Reflections on Generosity
Kick off your week with a 5-minute reflection on generosity to ground yourself as you go about your fund development tasks. Each reflection includes a question to ponder throughout the week to aid your work.
Reflections on Generosity
95: 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 securing donations—it's about fostering genuine human connections built on care and mutual recognition. This week, I’ve been researching the Jewish practice of hevrot. The article, The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships, defines hevrot as small, local voluntaristic groups of individuals who join together to do good works or promote piety. The practice dates to at least the second century. The research in Forgotten Approaches to Care further explores this practice.
Rather than seeing donors simply as sources of financial support, we recognize them as partners in a shared mission. When we frame our work through an ethics of care, we acknowledge the interdependence that exists between all members of our community.
Think about what makes fundraising truly meaningful—it's not just the transaction but "the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed." When we approach donors with this mindset, we invite them into a relationship built on genuine care rather than mere obligation. As fundraisers, we have the privilege of weaving these networks of care that strengthen our entire community. When we face challenges or donor fatigue, we return to this fundamental truth: we're not just raising money—we're connecting people to purpose and to each other.
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
Welcome back to this podcast where we focus on the wisdom of generosity, from ancient to modern. If you enjoy these five minute reflections on being a person in the beautiful space where generosity occurs, please share this podcast in your fundraising networks. If you like these Reflections on Generosity, I would love to hear from you. Just click on the “What do you think?” link in the show notes.
At its core, fundraising isn't just about securing donations—it's about fostering genuine human connections built on care and mutual recognition. This week, I’ve been researching the Jewish practice of hevrot. The article, The Untapped Power of Jewish Fellowships, defines hevrot as small, local voluntaristic groups of individuals who join together to do good works or promote piety. The practice dates to at least the second century. The research in Forgotten Approaches to Care further explores this practice. This week, I’m sharing quotes from these articles to connect that practice to our work in fundraising.
Quote
The ethics of care begins with human interactions—in assisting others effectively and in responding to human vulnerability and dependence. It starts off with everyday situations in which people assist others who require care for the foreseeable future, though their situation is not life-threatening. The ethics of care regards care-receivers as partners as well as co-subjects by emphasising interactions between human beings.
It is the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed. The encouragement of these tasks was not to be achieved primarily through financial contributions, but through collectively coordinated voluntary activity in person.
One member believes that assisting others results from an awareness that is developed over time. She describes her ‘care perspective’ as ‘thinking in relationships’, seeing people as members in a network of relations “on whose continuation they all depend”
‘Thinking in relationships’ is what allows us to recognise and identify such need in others. This point of view enables people to respond to depersonalisation in others by activating, cultivating, or repairing existing networks of communication
Unquote
Rather than seeing donors simply as sources of financial support, we recognize them as partners in a shared mission. When we frame our work through an ethics of care, we acknowledge the interdependence that exists between all members of our community.
Think about what makes fundraising truly meaningful—it's not just the transaction but "the most beautiful, the most noble side of neighbourly love, wherein the word has fully become deed." When we approach donors with this mindset, we invite them into a relationship built on genuine care rather than mere obligation. As fundraisers, we have the privilege of weaving these networks of care that strengthen our entire community. When we face challenges or donor fatigue, we return to this fundamental truth: we're not just raising money—we're connecting people to purpose and to each other.
Let’s reflect on two questions this week:
How are you “thinking in relationship” to avoid depersonalizing our donors?
How are you bringing groups of donors together to create networks of care?
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.
