Reflections on Generosity for Capital Campaigns

"...Fund-raising must always aim to create new, lasting relationships...."

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen, originally presented in 1992.

Reflection questions:

• Which campaign donors do you need to offer communion, belonging, and friendship to this week?
• Thinking about the case for support, is it just an ask for a donation or is it also an offer for authentic giving and belonging?

Reflection on quote:

Last week, we discussed the scenario when the donor treats their donation as a transaction.  Often times, the root of transactional giving by donors is loneliness.  In an authentic giving approach, we offer donors a relationship and an opportunity to belong. Henri Nouwen spoke about this approach and his words have shifted the mindset of many working in capital campaigns across various mission types and not just faith-based organization.

When donors approach us with a transactional gift, we offer an opportunity for friendship and belonging in return.  The real, person to person opportunity to belong and to make a difference.  Instead of seeing the conversation as a transaction, we invite donors to belong and seeing their money as a way to join with others to create a vision and life together that is fruitful beyond just the building that will built.  The building itself changes to a place of community for both the donor and the constituent. 

To purchase: The Spirituality of Fundraising by Henri Nouwen

Used with permission from Upper Room Books.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...Generosity cannot be counterfeited, and fake generosity does not make us happier, healthier, and more purposeful in life..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.

Reflection question: 

• Are any of our fundraising activities and messaging encouraging self-interested, fake generosity?  If so, how can we tweak them to reflect authentic generosity?

Reflection on quote:

Last week in our series on authentic giving, we discussed avoiding transactional approaches.  What happens if the donor wants to treat the donation as a transaction during a capital campaign?  And, if we encourage these donors to be generous for their self-serving reasons, will they reap the benefits of generosity?

Capital campaigns can bring the joy of seeing donors become more kind, more amenable, more generous the more they give. And, yet, we may also encounter donors who become more demanding, more angry, more sour the more they give.  These are donors who are, as the authors said, going through the motions of generosity simply in order to reap the desired rewards.  If we tie giving to self-interested rewards, then we are more likely to encourage fake generosity and attract other donors like them.  

To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson.

Copyright: Oxford University Press 2014. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

“When conventional economic and marketing assumptions shape and undergird the work of charitable fundraising, .... potential donors will often be approached with the expectation that they will be more interested in having their names in the program or on a plaque or in receiving a premium or a tax break than in giving to help others "out of the goodness of their hearts."

This week, I am reading a quote from Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry by Thomas Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger, published in 2000.

Reflection questions:

• How are we approaching donors with a mindset of authentic giving that acknowledges the world-changing and life-giving power residing the donors’ hearts and souls?

Reflection on quote:

We are starting a short series on authentic giving.  Due to the nature of capital campaigns, it is easy to fall into the trap of asking for a transactional donation because of various common features of a campaign, such methods to give to save on taxes documents and naming rights; that is, give this donation and you can name this part of the building. Let’s start this series about authentic giving in looking at our approach.

Several years ago, I learned this principle through a bit of a failure. I was working with a nonprofit client that had a donor who planned to give a gift of appreciated stock.  Immediately, I advised the nonprofit to set up the process for the donor to transfer the stock to the client and avoid capital gains tax.  However, when the donor was told how to avoid capital gains tax, they refused and instead insisted on selling the stocks, paying the capital gains tax, and donating the proceeds. This donor cared more about the world-changing and life-giving power that was present in or working through the goodness of his heart and soul than the tax break.  And, frankly, the donor was a bit offended to be offered a way to save money in his giving.  

Imagine if the conversation had gone differently.  What if I hadn’t assumed that the donor would want a tax break?  What if I had encouraged the nonprofit to first approached the conversation with an acknowledgement that this donor was giving out the goodness of their heart. What if only after that was fully acknowledged, then the nonprofit had a conversation with the donor about what they wanted to accomplish through their method of giving?  When we approach donors with the assumption that they wish to give authentic gifts without receiving anything in return, we can better avoid any feeling that the gift is a transaction.

To purchase this book:  Growing Givers’ Hearts: Treating Fundraising as Ministry by Thomas Jeavons and Rebekah Burch Basinger.

Copyright permissions granted for use of this quote.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...true charity is given, not with what is left over, but with what we need..."

This week, I’m reading from the former Pope Francis and his homily from November 8, 2015.

Reflection question:

• Are you asking for leftover generosity?  Or, are you asking for true generosity in your messages to donors?

