Reflections on Generosity

Jan 06 2025 83 ep. 4 mins 4
Reflections on Generosity Podcast artwork

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.

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83: Waiting for Generosity

Jan 06 2025 3 mins  
"...Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment.."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 atten

82: To the Days of Generosity Ahead

Dec 23 2024 1 mins  
As you know, this podcast highlights the transformative beauty of generosity. I will be taking a brief break until January 6, and in the meantime, I encourage you to reflect on the role of generosity within your own holiday traditions.As I consider the myriad of holidays during this season, I am reminded of the universal themes of generosity and connection that they all share. Yet,

81: Planting Generosity for Others

Dec 16 2024 4 mins  
"...Therefore one should not cease from planting. Rather, just as he found, one should still continue to plant even though he is old..."This week, I’m a story from Midrash Tanchuma Kedoshim 8:1, written sometime between 500 to 800 AD and published in 1885.Reflection question:How will you plant seeds for fund development programs, like legacy giving, that take longer to see the be

80: Luck of the Draw

Dec 09 2024 4 mins  
"...In the same way, as you are unable to take care of all of your fellow people, treated as the luck of the draw when the time and circumstance brings some into closer contact with you than others." This week, I’m reading a quote from De Doctrina Christiana by Augustine, published in 397 AD.Reflection questions:Is there an area of your work where you need to step back and apply

79: Generosity Repairs the World

Dec 02 2024 3 mins  
“Whoever practices charity and justice fills the world with loving kindness.”This week, I’m reading quotes from Sukkah 49b about tzedakah.Reflection questions:How are we giving donors that vision of repairing the world through their gifts?What are ways that we can practice tzedakah with donors? That is, practicing justice, peace, and loving kindness with donors instead of jus

78: To Do Good

Nov 25 2024 3 mins  
"...that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to an act; and that which is an obstacle on the road helps us on this road..."This week, I am reading a quote from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, written around 171 AD.Reflection questions:Is there a response from a donor that you need to stop giving too much weight to and instead put it in its proper place, thank the donor, and

77: Letting the Giver See

Nov 18 2024 4 mins  
"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Question:What is one thing you can do this week to let your donors know that you see their gi

76: Accept Gifts with Cheerfulness

Nov 11 2024 4 mins  
"...When we have decided to accept, let us accept with cheerfulness, showing pleasure, and letting the giver see it, so that he or she may at once receive some return for their goodness..."This week, I am reading a quote from On Benefits by Seneca the Younger, published in 59 AD.Reflection Question:No matter the donor or the donor’s motivation, how are you and I receiving gifts?

75: Generosity Begins with Us

Nov 04 2024 3 mins  
"...A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed...."This week, I’m reading a quote from the Jewish wisdom on generosity from Proverbs 11.Reflection questions:As you wait for donors to respond to a campaign, have you given to the mission you serve?How are you leading this week in your daily life with the intention of generosity in your own life?Refle

74: Wisdom and Rest

Oct 28 2024 4 mins  
"...For with wisdom cometh patience, And with patience cometh rest..."This week, I am reading the poem The Hardest Time of All, by Sarah Doudney. Written in 1896.Reflection Questions:Where are you waiting for some major change to occur as a result of your work? Is it time to gain more wisdom or to be more patient or to stop and rest in that area?Will you take the time to document y