110: A Great Present

"...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.

To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper and to schedule an free explore coaching call, visit ServingNonprofits.com.

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Transcript

Welcome back. This podcast explores the wisdom of generosity, from ancient to modern, and the beautiful space where generosity occurs. If you like this podcast, please rate or review in your favorite podcast app.

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.  This week, I am reading a story and quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger. Published in 59 AD.

The quote begins. “As the pupils of Socrates, each in proportion to his means, gave him large presents, Aeschines, a poor pupil, said, "I can find nothing to give you which is worthy of you; I feel my poverty in this respect alone. Therefore I present you with the only thing I possess, myself. I pray that you may take this my present, such as it is, in good part, and may remember that the others, although they gave you much, yet left for themselves more than they gave." Socrates answered, "Surely you have bestowed a great present upon me, unless perchance you set a small value upon yourself. I will accordingly take pains to restore you to yourself a better man than when I received you." By this present Aeschines outdid Alcibiades, whose mind was as great as his Wealth, and all the splendour of the most wealthy youths of Athens.”

You see how the mind even in the straitest circumstances finds the means of generosity. Aeschines seems to me to have said, "Fortune, it is in vain that you have made me poor; in spite of this I will find a worthy present for this man. Since I can give him nothing of yours, I will give him something of my own." Nor need you suppose that he held himself cheap; he made himself his own price. By a stroke of genius this youth discovered a means of presenting Socrates to himself. We must not consider how great presents are, but in what spirit they are given.
End quote.

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 of joy to permeate our organization’s culture.

Let’s reflect on these questions this week:

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?

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.