching or challenging gifts. It’s not about the amount or number of donations. It’s an opportunity to gain more donors and engage current donors more deeply in the causes they care about. Because of this, when we ask for matching or challenge gifts, we can confidently ask the donor to help leverage additional generosity through their matching or challenge gift. We can confidently ask the donor to grow the affections of other potential and current donors.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...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. Seneca uses the word “benefit” to denote an act of charity.

Reflection question:

• Think back to the last few donations you’ve received. How have you received them? With lukewarmness, distraction, pride, or true expressions of gratitude?

Reflection on quote:

When a donor makes a gift to our organizations, they're not just writing a check. They're extending trust, hope, and belief in our missions. Yet too often, our lukewarm responses leave them wondering if their gift even mattered. Seneca understood something profound: how you receive that first donation determines whether there will be second and another. Gracious, public gratitude creates a positive cycle where donors experience immediate joy from seeing their impact, naturally leading to deeper engagement. And, as this quote outlines, authentic gratitude which celebrates both the gift and the giver creates abundance. When we celebrate donors enthusiastically, we are inviting our entire community into a story of collective transformation that's far more powerful than any individual effort.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...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:

If you are writing a fundraising appeal for an urgent need, step back and ask yourself these two questions.

• What will the donor feel when they read or hear your appeal?

• Does the appeal honor the subject’s dignity or, if a place or thing, the subject's significance or importance?

Reflection of the quote:

In the United States this week, a law was signed that will cut many social services. Naturally, many human services nonprofits are expecting an increase in need and are therefore preparing fundraising asks. Also, this week, the United States, there were some tragic natural disasters. Nonprofits serving in those areas are also preparing fundraising asks. Each day, across the globe, something urgent occurs that leads nonprofits to ask donors to give. How we portray the urgent need matters.

When we are faced with an urgent need involving our constituents, whether it is a person, animal, place, or thing, the way we portray the fundraising need matters. There are methods that invoke fear, scarcity, and obligation. These techniques have been described as “poverty porn.” The essential of poverty porn is outlined in this week’s quote. It invokes a reluctant sense of duty and makes the subject - our constituents - embarrassed and demeaned. They also make the donor feel fearful, angry, and resentful. In the short-term, these techniques do raise funds. However, in the long-term, donor don’t keep giving because anger is a life-sucking companion. Within this week’s ancient wisdom there is a better way. That is, to ask with a spirit of joy and gratitude and to set a vision for the donor that they get to be a source of blessing to meet this urgent need.

This quote has entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...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 you 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 event that no one shows up to. An email campaign that raises zero dollars. A year-end direct mail campaign that goes out in January. A fundraising event where no one gives. As much as I want every campaign, event, fundraising activity to be successful, that’s not real life. So how do we grapple with that. This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.

All that happens, happens right. Notice that Aurelius didn't say, all that happens, happens perfectly. Or, successfully. But, he says “right if you observe narrowly.” We can get stuck in embarrassment or paralysis. We can fear that donors will stop giving to us because of our failure. Instead, a failure can help us have more honest interactions with donors. For instance, ask the donor help us understand the best way to give you the opportunity to donate. Or, a failure can lead to the right conversations with the right donors. For example, a smaller-than-hoped-for event can open up a more in-depth conversation that wouldn’t have been possible if the event was larger. Failures can lead to growth when we have the right attitude, which is the second half of the quote. Let your aim be goodness in every action. We don’t fail in fundraising because we want to fail. But we will fail because failure is a part of life. So, we don’t aim for perfection or status. We aim for goodness. Goodness for the cause that we serve. And, remember, donors don’t give to us. They give to the cause through us.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

..."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’m reading on this poem On Giving by Khalil Gibran from The Prophet‍, published in 1923.

Reflection question:

• Are you an instrument of giving?
  
  

Reflection on quote:

What is the first action that every fund development professional should do upon taking a job? Give. Give to the organization where you work. Once we ourselves are givers, it is then we can be receivers.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...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 Quote

Earlier 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 to ask questions or be open with us. Or, we can approach donor relationships with this humble ignorance. We can build the relationship on a foundation of discovery, wonder, and openness. We can marvel at unexpected gifts. We can make course corrections and be honest with donors.

What do you think? Send me a text.

To explore fundraising coaching deeper and to schedule an exploratory session, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop