"...The first and the simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind is curiosity..."

This week, I’m reading a quote from On the Sublime and Beautiful by Edmund Burke, published in 1756.

Reflection questions:

• What is your personality like: do you prefer the new and novel or the familiar and dependable?

• What do you think your donor base needs right now? And, based on what you know about your personality, are you willing to step outside your comfort zone to adapt to your donors’ needs?

Reflection on Quote:

In my work reviewing materials from fund development professionals, I often see two ends of the spectrum. Either the work is completely new - every story, every word, every way to invite the donor to join in the mission is new. On the other end the work is recycled year after year - the same story, the same words, the same call to action. Honestly, there are times where either one of those is appropriate - the new and the novel or the recycled and the dependable.

We are, our donors are, naturally curious. We want to know the new, novel information, novel stories about the work we are supporting. For this reason, we start with blank screens to write fundraising letters, we brainstorm new events, and we gather new stories from our constituents. Yet, as Burke states, curiosity and novelty doesn’t bind us or our donors to a mission. For that reason, we also need to remind ourselves and our donors of the familiar stories. This is why the same fundraising event can be hosted for decades and still be raising more funds each year. It’s why the same fundraising letter can continue to be successful. And, it’s why we can tell and retell our origin stories so effectively. It’s a balance between the novel and the dependable. As professionals, we have to be adaptable to our donors between those two ends of the spectrum - blending curiosity with the familiar.

This work has entered the public domain.

What do you think?

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Music credit: Woeisuhmebop