"...Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Waiting, then, is not passive. It involves nurturing the moment.."

This week, I am reflecting on selected quotes from Henri Nouwen from the The Path of Waiting, published in 1995 and Bread for the Journey, published in 1996.

Reflection questions:

• When you are meeting with donors, are you listening with full attention and waiting with the donor to discover more about themselves?

• Think about the areas where you are waiting, is there something you can do to nurture the donor relationship?

Reflection on quotes:

For those of us in the fundraising field, learning to wait is essential.  We wait for the right timing to ask.  We wait for donors to decide to give.  We wait for news about a grant application.  We spend a lot of time waiting. 

We wait, trusting that our work will bring about the fruit of generosity. As we wait, we are active in nurturing relationships.  We listen and wait while donors discover more about themselves and a potential connection to our cause. If we become impatient and just move onto the next new potential donor relationship, while it feel like we are doing something, in reality, we will find that the moment, that new space, is just as empty. We can’t avoid the waiting.

What do you think?

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop