84: 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 new week and new month to start over again?

Reflection on quote:

In my experience, January is one of the toughest months for fundraising professionals.  Not because of the workload.  No.  No, it’s the exhaustion, doubt, and, at times, criticism after year-end giving season that makes January tough.  Yes, January is often a debrief of what we could have done differently with year-end giving.  And, yet, as the saying goes, “hindsight is 20/20.” In the moment, you were doing your best.

Yes, there is a time for debrief and understanding the factors that led to increases or decreases in giving.  Yet, remember that the fact you showed up, gave donors the opportunity to give, and then - something which is completely out-of-your-control - let donors decide. You strove valiantly.  Rest in that fact.

This quote has entered the public domain.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Transcript

Welcome back. Fundraising can be lonely with seemingly endless to-do list. This podcast isn't about best practices or trends. It's about the deeper wisdom of the beautiful space where generosity occurs, a weekly five-minute reflection to ground you for the week ahead.

In my experience, January is one of the toughest months for fundraising professionals.  Not because of the workload.  No.  No, it’s the exhaustion, doubt, and, at times, criticism after year-end giving season that makes January tough.  Yes, January is often a debrief of what we could have done differently with year-end giving.  And, yet, as the saying goes, “hindsight is 20/20.” In the moment, you were doing your best. This week, I’m reading from Citizenship in a Republic, a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910, changing the word man to person.

Quote

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. The credit belongs to the person 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 themself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if a person fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that their place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

He also stated. 

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.

Unquote

Yes, there is a time for debrief and understanding the factors that led to increases or decreases in giving.  Yet, remember that the fact you showed up, gave donors the opportunity to give, and then - something which is completely out-of-your-control - let donors decide. You strove valiantly.  Rest in that fact.

Let’s reflect on two questions this week:

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 new week and new month to start over again?

Share this podcast if you enjoy these five-minute reflections and subscribe to receive these reflections released every Monday. To explore fundraising coaching deeper, visit Serving Nonprofits dot com. See you next week.