Reflections on Generosity for Capital Campaigns

"...Fund-raising must always aim to create new, lasting relationships...."

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, originally presented in 1992.

Reflection questions:

• Which campaign donors do you need to offer communion, belonging, and friendship to this week?
• Thinking about the case for support, is it just an ask for a donation or is it also an offer for authentic giving and b...

"...Generosity cannot be counterfeited, and fake generosity does not make us happier, healthier, and more purposeful in life..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.

Reflection question: 

• Are any of our fundraising activities and messaging encouraging self-interested, fake generosity?  If so, how can we tweak them to reflect authenti...

“When conventional economic and marketing assumptions shape and undergird the work of charitable fundraising, .... 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’...

"...true charity is given, not with what is left over, but with what we need..."

This week, I’m reading from the former Pope Francis and 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 our series on cultivating an abundance mindset, we discussed how that mindset affects donors and ...

"Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor loss of composure. Where there is poverty borne with joy, there is neither grasping nor hoarding. 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:

• Where do you see evidenc...

"...No matter how it happens, 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 question: 

• ...

"Urgency triggers a distinctive neurobiological state. In fundraising terms, this means an urgent appeal can literally put a donors brain in “alert mode” prioritizing rapid action over careful deliberation."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How will you maintain a sense of urgent and hopeful intentionality while being strategic d...

"Volunteering can satisfy psychological needs: the need to belong to a community, to see one’s values an action or to develop skills and purpose."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How are you showing gratitude to your campaign volunteers?
  
  

Reflection on quote:

We are exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into wh...

"...Donors don’t just invest their money, they invest their trust. Admitting uncertainty or limitations can actually boost credibility...." 

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How are you consistently updating donors, even when the capital campaign or construction is facing challenges?

Reflection on quote:

We are continuing expl...

"...If a donor donates regularly – even small amounts –they gather evidence from their own behavior that “I am a generous person.” Once someone embraces a donor identity, they naturally want to act consistently with it..."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection questions:

• When you are talking with long-term donors, are you entering into conversa...

As you know, this podcast highlights the transformative beauty of generosity. I will be taking a brief break until January, 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'...

"... In light of the science, inviting someone to give is really inviting them to tap into these biologically rooted joys of generosity..."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection questions:

• What stories are you telling that lead into the tours of the construction or the displays of the architectural renderings?

• Are you fully embraci...

This is a "re-air," because during economic uncertainty it's important that the leader continues to communicate consistently during this year-end giving season.

"...If you don’t know what harbour you sail for, no wind is favourable. Because we live by chance, chance necessarily has great power over our lives..."

In our series on uncertainty during small town capital campaigns, This week, I’m reading from Sene...

This is a "re-air," since economic uncertainty continues this year-end giving season.

"...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs..."

This week, I am reflecting a quote from George Eliot’s Middlemarch, published in 1871...

"...And expanding one's horizons in such ways, being exposed to new information and new possibilities in life, tends to enhance human well-being..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.

Reflection questions:

• What unique stories can your program staff share about the necessity of the capital campaign?
• How can you best include thei...

"...Give, give again and again, don’t lose courage, keep it up and go on giving! No one has ever become poor from giving!.."

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 others in the campaign doing the same task.  What impact does your combined efforts have on the campaign?
  
  
• Where are ...

"...More is lost by indecision than wrong decision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity. It will steal you blind..."

This week, I’m reflecting on the words of Cicero as weaved through several of his works, published between 89 BC and 43 BC.

Reflection questions:

• Where you are stuck in indecision and procrastination?  
• How can you bring confidence, hope, or trust in a good outcome to the capital campaign?

Reflection...

"...No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted...."

For some ancient wisdom about donors who don’t give, 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 who have previously said no to the capital project?

Reflection on quote:

Last week, we discussed building communities of donors du...

..."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 to goals or metrics?
• How are you...