120: Hope in Giving

"...In the struggle for existence, it is only on those who hang on for ten minutes after all is hopeless, that hope begins to dawn..."

This week, I am reading selected quotes on hope from GK Chesterton.

Reflection question:

• Where do you need to lean into the desperate, forlorn hope this week and keep moving forward?
  
  

Reflection on quote:

Last week, we discussed the first of two opposite errors in our campaign messaging that we can fall into.  The first error is blaming others and encouraging rage giving.  The second is to create desperate pleas for emergency giving with the implicit threat that the capital campaign project will fail without the donations.  This week, let’s reflect on the weaknesses with desperate pleas during a capital campaign.  

I typically counsel my capital campaign clients that they get one shot at giving a desperate plea in a small town and they need to use it wisely. Why? As GK Chesterton stated, fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.  But, if dragons keep getting resurrected, and resurrected, and resurrected, then children cease to believe that dragons can be killed. Repeated desperate pleas sap hope from the community.  Instead, when we are facing obstacles, it is better for us to lean into hope.  It’s not the hope of bright prospects.  It’s the hope of desperate circumstances.  It’s the hope that holds on for 10 minutes more.  The hope that keeps calling potential donors with the vision of impact the project will have. The hope that keeps asking the community to partner together to finish the project.  The hope that keeps moving forward.  

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 during small town capital campaigns. If you like this podcast, please rate or review in your favorite podcast app.

Last week, we discussed the first of two opposite errors in our campaign messaging that we can fall into.  The first error is blaming others and encouraging rage giving.  The second is to create desperate pleas for emergency giving with the implicit threat that the capital campaign project will fail without the donations.  This week, let’s reflect on the weaknesses with desperate pleas during a capital campaign.  This week, I am reading selected quotes on hope from GK Chesterton.
 
Quote.

Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed. There is only one thing in human psychology that deserves to be called courage. That is the power of loving a hopeless cause so much that it becomes a hopeful cause. All courage is the courage of the forlorn hope: you must first accept the forlornness; you must yourself create the hope. It is true that there is a state of hope which belongs to bright prospects and the morning; but that is not the virtue of hope. The virtue of hope exists only in the earthquake and eclipse. For practical purposes it is at the hopeless moment that we require the hopeful man, and the virtue either does not exist at all, or begins to exist at that moment. Exactly at the instant when hope ceases to be reasonable it begins to be useful. In the struggle for existence, it is only on those who hang on for ten minutes after all is hopeless, that hope begins to dawn. Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances that we know to be desperate.

Unquote.

I typically counsel my capital campaign clients that they get one shot at giving a desperate plea in a small town and they need to use it wisely. Why? As GK Chesterton stated, fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.  But, if dragons keep getting resurrected, and resurrected, and resurrected, then children cease to believe that dragons can be killed. Repeated desperate pleas sap hope from the community.  Instead, when we are facing obstacles, it is better for us to lean into hope.  It’s not the hope of bright prospects.  It’s the hope of desperate circumstances.  It’s the hope that holds on for 10 minutes more.  The hope that keeps calling potential donors with the vision of impact the project will have. The hope that keeps asking the community to partner together to finish the project.  The hope that keeps moving forward.  

Let’s reflect on one question:

Where do you need to lean into the desperate, forlorn hope this week and keep moving forward?

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