Global Ecovillage Network/Solution Library/Empowered fundraising

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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

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.

Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.

— Hank Rosso

• Banking & Exchange.

• Contextualised Design.

It is more rewarding to watch money change the world than to watch it accumulate.

— Gloria Steinem

• 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.