Despite the advice of experts about the importance of choosing a niche and sticking with it if you hope to attract a loyal following to your blog, I’ve not been able to confine myself to just one topic here at Generous Matters. For folks seeking predictability in their blog choices, I fear I disappoint as [...]
Generosity in quotes
December 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“I have never found it easy to be with people who suffer, to enter into the chaos of others. Yet, every time I have done so, it has been a gift to me, better than the wrapped and ribboned packages. I am pulled out of myself to be love’s presence to someone else, even as [...]
Generosity in quotes
December 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“With a faith rooted in hope rather than fear, Christians are called to believe in and act on something unseen. There is peace in the world, and the children of God are tasked with tearing off the wrapping. Violence and war are with us, inflaming between people, countries, and faiths with regularity. But peace is [...]
Generosity in quotes
December 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“It’s Advent, which means ‘coming.’ Oh, we can look at our calendars and know just how many days we have until Christmas. We know when the Light will arrive. At least we know the day we will celebrate when the Light first arrived. Those in Israel in 4 B.C. didn’t know when he would come. [...]
When money can’t buy comfort, there’s prayer
December 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
When tragedy strikes, we Americans are quick to show we care through our giving. In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, for example, concerned folks responded with $37.5 million worth of compassion, and the total continues to grow. In the case of the Haiti earthquake, it was $153 million within the first four days. From [...]
A better than crystal ball look at fundraising’s future
December 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
For visual learners, the infographic below is just the ticket — assuming you’re interested in what’s ahead in fundraising worldwide. It illustrates some of the high (or low, depending on your outlook) points from the annual State of the Industry Survey. A staple since 20o4, the survey collects and analyzes data from nonprofit professionals in [...]
Generosity in quotes
December 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
” . . . before there was original sin, there was original blessing. And that blessing, aided and abetted by the living Spirit of God, is still a powerful force in the world. Each and everyday, we’re invited to make a choice: we will see lots of things – beautiful and terrible, wonderful and awful, [...]
Maximizing the distance between all and nothing
December 12, 2012 By 2 Comments
In a recent post here at Generous Matters, I confessed my frustration with either/or thinking by nonprofit boards, CEOs, and development staff. You know, the willingness of some leaders to settle for walking or chewing gum, sans consideration that the two might be done simultaneously. As the saying goes, confession is good for the soul, [...]
It’s seldom one or the other, but it could be
December 10, 2012 By 3 Comments
Either/or thinking drives me crazy, which helps explain my frequent dissents into madness (professionally speaking). Almost weekly, an exhausted executive director, overwhelmed development staffer, or out-of-breath board member gives me that “deer in the headlights” look when I suggest that the organization try walking and chewing gum simultaneously (metaphorically speaking). “Which should it be?” they [...]
