87: Generosity in These Times

"...God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called his children!..."

This week, I am reading the words of Jesus and His approach to opponents from Matthew 5 and 6.

View the Calvin and Hobbes cartoon about Enmity and Fundraising Letters from July 7, 1995.

Reflection questions:

• If you were to give your fundraising appeal to an opponent to read, how would they respond?  Would the letter be consider fair?  Considerate?  Even loving?

• When you are speaking with a donor about an opponent of your mission, are you portraying the opponent in the best possible light even if you are outlining policy or tactical disagreements?  

Reflection on quote:

My favorite cartoon is Calvin and Hobbes.  On July 7, 1995, the cartoonist Bill Watterson published a particularly apt description of a trend in fundraising.  While I encourage you to view the cartoon and I have placed the link in the show notes, let me read the captions. Calvin states, “I’m writing a fund-raising letter.  The secret to getting donations is to depict everyone who disagrees with you as the enemy.  Then you explain how they’re systemically working to destroy everything you hold dear.  It’s a war of values! Rational discussion is hopeless!  Compromise is unthinkable! Our only help is well-funded antagonism to keep up the fight.  Hobbes replies. How cynically unconstructive.  Calvin responds, Enmity sells.”  Enmity in fundraising does sell.  The short-term gains by creating enemies and fear are measurable.  Yet, in the long-term, true generosity suffers. 

As I record this week’s podcast, the United States is in political turmoil.  And, unfortunately, there are those in fundraising who will take the opportunity to double-down on enmity in their fundraising copy.  And, I’m genuinely grieved when I read these fundraising appeals where people are made to be the enemy.  People are never the enemy.  We can disagree about policies and tactics.  But, when we make people the enemy instead, we are creating fear among our donors with their own neighbors and in doing so we break down societal and community bonds.  This not only hurts our opponents, but it will do long term damage to generosity and our own organizations.

The text of Matthew 5 and 6 have entered the public domain.

What do you think? Send me a text.

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop