Chapter 10
Going Back to the Beginning
In Conclusion
The pressure to raise money is such that everyone seems content to overstep relationship bounds with the hope that the donor won’t mind. … We see development as a chore rather than an exciting opportunity to grow a movement. …
We see donors as a means to achieving organizational goals, as opposed to a partner in organizational success. We’re afraid donors are going to try to change us, and we don’t think we can change, so we don’t really want to hear their advice.
We don’t think of their gifts as an action as valuable as our programmatic efforts. We think of their gifts as something that we earned because of our programmatic efforts, which means our donors shouldn’t have a say in our programs.
—Brittany Janis, Cohort 19, Master of Arts Program in Philanthropy and Development, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
It was relationship building that really motivated my community members to reach out to one another. It was about the people as a whole, what we became when we joined together in a common cause. It was being the painters of the bigger picture and being painted into the bigger picture, thus creating a sense of belonging.
—Danielle Gines
Longing to belong. Isn’t that part of human nature? Afraid of being forgotten. Isn’t that part of being human, too?
Through relationships with others, we belong. Through commitment to community, we won’t be forgotten.
No matter how difficult, millions of donors, volunteers, and staff around ...
