For the New Year,
Form Your Own Philosophy of Giving

Every development director knows that before you ask for money, you must first make your own commitment.

Why? Because when you do, your genuine enthusiasm and your commitment to the project shines through. If you are not practicing this approach, your request says “This program or project isn’t vital enough to me to put my own money into it, but why don’t you invest some of yours?” Not particularly sincere, or effective, is it?

E. Robie Wayne, who 20 years ago founded Campaign Consultants of America, Inc., tells development officers that they cannot teach donors and volunteers about the joy of giving without having given some thought to what is their own philosophy of giving. This philosophy need not be complicated, but it MUST be committed to paper. As writing down goals helps you visualize them, commit to them and achieve them, writing down your philosophy of giving helps you crystallize your thinking about why you believe people give to charity and also why you give of your time, talent and treasure to the causes you believe in.

As if you need another New Year’s Resolution, take time some time now to reflect on your philosophy of giving. Take out a pen and paper, or type it up on your computer. Keep a copy in your portfolio where you can access it frequently. Don’t worry if it’s not eloquent. It’s for your eyes only. And we promise this: the more you look at it and mull it over in your mind, the more concrete and clearly tuned it will become for you.

And don’t forget your donors and volunteers. Stories from volunteers and donors about why they give are some of the greatest motivators for our profession. Tell your volunteers and donors what you are doing and ask them about their philosophy of giving. Ask your volunteers to write theirs down for you and share them at meetings, a retreat, or even in your newsletter. They may be excellent fodder for a testimonial for your organization.

To help you get started, Robie wrote down his philosophy of giving a number of years ago and still shares it in seminars and trainings, today:

To begin with, I feel giving is a learned behavior. We are born takers: babies take, children take. Only when we are taught do we learn to give. We learn through watching others. We learn because someone has taken the time to explain to us that we have more than we need. We learn by being the recipient of someone else’s gifts. In some cases, we learn just by being around someone who is generous and by observing his or her joy in giving.

Those who never learn to give, who never practice what they are taught, or never give to their giving capacity, will never receive the full, true meaning of themselves. They will miss out on an inner peace and comfort knowing that there is more in life than tangibles. In fact, we can measure our worth to each other by observing how, and how much, we give to each other. From that point, there is little distance measuring our worth to society. In other words, giving gives one a sense of belonging that is greater than ourselves, but at the same time, gives us a sense of worth.

As a member of our family, our church, our synagogue, and our community, we have an obligation to give. It is not a choice. The only decision is, do we want to give to our capacity, or do we want to do as little as possible? Do we want to create change and make a difference, or do we want to let others be the true leaders and have our children look up to them? Giving creates a legacy. What others have given before us is what we have today. Giving links one generation to another, and it is our obligation to provide for future generations.

There is great joy in giving and those who do not give to their true capacity will never know that joy. They will miss the opportunity in their lives to make a difference in someone else’s. They will miss the opportunity to feel they really belong. They will miss the opportunity to increase their own wealth. I do believe that whatever we give comes back to us ten-fold. There is no doubt in my mind that this is true. In my profession, I work with the most wonderful people this country has to offer. Fundraisers spend little time with those who say no. Thus, I meet the most affluent people, the most influential people and the most powerful people. This is no coincidence. These people have learned the simple lessons of giving.

Neither I, nor you, have ever looked up to selfish or miserly individuals. We do not honor the greedy or the selfish. Think about that. Test it. Take a significant amount of money today and give it to some cause close to your heart. Give more than you have ever given before for no reason and don’t wait to be asked to do so. Now, wait for the return — you won’t be disappointed. Within a short time a new client, or a new order will come to you from an unexpected source. An unexpected dividend will come to you from an investment, or some windfall will be bestowed upon you. Or, your reward may just be a newly acquired sense of yourself that will increase your self worth. It may increase your status among those you consider leaders, or it just may increase your appreciation ten-fold for what you have already been blessed.

E. Robie Wayne is Senior Vice President, Association Resource Development, for the YMCA of Metropolitan Minneapolis. He merged Campaign Consultants of America, Inc., with Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc., in 2002. He serves Of Counsel with Jeffrey Byrne & Associates, Inc.