Description of Challenge
“Each of us experiences a lifelong tug of war between our money interests
and the calling of our soul. When we are in the domain of soul, we act with integrity.
[...] When we enter the domain of money, there often seems to be a disconnect from
the soulful person we have known ourselves to be. ” (Lynne Twist) We tend to
approach fundraising as if we are beggars. Asking other people for help can leave us
feeling small and needy. This is part of the reason why we do not gather enough
support.
“Donors don’t give to institutions. They invest in ideas and people in whom they
believe.” G.T. Smith
“Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.” Hank Rosso
“It is more rewarding to watch money change the world than to watch it accumulate.”
Gloria Steinem
Solution
See the need to fundraise as an opportunity to build community. In asking
someone for money, we are actually offering them the opportunity to engage with a
meaningful project and with us personally. Who is really giving here? The aim is to
build diverse networks of support and ongoing engagement. We also see that even
when we receive a ‘no’ there is an opportunity to gain new information and to build our
networks.
References:
● Twist,Lynne The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of Our Inner
Resources. W. W. Norton & Company 2006.
● Dragon Dreaming website
● Dragon Dreaming Fact Sheet on Empowered Fundraising
Submitted by: Nara
Developed in collaboration with
Thank you sooooo much for writing this brief summary!
In a situation of extraordinary spontaneity (during this evening), it has proven very helpful to get my self reconncted to the experience that I have had and the understanding which I’ve gained through a workshop about this topic several years ago.
Greetings from Vienna :))