Reflection on quote:

In our series on cultivating an abundance mindset, we discussed how that mindset affects donors and we discussed how we have to build that mindset within our ourselves.  As we end this short series, and there is so much more to say, let’s discuss how we encourage our capital campaign teams and volunteers to ask out of an abundance mindset.

As we have discussed in this series, true generosity creates a personal and life-giving transformation for donors. Donors thrive in an abundance mindset. Unfortunately, however, our capital campaign messages take on a scarcity mindset. Instead of sharing messages about giving from fullness, we beg for leftovers. Can you spare a dollar?  Every bit counts.  Would you just fill the gap? Remember us in your will. If you don’t have other commitments. All of these phrases give the impression that the donor would only want to give to the capital campaign from their leftovers.  That wording deprives donors of true, sacrificial generosity.  As we train our staff, Board, and campaign volunteers, we must model an abundance mindset in our campaign materials and in messaging, wording, and scripts we use in building relationships with donors. 

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger nor loss of composure. Where there is poverty borne with joy, there is neither grasping nor hoarding. Where there is quiet and meditation, there is neither worry nor dissipation."

This week, I’m reflecting on Of the Virtues putting Vices to Flight by Francis of Assisi, first published in English in 1906.

Reflection questions:

• Where do you see evidence of a scarcity mindset within yourself?
• Which virtue do you want to cultivate this week?

Reflection on quote:

Last week in our series on cultivating an abundance mindset, we discussed how that mindset affects donors.  As we continue this series, for most organizational leaders, the amounts that must be raised during a capital campaign can be shocking and overwhelming, leading to a mindset of scarcity. In those overwhelming moments, we have to start the process of cultivating an abundance mindset within our team, the Board, the staff, and the campaign volunteers. And that process starts with ourselves.

In the face of leading the organization through the most significant fundraising effort likely in the organization’s history, what do these virtues do?  When we lean into patience and humility as leaders, we react calmly to the extensive time the campaign will take, knowing that cultivating an abundance mindset among our team and donors requires more intentional efforts. When there is poverty borne with joy, we as leaders communicate the reality that this capital campaign is larger than we can accomplish on our own and we invite volunteers and donors to join in the joy of accomplishing it together.  When we pause for quiet and meditation, even during the busiest seasons of the capital campaign, we calm the frantic efforts and worry that feeds into a scarcity mindset within us. As we keep practicing these abundance-building virtues, we will more quickly  escape the scarcity mindset and return to the abundance mindset.  

This work has entered the public domain.

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

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"...No matter how it happens, the testimony of those who have shifted in their minds, spirits, and emotions from an imagined world of scarcity and insecurity to one of abundance, blessing, sufficiency, and overflow is almost always the same: it is liberating......"

This week, I’m reading a quote from The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson. 2014 edition.

Reflection question: 

• Do you believe that when you are asking, you are giving abundance, blessing, sufficiency and overflow to the donor?

Reflection on quote:

This week, we are starting a series on cultivating an abundance mindset during capital campaigns. When we cultivate an abundance mindset, the act of generosity from donors actually changes.

During capital campaigns, we will encounter donors who give out of a believed world of scarcity and we will encounter donors who give out of a believed world of abundance.  When we approach prospective donors to our capital campaign out of a mindset of abundance, we offer donors the opportunity to shift their imagined world from scarcity and insecurity to a world of abundance, blessing, sufficiency, and overflow.  In small towns, we are giving a great blessing to our neighbors even as we are asking.

To purchase this book: The Paradox of Generosity by Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson.

Copyright: Oxford University Press 2014. Reproduced with permission of the Licensor through PLSclear.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"Urgency triggers a distinctive neurobiological state. In fundraising terms, this means an urgent appeal can literally put a donors brain in “alert mode” prioritizing rapid action over careful deliberation."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How will you maintain a sense of urgent and hopeful intentionality while being strategic during a sudden crisis?

Reflection on quote:

This is the last installment in exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into what it means to be human and how that impacts capital campaigns, using insights from a book recently released by my friend and colleague Cherian Koshy.  This series has only looked at a handful of insights from this book; you can purchase his book using the link in the show notes.  This week, we are looking at emergencies as it relates to capital campaigns because during capital campaigns in small towns there will be at least one crisis. Next week, we will look at abundance.

