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
103: Generosity of Lonely Pioneers
"...We cannot attempt to recount here the long story of all good causes which came to be recognized only after lonely pioneers had devoted their lives and fortunes to arousing the public conscience, of their long campaigns until at last they gained support..."
This week, I’m reflecting on this quote by Friedrich Hayek from The Constitution of Liberty, published in 1960.
Reflection questions:
- As you consider this quote, are there donors that come to mind? Donors who will devote their time and wealth sacrificially for the causes we serve?
- How will you walk beside these donors to support and encourage them in their community leadership?
Reflection on quote:
The role of wealth in our society and in nonprofit work has been much debated. While we are all aware of demanding donors with unproductive ideas, on LinkedIn, someone posted a quote discussing how individual donors can create positive societal change.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of coaching a client through a gap campaign where the client had to raise $2 million in 6 weeks or face significant financial consequences. Quietly, a small group of major donors stepped in. The leadership of these donors has and will lead to more giving by the community. As Hajek states, when donors employ their wealth sacrificially in order to arouse the public conscience, there can be significant societal change. The challenge for us as fund development professionals is to identify within our communities and donor databases those lonely pioneers willing to devote their lives and fortunes to our causes and work beside them.
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. This podcast explores the wisdom of generosity, from ancient to modern, and the beautiful space where generosity occurs. Don’t forget to subscribe for this weekly podcast in your favorite podcast app.
The role of wealth in our society and in nonprofit work has been much debated. While we are all aware of demanding donors with unproductive ideas, on LinkedIn, someone posted a quote discussing how individual donors can create positive societal change. So, this week, I’m reflecting on this quote by Friedrich Hayek from The Constitution of Liberty, published in 1960.
Quote
The leadership of individuals or groups who can back their beliefs financially is particularly essential in the field of cultural amenities, in the fine arts, in education and research, in the preservation of natural beauty and historic treasures, and, above all, in the propagation of new ideas in politics, morals, and religion. If minority views are to have a chance to become majority views, it is necessary not only that men who are already highly esteemed by the majority should be able to initiate action but that representatives of all divergent views and tastes should be in a position to support with their means and their energy ideals which are not yet shared by the majority.
We cannot attempt to recount here the long story of all good causes which came to be recognized only after lonely pioneers had devoted their lives and fortunes to arousing the public conscience, of their long campaigns until at last they gained support for the abolition of slavery, for penal and prison reform, for the prevention of cruelty to children or to animals, or for a more humane treatment of the insane. All these were for a long time the hopes of only a few idealists who strove to change the opinion of the overwhelming majority concerning certain accepted practices.
The successful performance of such a task by the wealthy is possible, however, only when the community as a whole does not regard it as the sole task of men possessing wealth to employ it profitably and to increase it, and when the wealthy class consists not exclusively of men for whom the materially productive employment of their resources is their dominant interest.
Unquote
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of coaching a client through a gap campaign where the client had to raise $2 million in 6 weeks or face significant financial consequences. Quietly, a small group of major donors stepped in. The leadership of these donors has and will lead to more giving by the community. As Hajek states, when donors employ their wealth sacrificially in order to arouse the public conscience, there can be significant societal change. The challenge for us as fund development professionals is to identify within our communities and donor databases those lonely pioneers willing to devote their lives and fortunes to our causes and work beside them.
Let’s reflect on two questions this week:
As you consider this quote, are there donors that come to mind? Donors who will devote their time and wealth sacrificially for the causes we serve?
How will you walk beside these donors to support and encourage them in their community leadership?
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.
