145: Managing Stress - Waiting and Nurturing

"...Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment, as a mother nurtures the child that is growing in her womb...”

This week, I am reflecting on selected quotes from Henri Nouwen from the The Path of Waiting, published in 1995 and Bread for the Journey, published in 1996.

Reflection questions:

• When you are meeting with donors, are you listening with full attention and waiting with the donor to discover more about themselves and their potential capital campaign donation?
• Think about the areas where you are waiting, is there something you can do to nurture the donor relationship?

Reflection on the quote:

Capital campaigns are full of some many moments that can be also hard and taxing on the staff, volunteers and the organizations.  In this series, we are looking at ways to manage the stress. Last week, we discussed feeling overwhelmed about the goal and learning into joy.  This week, we will be exploring the seasons of waiting, which can be stressful.  We wait for the right timing to ask.  We wait for donors to decide to give.  We wait for news about a grant application.  We spend a lot of time waiting.

Waiting is not inactive.  Instead, it involves nurturing the moments of waiting. As we wait, we are active in nurturing relationships.  We listen and wait while donors discover more about themselves and their potential donation to the capital campaign. We give them opportunities to explore our mission, our cause, and their potential impact more deeply. We share updates to engage their interest. If we become impatient and just move onto the next new potential donor relationship, while it feel like we are doing something, in reality, we will find that the moment, that new space, is just as empty. We wait, trusting that our patient work in nurturing relationships will bring about the fruit of generosity.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

Transcript

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Welcome back. Every week we pause to reflect because capital campaigns, especially in small towns, aren't just about buildings and budgets. They're about people choosing to be generous. This podcast explores the beautiful space where generosity occurs through ancient and modern writings from all cultures and religions seeking deeper wisdom for capital campaign work in small towns. Whether you're just starting out or deep in the middle of a campaign, these five minute reflections will ground you, encourage you, and remind you why this work matters. Capital campaigns are full of so many moments that can be hard and taxing on staff, volunteers, and the organization. In this series, we are looking at ways to manage the stress. Last week, we discussed feeling overwhelmed about the goal and leaning into joy. This week we are exploring the seasons of waiting, which can be stressful. We wait for the right timing to ask. We wait for donors to decide to give. We wait for news about a grant application. We spend a lot of time waiting. So this week I'm reflecting on selected quotes from Henry Nouwen from the Path of Waiting, published in 1995 and the Bread for the Journey published in 1996. Quote, A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and to live the situation out to the full, in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us. Inpatient people are always expecting the real thing to happen somewhere else and therefore want to go elsewhere. The moment is empty. But patient people dare to stay where they are. Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting then is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment as a mother nurtures the child that is growing within her womb. How do we nurture the moment of waiting? Listening is much more than allowing the other to talk while waiting for a chance to respond. Listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings. The beauty of listening is that those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking our words more seriously and discovering their true selves. Waiting is not inactive. Instead, it involves nurturing the moments of waiting as we wait. We are active in nurturing relationships. We listen and wait while donors discover more about themselves and their potential donation to the capital campaign. We give them opportunities to explore our mission, our cause, and their potential impact more deeply. We share updates to engage their interest. If we become impatient and just move on to the next new potential donor relationship, while it may feel like we're doing something in reality, we will find that moment, that new space just as empty. We wait. Trusting that our patient work in nurturing relationships will bring about the fruit of generosity. Let's reflect on two questions this week. When you are meeting with donors, are you listening with full attention and waiting with the donor to discover more about themselves and their potential capital campaign donation? Think about the areas where you are waiting, is there something you can do to nurture that donor relationship? Share this podcast if you enjoy these five minute reflections and subscribe to receive these reflections released every week. To explore small town capital campaign coaching deeper, visit serving nonprofits.com. See you next week.