When the capital campaign hits a sudden crisis—maybe the Executive Director or Campaign Chair steps down mid-campaign, or construction costs jump significantly, or a major pledge falls through—our instinct might be to send out a panicked fundraising appeal. While these messages will help donors prioritize quick action, the key is finding the right balance where we're honest about the challenge without overwhelming donors and we also include hope to inspire confidence and action.

But here's the caution: we can’t cry wolf repeatedly. If donors feel manipulated or exhausted by constant emergencies, they will start tuning the capital campaign out.  To avoid this, we must be strategic.  Not every donor needs to be asked for every crisis.  Instead, we are honest about the challenge. We share the plan to solve the crisis. Finally, we are intentional in determining which segment of funders we will ask to fill the gap. 

Here's how to purchase Neurogiving from Wiley or Amazon.

Quote used by permission.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"Volunteering can satisfy psychological needs: the need to belong to a community, to see one’s values an action or to develop skills and purpose."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How are you showing gratitude to your campaign volunteers?
  
  

Reflection on quote:

We are exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into what it means to be human and how that impacts capital campaigns, using insights from a book recently released by my friend and colleague Cherian Koshy. This week, we are looking at volunteering as it relates to capital campaigns.

When I am discussing with the Executive Director the number of campaign volunteers that will be needed for a capital campaign, I often hear two concerns.  How can we ask someone to give so much of their time, often months and even years to the campaign?  And, secondly, how can ask them to donate financially as well?  

As Cherian points out, we can ask because it’s inherent to being human.  We desire social connection and meaningful work that shows progress.  Joining a campaign committee or being the campaign chair provides immediate social connections and meaning.  Further, as the committee raises funds together, they see the progress towards the goal and the actual building going up.  Further, campaign volunteers naturally want to give to the campaign because of their engagement.  They want to give both their time and money to be a part of the progress.  They are doubly invested. In small towns, their passion about the project will then draw others to join in. And, as result, when we keep sharing the progress of the campaign and show gratitude for their engagement, campaign volunteers will keep volunteering because it makes them feel good. 

Here's how to purchase Neurogiving from Wiley or Amazon.

Quote used by permission.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...Donors don’t just invest their money, they invest their trust. Admitting uncertainty or limitations can actually boost credibility...." 

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection question:

• How are you consistently updating donors, even when the capital campaign or construction is facing challenges?

Reflection on quote:

We are continuing exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into what it means to be human and how that impacts capital campaigns, using insights from a book recently released by my friend and colleague Cherian Koshy.  This week, we are looking at donor trust as it relates to capital campaigns. One challenge during capital campaigns is maintaining and growing trust after the donor give a pledge or donation.  From the time the donor gives to capital campaign, it can be months and sometimes years before the construction actually starts or the building project is completed. It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting to give an update.  However, admitting uncertainty or limitation boosts credibility. This is especially essential in small towns where a vacuum of information can be filled with false speculation about the viability of the building project. We build, maintain, and grow trust by giving ongoing updates to donors. In turn, those authentic updates give confidence to the donors in sharing their excitement about the project with others.

Here's how to purchase Neurogiving from Wiley or Amazon.

Quote used by permission.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop

"...If a donor donates regularly – even small amounts –they gather evidence from their own behavior that “I am a generous person.” Once someone embraces a donor identity, they naturally want to act consistently with it..."

I am reading from Neurogiving. The Science of Donor Decision-Making by Cherian Koshy, published in 2025.

Reflection questions:

• When you are talking with long-term donors, are you entering into conversations of curiosity to find out why they give?
• Are you aligning your capital campaign ask with the donor’s stated identity and motivation for giving?

Reflection on quote:

We are continuing exploring how generosity is deeply embedded into what it means to be human and how that impacts capital campaigns, using insights from a book recently released by my friend and colleague Cherian Koshy.  This week, we are looking at donor identity as it relates to capital campaigns. 

As we prepare for a capital campaign, one of the necessary reports that we pull from our donor database is a list of long-term givers and some of these long-term donors are donors who are able to give more significantly during the quiet phase of the campaign. As we schedule times to meet with these donors, it’s important to understand how the donor’s self-identification as a generous person to this cause affects their motivation to potentially give to the campaign.  In small towns, we can assume we know why they are giving to our cause, but until we have entered into conversations of curiosity, we won’t know.  Once we have a better idea of how their identity is driving them to give, we can frame the capital campaign ask as being in alignment with their generous identity.

Here's how to purchase Neurogiving from Wiley or Amazon.

Quote used by permission.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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

Music credit: Woeisuhmebop